Fire station still in need of volunteers
By Martin Rand III, The Brunswick News, Ga. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
To be operational, the fire station needs at least 10 volunteers who have to live within 5 miles of the station.
So far, that has not happened.
The idea to reopen the station was proposed after residents in Belleville learned their property insurance premiums would go up as a result of the community's Insurance Service Office, or ISO, rating has jumped from a 5 to 9 because there is no staffed fire station within a 5-mile radius of some of the residences there.
The ISO rating is a risk management number used by insurance companies. A 10, the lowest rating, represents the greatest risk to property because of inadequate fire protection.
Last year, some residents said they received letters notifying them that their homeowner's insurance premium will be increased 60 percent or more a month. However, due to changes to the classification system by the ISO set to go into effect on
The ISO will introduce a new classification rating called 10W, which gives risk credit to property within 5 to 7 road miles of a responding fire station and within 1,000-feet of a creditable water supply. This change has the potential to reduce property insurance premiums, says
When the
"If this change to 7 miles happens, (our current fire stations) would cover everything we have in
Parts of the Belleville community will retain its class-nine rating, so it won't stop insurance companies from raising rates but the new 10W rating rules should still apply, says Deverger.
The only way to get the classification back to a 5 is to reopen the
Deverger is less than optimistic that the station will open anytime soon.
"I've been trying for years to get volunteers (for the
-- Reporter
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