What fire-department damage includes
- Water damage from hoses (often significant)
- Structural damage from forcible entry (doors, windows, walls)
- Overhaul damage (pulling ceilings/walls to check for hidden fire)
- Ventilation damage (holes cut in roofs or walls)
- Contents damage from water or firefighting activity
Coverage basis
Most HO-3 policies cover fire as a named peril, which includes:
- The direct fire damage
- Damage from efforts to extinguish the fire
- Damage from smoke and soot
- Water damage incidental to suppression
Specific language: "Direct physical loss caused by fire" typically includes all reasonably incidental suppression damage.
When carriers push back
- Characterizing firefighting water as "flood" (rare but happens)
- Separating overhaul damage as "not fire-caused"
- Limiting forcible-entry damage to a sublimit
Documenting
- Fire department report (cause and actions taken)
- Photos of firefighting-specific damage
- Scope separated by damage type (fire, smoke, water, structural-from-entry)
- Correlation of water damage location to hose streams