WASHINGTON – Two bills sailing through Virginia’s General Assembly would allow volunteer fire departments to collect $250 or more from insurance companies if they are called to save or protect insured properties.

The law would require insurance companies to offer the coverage. Homeowners would pay for it.

Fuel and equipment can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and many volunteer departments struggle to survive on a mixture of state and local funds and donations.

Some volunteer fire departments have tried to collect from insurance companies in the past, but they did not have the legal authority to do so.

WTOP’s Hank Silverberg contributed to this story. Follow Hank and WTOP on Twitter.

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