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Staff 'not covered for terrorism' - Families could fall into financial turmoil

in

BBC website 5/8/05

Emergency service workers killed or injured during a terrorist incident may not be covered by personal insurance policies, a union has warned. Unison, representing emergency service workers, says insurance companies should drop exclusion clauses.

Policies covering accident and offering mortgage protection should be checked by policyholders carefully, it said. Exclusion clauses could leave emergency workers and their families high and dry if they are injured or killed. Fire crews in Somerset have already threatened to go on strike after claiming they may not be insured for dealing with a terrorist attack. The action has since been called off to allow further talks. Unison said it did not want the sacrifices that members of the emergency services were making to result in their families suffering financial hardship.

Terrorism exclusion

It pointed out that its own insurance policy offered to members provided full cover and called for other insurers to do the same. Jane Milne, Association of British Insurers says: "Most types of insurance are readily available without terrorism exclusions" "We are asking all insurance companies to look at their policies and if they have such exclusion clauses to drop them," said Sam Oestreicher, a Unison national officer.

The insurance industry itself admitted that some policies had exclusion clauses and advised policyholders to study the small print or contact their insurance company or broker. "We would like to reassure emergency workers and other customers that most types of insurance are readily available without terrorism exclusions," said Jane Milne at the Association of British Insurers. "The major personal types of insurance, such as life, household and comprehensive motor insurance, provide cover for the effects of a terrorist incident as a standard feature of the policy."

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