Havana insurance rates increase with lack of state-certified firefighters

HAVANA, Fla. (WCTV) - Officials said many homeowners in Havana are seeing hikes in their home insurance because there aren’t enough state-certified firefighters responding to calls.

The rates affect homeowners who live within a five-mile driving distance to the fire station, according to officials. Havana Volunteer Fire Department Chief Lester Beach said to be in compliance, they need at least four state-certified firefighters responding to every structure fire call.

Chief Beach said of their 14 firefighters, only four are state-certified. Because the department consists of volunteers, he said it’s not always possible to have the only four certified firefighters at every call.

According to Beach, the state certification process requires 300 hours of training. “A lot of people work a job and then they volunteer their free time,” said Beach. He said it’s difficult for many people who work full-time jobs to spend more time after work completing the training.

One Havana resident said her insurance is increasing by nearly $100 per month. “That was, kind of, a little sticker shock when we saw our last statement,” said Anna Wescoat. “A lot of times, we don’t know about this stuff until after something’s already happened.”

Wescoat said she was unaware the fire department didn’t have enough state-certified firefighters, but she and other residents want to come together to fix the problem. “I feel like there’s so many great people in the town who want to help. We just don’t know what we can do to help,” said Wescoat.

Beach said there are two firefighters currently getting their state certification. He said two additional certified firefighters are joining the department, and going forward, all new firefighters will be required to obtain their certifications within two years. Beach also said there have been five interested applicants within the past 10 days.

It’s estimated to take at least one year before the fire department can be re-evaluated, which Beach said should bring down the town’s ISO rating and insurance rates in the future.

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