(a) The City wishes to provide for reimbursement for the Fire Department for any costs and/or expenses incurred by the Department, which may be attainable, by the Department by submitting claims only to the individual property owners’ insurance carrier.
(b) It is the finding of the City that individual property owners may maintain insurance coverage within their own casualty insurance policies, homeowners’ policies and/or other applicable policies that would provide reimbursement to the Fire Department for fire suppression and other services rendered to the property owners’ properties in response to emergency service requests.
(c) The City Manager is hereby authorized and directed, by and through the Office of the Fire Chief, to ascertain what insurance coverages may be applicable and available under each circumstance, and to take the necessary and affirmative actions to apply for and receive reimbursement from any insurance carriers where a property owner is or may be insured to reimburse the Department for any cost and/or expense incurred for services, supplies and/or equipment used for or provided to the property owner by their Department. A fee shall be established by ordinance of City Council and amended from time to time listing each assessed fee per item of equipment, vehicle, and personnel used by the Fire Department.
(d) Under no circumstances shall the property owner receive a bill from the City for fire suppression or other services provided by the Department, with the exception in cases of intentional false alarms and fires intentionally set by the property owner.
(e) This section shall be liberally construed to accomplish its purpose to compensate and/or reimburse the City from insurance proceeds only the costs and/or expenses incurred while providing services to their duties for the Fire Department.
(Ord. 4938. Passed 4-28-04; Ord. 5353. Passed 5-31-23.)