Truckee Meadows board approves $2.32 million insurance renewal and joins state pool as workers’ comp costs rise

The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District board unanimously approved a one-year insurance renewal package on June 23 that the district said will cost no more than $2,320,495 and includes membership in the Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool.

The board’s action covers a combined property and liability program and workers’ compensation coverage beginning July 1, 2026. District staff and broker Brandon Lewis of USI Insurance Services recommended joining the state pool for property and casualty coverage and retaining a separate workers’ compensation placement; presenters said the pool’s option provided broader coverage and terms that accommodate the district’s fuel-mitigation work for Nevada Energy contracts.

Brandon Lewis told the board the recommended package keeps property and liability premiums within roughly 2% of last year’s cost after accounting for the district’s new station values, while workers’ compensation is the major driver of the overall increase. Lewis said Nevada workers’ compensation rates have risen about 20%–25% on average for employers this year and that the district’s premiums are further affected by its experience-modification factor (EMOD).

“We recommend the pool option for property and casualty because it provides broad coverage and helps preserve critical contract work,” Lewis said.

Donna Stewart, a senior workers’ compensation claims consultant who presented the district’s claims history, said the district’s EMOD fell after 2020 COVID-era claims dropped off the three-year rolling calculation, but recent years’ claims—particularly 2024—have driven the mod back up. Stewart noted that the district had 37 claims in 2020 with about $1.5 million in incurred value that rolled off in 2025, and that 2024 included about 40 claims with $1.44 million in incurred value, which is increasing the EMOD and the premium.

“Our goal is to bring the modification factor down through active claim monitoring, early intervention and targeted risk control,” Stewart said. “That will reduce the search charges that are added to the renewal.”

District and broker presentations outlined specific mitigation steps already in place: a contract with Ready Rebound for expedited clinical access, onsite physical therapy services supplied by a contracted therapist (hours to be increased in the next fiscal year), and quarterly EMOD analyses and monthly claim reviews to identify trends and intervene early on open claims.

The board heard that the renewal package includes a recommended property/liability program through the Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool with a $5,000 deductible for most losses and separate higher deductibles for cyber and pollution exposures. The staff presentation listed combined premiums for the recommended selections: approximately $442,365 for the property/liability component through the pool and about $1,878,130 for workers’ compensation, totaling a not-to-exceed $2,320,495 for the one-year period.

Board members and presenters also discussed legislative changes affecting presumptive workers’ compensation exposures for public safety personnel and cited recent bills as part of the broader pressure on the insurance market. Panelists said working groups led by larger jurisdictions and pooled programs are coordinating responses and advocacy with the legislature.

After discussion, Vice Chair Garcia moved to approve the staff recommendation, a second was made, and the motion carried unanimously. Presenters committed to provide the board with periodic updates, including quarterly analyses of the district’s EMOD and trends in open claims.

The board’s action authorizes the district to place the recommended insurance coverages and to join the Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool; staff said they will return with updates as the quarterly monitoring produces results.