WHEREAS SaskPower equipment and powerlines are known to spark grass fires in right of ways and spread to surrounding ratepayer property in rural municipalities and endanger the lives of occupants and their property;

WHEREAS volunteer fire departments bill SaskPower directly as their equipment and powerlines are directly responsible for the cause of the fire;

WHEREAS SaskPower investigates the cause of the fire and states that SaskPower is not responsible for any fire resulting from equipment failure or acts of nature and the fire call is not deemed to be the responsibility of SaskPower, and therefore SaskPower will not pay compensation for the invoiced firefighting services;

WHEREAS municipal ratepayers are left to cover the cost of the firefighting services and the actual damages to their property;

BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the provincial government to have an independent body investigate SaskPower fires to determine the root cause of each fire;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that SARM lobby the provincial government to set up a separate fund for volunteer fire departments to provide for the cost of the fires started by SaskPower equipment whether it be due to equipment failure or acts of nature.