The San Diego Fire Department’s plan to not use some engines in an effort to save money will impact the department’s response times, and the plan could affect your home insurance rates in the long run.
Under the brownout plan certain San Diego firefighters will be reassigned to cover for others who are off. The measure is expected to save the city $11.5 million in overtime.
Pete Moraga is with the Insurance Information Network of California. He says the money saving plan won’t impact insurance policies right away because rates are determined using long term risk projections. But he says the brownouts are something insurance companies will be watching.
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“And if they see a correlation between brownouts or changes in personnel or fire departments and their own claim histories then you’ll see that red flag going up and them saying, OK, we need to take a closer look at this,” Moraga said.
Moraga says fire danger is just one part of the risk profile insurance companies use to set rates. San Diego’s Fire and Rescue chief says he believes the plan will be in place for the long term.
