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Temporary fire station helps with Stafford insurance rates a look at region's rankings

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Stafford action helps insurance rating

BY JONAS BEALS

Date published: 1/5/2009

BY JONAS BEALS

When the Insurance Services Office speaks, dedicated fire department officials and insurance companies listen.

Outside of that select audience, the rather obscure ISO fire service ratings are usually of little concern.

But in October, Stafford County residents had reason to pay attention. The ISO determined that the Rock Hill station did not meet its minimum standards, which meant homes in that area could have seen increased insurance premiums.

To bolster the Rock Hill station, the Stafford Fire and Rescue Department leased a private residence and is using it as a temporary fire station. It was enough to appease ISO officials.

On a 1-to-10 scale, Rock Hill would have been a 10--an "unrecognized" station. A locality's individual stations are rated, and those ratings are figured into the overall grade a county, city or town receives. The ISO considers response times, staffing, water infrastructure and the quality of a dispatch or 911 service.

If a community is completely served by fire hydrants and nearby fire stations, it receives one number grade. If a community has buildings that do not fall within a five-mile radius of a station, it gets a "split score." Essentially, the score represents separate grades for the buildings within the radius and those outside of it.

How that rating affects insurance premiums varies by company.

Jon Hannah, a public relations consultant for State Farm, said the ISO rating is really useful only to fire departments.

"Our criteria is more complex now," he said. "We have moved toward a more technical model, and don't feel it is appropriate to use that correlation. There are more specific things we can use."

On the other hand, the ISO grade can have an effect on the cost of insurance, although changes may not be drastic.

"Every insurance company is supposed to use it," Allstate senior account representative Sharon Stone said. "We've been using it for years, but the only time it's going to make a difference is if the score is over 6. If you go from a 9 to a 10, it won't be that big of an increase."

In light of Stafford's recent experience with ISO ratings, we wanted to see how the numbers compare in other area counties.

Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com

STAFFORD Rating: 5/9 overall. Originally, the Rock Hill station on Garrisonville Road was given a 10, or "unrecognized," rating by ISO. It was not the only station in the county that received a 10, but ISO standards allow for station overlap. If a failing station is within five road miles of a passing one, it receives the higher grade. Improvements: In November, Stafford opened Station 14 in a house on Shelton Shop Road to bolster the rating of the Rock Hill station. It worked. Construction is ongoing at the new fire/rescue station on Courthouse Road. When completed, it will house Fire Station 1 as well as Rescue Station 2, replacing their old buildings. Officials are focusing their efforts on recruiting new volunteers. SPOTSYLVANIA Rating: 5/10 overall. Residents who live within five miles of a fire station get below-average insurance premiums compared with other localities in the state. But for those living outside the five-mile zone, the premiums are some of the highest. "Most folks realize when they move out in the middle of nowhere the services cannot be completely identical [to those in urban areas], as much as we would like them to be," said Spotsylvania County Fire and Rescue Chief Chris Eudailey. Improvements: The county's Capital Improvement Plan for 2009-13 shows improvement is needed in the rural areas of Shady Grove and Post Oak. High call volumes and growth necessitate stations in Massaponax and Lee Hill. A station in any one of those four areas would help improve the rating in its area, Eudailey said. A new fire station was built for the Salem Fields area this year, and there is now a regional training center. Although two other stations have been constructed, they were replacements. Eudailey said tankers were purchased to demonstrate to ISO that there is sufficient pump-and-haul water supply for rural areas without hydrants. Working toward 24-hour coverage seven days a week for all 10 stations has been an ongoing goal for the department. "We still have a couple of holes we need to backfill on," Eudailey said. "Compared to where we were, we are happy we have seen an improvement in the rating." FREDERICKSBURG Rating:The city is rated a 3. Fredericksburg's 10-square miles are currently served by two fire stations. Improvements: The city's long-term capital plan calls for a third fire station to be built in Celebrate Virginia, on land donated by the Silver Cos. That is a projected $7 million project. The city's current capital plan lists the bulk of the funding for that project in fiscal year 2011, however, this is one of many capital projects that could likely be delayed as the city deals with declining tax revenues. Officials are projecting that the 2010 budget process will begin with a $6.5 million deficit. CAROLINE Rating: 6/9 overall. Areas with fire hydrants and departments, including Ladysmith and Bowling Green, are rated 6. The rest of the county is rated a 9 or 10 based on the proximity to a fire station and the fire department's ability to meet recommended standards. Improvements: New equipment purchases can improve ISO scores. The county recently acquired new firetrucks for the Ladysmith and Sparta stations. A new fire station is planned for the Carmel Church area by 2010--a developer proffered to build it as part of a rezoning plan for 526 new homes in that part of the county. KING GEORGE Rating: 6/9 overall. The rating of 6 is for properties located within five miles of a fire station or 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. The rating of 9 is for all property outside of that requirement. Improvements: Since 2002, a number of improvements have been made, including increasing the number of fire hydrants and water systems, acquiring a new firetruck, establishing 24-hour work shifts, improving the communication system and establishing mutual aid agreements with other localities. ORANGE Rating: 5/9 overall. The town of Orange is rated 5. Lake of the Woods is rated 6. Most of the rural areas of the county are rated 9 because of distance from a fire station and/or lack of a municipal water supply. Improvements: The county recently acquired two new ladder trucks, which are stationed at the Orange Volunteer Fire Department in the town of Orange and at the LOW fire station. County Administrator Bill Rolfe said the county is studying how to lower response time through greater coordination between the volunteer and paid staff and location of equipment. The county is considering building a new station on State Route 20 to consolidate the Mine Run Volunteer Fire Department, which has no career staff, with the Mine Run unit of the Orange County Volunteer Rescue Squad, which has paid staff cross-trained in fire and rescue. The consolidation would help the county meet its goal of responding to 80 percent of calls for service within 15 minutes. WESTMORELAND Rating: 5/9 overall. Ninety percent of Westmoreland County's population lives in areas with ISO ratings of 9 or better, said Westmoreland County Administrator Norm Risavi. The towns of Colonial Beach and Montross have ISO ratings of 5 because of their water systems, hydrants and proximity to fire stations, he said. Improvements: Two recently constructed fire substations at Mount Holly and Hague lowered ISO ratings for those areas from 10 to 9, Risavi said. A substation to serve the 10-rated Stratford area is under discussion, he said. The county's four volunteer fire departments are working together to guarantee delivery of 250 gallons per minute. Risavi said ISO's approval of that plan could reduce ratings from 9 to 8 for many areas of the county and result in savings on insurance costs. CULPEPER Rating: 4 Improvements: The county has no paid firefighters and, with a hiring freeze in place for almost a year, has no plans to add professional help.

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Date published: 1/5/2009

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