IN a state as rural as West Virginia, volunteer fire departmentsare a must. But with the most elderly population in the nation, theMountain State has a smaller pool of young people from which torecruit volunteer firemen, and it shows.
Doug Mongold, president of the state Fireman's Association, saidWest Virginia had 12,000 volunteer firefighters in 2000, a numberthat has since dwindled to 10,000.
They serve in 424 volunteer fire departments across the state.
Keeping volunteer fire departments in good working order isimportant to West Virginians. Their safety and property depends onit. The state does have a stake in helping VFDs solve theirproblems.
But the state would have to find the right balance betweenfirefighters' interests and taxpayers' interests.
State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis suggests the state addressrecruitment problems by providing pensions to volunteers when theyretire.
He wants legislators to raise the current 1.55 percent surchargeon homeowners' insurance policies to 2 percent to fund pensions forvolunteer firefighters. Those who support this idea think therevenue source would support $222-a-month pensions for volunteerfirefighters at age 60.
The timing could not be worse. West Virginia legislatorsperfected the unfunded pension liability game, and the state'sliabilities stood at nearly $5 billion as of July 1 - before thestock market nosedived.
The state's taxpayers simply cannot take on any more open-endedobligations.
How much money do the departments get from the current surcharge?How much money would the proposed tax increase cost insurancepolicyholders?
West Virginians do value volunteer firefighters, but the days ofguessing about pension costs are long gone in West Virginia.
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