Fire Insurance Solution Found for Rural Clayton Residents

Resident is rural Clayton worried about their insurance skyrocketing because of a lack of firefighters at the Sunshine Station might be able to breath a sigh of relief, according to a Contra Costa Times article.

The is manned by three firefighters and the Insurance Standards Office, which sets danger ratings for many insurance companies, requires four firefighters on duty to qualify for reasonably priced coverage.

But State Farm Insurance doesn't follow the Insurance Standards Office rules and is willing to write policies for residents in the area. The only requirement is that the home is 10 miles away from the station, Johnny Duenas a State Farm Insurance agent told the Contra Costa Times.

CalFIRE runs the Sunshine Station in the summer and the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District has a contract to keep it open during the winter.

The district voted to cut the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District contract last summer, but residents protested their insurance would go through the roof or they could lose coverage all together.

The district's budget continues to be in bad shape. It is expecting to start the 2011-12 fiscal year with a $2.5 million deficit, and unless it makes additional cuts or finds more money, it likely will have exhausted its savings before the end of 2012-13, fire district Chief Hugh Henderson told the Contra Costa Times.

To help the district make up for its budget shortfall, residents are expected to vote on a tax increase, but the vote was delayed after a consultant failed to complete a report determining exactly how much each resident would pay.