Elkins fire protection classification improves
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The Inter-Mountain photo by Tim MacVean
Members of the Elkins Fire Department gather outside the front door of the station, located at 216 Fourth St. in Elkins. From left are volunteer firefighter Brian Hamrick, firefighter first-class Owen Poe, Chief Tom Meader and Lt. Steve Himes.
ELKINS -- The Elkins Fire Department will jump two spots in their public fire protection classification, effective Dec. 1, which could translate into insurance savings for much of the first due response area.
The Insurance Service Office (ISO) performed an evaluation of the EFD in May and in their report gave the department a public protection classification of 3/3x -- a jump up from their previous ranking of five out of nine.
"One of the goals of this department was to lower the ISO rating a class or two. We were very fortunate with the training, the equipment we have and the manpower to get rated to a class 3x, which is very, very good," Elkins Fire Chief Tom Meader said. "There are only 31 class three fire departments in the state of West Virginia and there are only 4,000, give or take, in the United States that are class three."
ISO ratings assign numeric designations to fire departments, based on their effectiveness in the communities they serve, with a rating of 10 being the worst and one being the best.
"One is the best, 10 is the worst," Meader said. "We are a three, which makes us very proud because it takes a lot of stuff to get done to become a class three or lower."
The last rating, which took place in 1999, placed EFD at a five rating. The evaluations take place approximately every 15 years.
Meader said he is pleased with the jump in classification as it will lower insurance rates for homeowners in the community.
"It's going to help," Meader said. "It's going to save people on their insurance."
Most insurance companies base their fire insurance premiums on the ISO rating.
"If your insurance company goes by the ISO rating, it will definitely create savings. When you go from a five to a three, it could save anywhere from $75 to $125 per year on your policy," Meader said. "A lot of departments have a goal like that to get their rating down, which in turn will save the people money.
"We did a first-due fire fee where everybody pays a fire fee in our first due area and in the city," he continued. "The reason for that is, is to order equipment - enough engines -- and to increase the manpower here where we have full paid staff members which means they will be out the door in three minutes. That's what that was all about. To have the revenue coming in to get the stuff we need to drop the rating down to where we are today."
The EFD has six paid firefighters in addition to Meader, two per each shift which run 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off.
"Down the road I would like to increase it three more and put three on a shift," Meader said. "We are going to try to keep going to get to a lower class. If we add more staffing, that will help. The 911 center helped a lot because at the last evaluation there wasn't one.
"Our goal never quits. I am very proud of this department. The guys have stepped up," he continued. "We train all the time. The ISO looks at your training records ... Our motto is 'Three men, three minutes.' The truck will go out the door with three men in three minutes. At bare minimum it will have at least two, which doesn't sound like much, but those two men can save a life or keep a fire at bay until help gets there."