Consultant: Tifton would benefit from stand-alone fire department

Nov. 22--TIFTON -- The Tifton City Council heard from David Doudy with ISO Slayer at Thursday night's City Council workshop regarding the results of a study of the Tifton Fire Department as a stand-alone department. The study cost the city $10,500.

The meeting was held at the Tiftarea YMCA on Carpenter Road.

ISO Slayer is a Colorado company that specializes in audits of fire stations and the consultation of Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings. To put together the report, Doudy spent several days in Tifton and evaluated the fire department on everything from record keeping, equipment, staffing, training, facilities and the distribution of resources. All of those factors figure into a community's ISO rating, which can be used to determine insurance rates.

Doudy has been in the fire service for 36 years and has been doing ISO consulting for 27 years. His report provides an analysis of the 2011 ISO rating and possible improvements that can be realized from following recommended options as provided in the report. Ratings are classified from Class 1 to Class 10, with Class 1 as the best rating, Class 9 as the worst possible with fire protection and Class 10 as the lowest as no recognized fire protection. For the insurance industry, a Class 1 rating signifies the lowest possible rates with a Class 10 rating paying the highest rates.

Doudy noted the possibility exists for improvement in ISO ratings for the city if a separation occurs between the city and county. He said the Tifton-Tift County Fire Department was short four engine companies in the 2011 rating and when the city of Tifton Fire Department is rated after the separation, there will be no additional engine companies needed, resulting in an increased score for this item.

The area served by the TTCFD scored an ISO Class 4/9 in the 2011 rating. Doudy said the Class 4 applies to all properties within 5 miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. The Class 9 applies to any property that is within 5 miles of a fire station but farther than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant. He noted that during the last rating, there was no credit given for Fire Department Supply. This is a portion that credits the tenders the fire department utilizes to haul water for firefighting operations. Doudy says as reported to him, the fire department operates numerous tenders and they received no credit for them.

According to Doudy's report, the fire department operated on a budget of approximately $2,946,671 for fiscal year 2013-14 while protecting 40,704 people. That is a rate of $72.39 per person versus a national average for paid department of $208.21 per person.

Based on providing an ISO Class 4 over a Class 10, the fire department currently saves homeowners $3,608,440 through insurance savings annually. This savings represents $220 per home every year in the areas with hydrants. There is an additional savings for the commercial properties, but these figures were unavailable to ISO Slayer.

Doudy said in its simplest form, the TTCFD saves the citizens of the fire district more than $3,608,440 annually just by its existence. This represents a savings of $88.65 per person versus a cost of $72.39 per person; this represents a return of $1.22 for every dollar spent on fire protection.

Also, Doudy noted in his report that overall, the upgraded dispatch center fails to meet the current NFPA 1221 (National Fire Protection Association), noting it's currently short some supervisory equipment for monitoring the dispatch system and proper testing of emergency backup power. In addition, there are inadequate records of telecommunicators' certification and training. The system also lacks the ability to dispatch fire apparatus based on geographic location.

In his report, Doudy provided a complete list of all areas that need improvement according to ISO guidelines for full credit in the ISO rating schedule. One of his recommendations includes opening the west fire station.

TTCFD Chief Mike Coleman said they have already begun working on those recommendations.

Doudy told The Gazette that it would be more beneficial for the city of Tifton to have a stand-alone fire department. He noted he does not know what the ramifications of the split would be for the county. He also said if and when the city and county splits, ISO would come in and rate them both.

Doudy said if all recommendations are followed, the Tifton Fire Department would have the potential to improve its ISO rating from a Class 4 to a Class 2.

Doudy says a proactive approach to ISO improvements can positively affect community support for the fire department and its governing body. Ultimately, a better-equipped, better-trained fire department is an economic asset to the community.

"I love working with fire departments," Doudy said. "We're a family. That's how it works. We need to get back to that."

County officials and volunteer firefighters were invited to attend the workshop.

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