Local fire district sees substantial gains

April 22--A new ISO classification for properties covered by Sabine Fire Department could see some homeowners in Gregg County Emergency Services District No. 2 saving more on their insurance than they're paying in taxes to the ESD.

It will vary by insurance company and other factors, SFD Chief Richard Sisk said Friday, but it at least means most of the affected area has improved from a worst-case rating of 10 to a 3 or 4 between two distinct rates.

"The average homeowner or business-owner should see several hundred dollars or more saved on their insurance premiums with this rating," Sisk said.

According to two letters sent April 10 from the Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal's Office, the Insurance Services Office is making two recommendations that will impact ESD #2 property owners.

In one, a classification of a split 03/3Y means "all class-rated properties located within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant or water supply suction point and within five miles of a fire station will use Class 03," while those located outside the first zone will have a Class 3Y.

Second, with a split Class 04/10, "all-class rated properties within five miles of a fire station will use Class 04. All class-rated properties located farther than five miles of a fire station will use Class 10."

On the split 4/10, Sisk noted, about 90 percent of the ESD area improves from a 10 rating to a 4 due to proximity to one of Sabine FD's two fire stations.

Effectively, "They were writing off a total loss for residents and businesses," Sisk said. For the remaining properties, "Anybody that lives outside of five miles will stay the same," at least initially.

"We're working on our ISO and our board to look at future changes that might be needed to protect those outer portions of our district."

The two sets of ratings -- scheduled to take effect Sept. 1 -- exceed Sisk's hopes: with the injection of tax revenue from the Emergency Services District funding additional training and equipment for the fire department, he anticipated the ratings would improve to the 5-6 range.

"In 2013 when I became chief, I started working on getting an ESD passed ... in order to get us to where we are today," he said. "We passed our ESD district, we were able to open up another fire station which helped with better coverage in our community.

Revenues from the ESD (and ongoing donations from supporters) have enabled the purchase of a 5,000-gallon tanker which has improve water-availability according to ISO standards. The department was able to replace a 1985 engine as well (courtesy of Energy Weldfab's Mike Clements) and used the new monies to bolster training.

Before, "This fire department was financially struggling. We were operating off of just fundraising money. They were struggling with equipment needs, bunker gear needs, fire apparatus needs. They were struggling with training needs," Sisk said. Today, "Out of the 17 firefighters we have, all but the two new recruits are certified firefighters.

"We've been able to rectify all of that. Now we have training requirements in place, we have safety requirements in place, we have good apparatus in place."

Moving forward, property owners should reap the benefit of an improved ISO rating -- for Sisk, "My insurance company told me I could see $400 or $500 a year savings on my premium for my personal home, and I'm going from a 10 to a 4." -- while the department continues to put tax revenues to use for expanded protection in the years ahead.

"Right now we've been able to get ourselves sustained to be able to meet those needs in the future," Sisk concluded. ""The community's going to benefit from the growth and advancement of the fire department ...which in turn is going to save them hundreds of dollars on their insurance premiums."

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