Local fire departments hope to lower homeowners’ insurance premiums.
Volunteer fire departments across Cherokee County have been working to improve their Insurance Services Office, or ISO, fire rating, which scores a departments’ performance to determine property insurance costs.
A ratings inspector from the state fire marshal’s office graded Ranger Volunteer Fire Department last week. They set up a mock water point in the social services parking lot and sustained water flow at 250 gallons per minute for 15 minutes.
“This shows that if any house around here catches fire, our station has the capability to sustain water until help arrives,” Fire Chief Mike Taylor said. “The department has been practicing every Tuesday night for the last three to four months.”
Last week was the first time that Ranger VFD has been graded to lower its ISO rating since inception in the 1970s. The process typically takes three years and involves equipment tests, equipment upgrades, training and the establishment of static water points, such as ponds and creeks.
“We had to make water points and fix the ones that we had, and you have to get permission from homeowners to do that,” Taylor said. “Then you must have a civil engineer come out to make sure they’re sustainable.”
Of course, the effort required funding, which the department obtained by raising the fire tax a few years ago. The department must continue to upgrade equipment and maintain water points to fulfill requirements that come from having a lower ISO rating, which is regraded every five years.
“Getting it is easy; keeping it is the hard part,” Taylor said. “Without the money, we couldn’t have done it.”
Ranger expects to receive results of its performance within 120 days. Additionally, the Andrews and Murphy fire departments were regraded by state officials this month. The Valleytown Volunteer Fire Department expects to be regraded next month.
“It’s a lot to ask of an all-volunteer department,” Taylor said. “These guys have given up a tremendous amount of time away from home doing this.”