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volunteer fire fighting

Volunteer Fire Fighting Coverage – “Is this something I need?”


As most of you have seen, the fires in BC have been problematic again this year. The summer was dry and fires spread ferociously. In Saskatchewan, we had a few grass fires as well. They were not as severe, however they did cause a fair amount of natural damage and kept the fire departments busy.

These wildfires can be very hard to contain. One fire department is usually not enough and it takes a “village,” so to speak, to put these fires out or contain them. For every department that shows up, they will generally have both a call out fee and an hourly fee based on how long they were on the scene. In most urbanized centers, your taxes will include the costs of a fire call-out. However, in the rural areas or smaller towns, there may often be an invoice for these services that you are responsible for. This is something you should look into with your local RM or  Municipal office.


In our local Saskatchewan departments, the average call-out fee is around $1200. The hourly rate is close to $1000 per hour. This means that if you had a house fire, shop fire, machinery fire or grass fire that you were responsible for, and one department spent 10 hours on the site putting out the fire, you could end up with an invoice of over $10,000. Now imagine the fire spreads to other locations and now 2 or 3 local department show up. This could end up being $20,000-$30,000. This seems far fetched, but we had 2 fires this year alone where the fire departments reported invoices of close to $20,000 and $40,000. The invoice usually gets sent to the land or property owner where the fire originated. So even though the fire did minimal damage on your property, if it spreads to other people’s property, you can still be on the hook for all the firefighting costs.


To protect yourself from these potential costs, you can add volunteer fire fighting coverage to your home/farm policy. Most RM administrators are recommending around $20,000 coverage for potential losses. Some insurance companies bundle this coverage with other packages to make them more flexible. For example, with My Mutual Insurance, you can purchase an “Agri-Shield” product which includes: Volunteer Fire Fighting, Debris Removal, Farm Building Contents – including Tack, and Tool Coverage. This package starts at a limit of $60,000, however, it can be increased. The reason that this is more flexible is that you can either use the full $60,000 for fire fighting if needed, or you break down the coverage as needed. For example, you have a shop fire and you need $10,000 for fire fighting, $25,000 for tools, $10,000 for debris removal and $10,000 for misc. farm contents. This coverage can be split up to reach those individual limits up to the total limit you have selected. Another potential scenario is a grass fire is starting on your land and you end up needing $40,000 to pay for fire fighting costs – this would all be covered under this package.

If you were to buy these coverages individually ($60,000 fire fighting, $60,000 tools, and $60,000 debris removal) this premium would end up being much more than the Agri-Shield product. Please give us a call if you would like to learn more about this product or would like to add these coverages to your policy.

Fire Fighting

Living in Saskatchewan exposes us to a wide range of weather conditions, including hail, wind, extreme heat, rain, snow, and ice. When these elements combine, it often leads to unavoidable disasters.

A few years ago, Northern Saskatchewan faced severe forest fire situations due to a dry spring and constant wind. This year, British Columbia is also struggling with a wave of uncontrollable forest fires. We express our gratitude to the brave firefighters and volunteers who risk their lives to combat these fires.

During the fall, particularly around harvest time, the ground, grass, and crops in Saskatchewan tend to become dry. With the dry vegetation and warm weather, the conditions are ripe for potential grass fires. Whether you’re working in the fields, having a campfire, or engaging in any outdoor activities, it is essential to keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Having this precautionary measure readily available allows you to extinguish any initial sparks, which can significantly reduce the risk of a fire.

In the event of a fire, it is crucial to ensure you have appropriate coverage on your insurance policy to protect against potential losses. If you reside in an urban area, it is advisable to check with your village, town, or city to determine if your taxes cover any fire department charges that may arise from attending a fire for which you are responsible. For those residing in rural areas, the local fire department will respond, but you will likely be responsible for the costs associated with their deployment and firefighting efforts. In cases where you live near multiple Rural Municipalities (RMs), towns, or cities, multiple fire departments may be involved, resulting in substantial service fees. For instance, a single fire department’s call-out fee can amount to $1200 or more, with additional costs of $800-$1000 per hour for firefighting operations.

To protect against these potential expenses, you can consider purchasing “Volunteer Fire Fighting” coverage on your home or farm policy. Some insurance companies offer coverage limits of $2000, $5000, or $10,000 for this purpose. We strongly recommend consulting with us to ensure you have this coverage and that it is adequate for your specific area. It is also advisable to contact your local RM office to understand the firefighting costs in your vicinity and the coverage amounts commonly carried by residents. Depending on your location, it may be prudent to have a minimum coverage of $15,000-$20,000 to guarantee sufficient protection.

Should you have any inquiries regarding this coverage or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our insurance professionals.