ERGM Fire Department earns safer rating
December 16, 2015
Charlea Mills
For residents in the Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano (ERGM) Fire District, a new safety classification could mean lowered homeowners’ insurance rates.
The Department issued a press release this week, stating that their Insurance Services Operations (ISO) rating went from a level 7 Protection Class to a level 6 Protection Class. ISO classes are used to determine how accessible residents are to fire protection services in the event of an emergency. Fire Chief Mark Pierson stated that many insurance companies offer a discount on their rates if the class designation improves. Pierson stated, “Eagle Rock, Golden and Mano residents, with the exception of our extreme Golden eastern districts, should contact their homeowners insurance carriers. There are certain insurance carriers who may lower your premiums, making it beneficial for you to communicate this change of protection class code to your insurance carriers.”
ISO ratings are determined by a variety of factors. According to Assistant Chief Pam Stilwell, those ratings relate to water resources, the equipment on the trucks and the number of training hours they complete.
Some of the effort that went into improving that ISO rating included the addition of a new fire station. Stilwell said, “We built a new station on Farm Road 1195 which covered a bunch of people. We chose that spot in particular because the saturation of people outside of a five-mile radius of a fire station. The population was the greatest there for the impact.” Stilwell said that many of the people in that area went from a Class 10 rating to a Class 6. Others went from a Class 7 to a 6, which she said is still a huge improvement.
In addition to the station, the department worked on other aspects to improve that rating, as well. “We were able to accumulate some impressive training hours, as well. There are other aspects, like testing our hoses every two years, and all of that plays into the ratings,” she said.
Water access was a huge factor. “We have several accesses to water availability so that we can keep our tankers full. We also got a grant a couple years and ago, and we were able to equip our other trucks to draft water to our tankers, which means we can keep water on the fire continuously.”
The Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire Department has two full-time and one part-time firefighter as well as 24 volunteers. Station 1 is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Charlea Mills
For residents in the Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano (ERGM) Fire District, a new safety classification could mean lowered homeowners’ insurance rates.
The Department issued a press release this week, stating that their Insurance Services Operations (ISO) rating went from a level 7 Protection Class to a level 6 Protection Class. ISO classes are used to determine how accessible residents are to fire protection services in the event of an emergency. Fire Chief Mark Pierson stated that many insurance companies offer a discount on their rates if the class designation improves. Pierson stated, “Eagle Rock, Golden and Mano residents, with the exception of our extreme Golden eastern districts, should contact their homeowners insurance carriers. There are certain insurance carriers who may lower your premiums, making it beneficial for you to communicate this change of protection class code to your insurance carriers.”
ISO ratings are determined by a variety of factors. According to Assistant Chief Pam Stilwell, those ratings relate to water resources, the equipment on the trucks and the number of training hours they complete.
Some of the effort that went into improving that ISO rating included the addition of a new fire station. Stilwell said, “We built a new station on Farm Road 1195 which covered a bunch of people. We chose that spot in particular because the saturation of people outside of a five-mile radius of a fire station. The population was the greatest there for the impact.” Stilwell said that many of the people in that area went from a Class 10 rating to a Class 6. Others went from a Class 7 to a 6, which she said is still a huge improvement.
In addition to the station, the department worked on other aspects to improve that rating, as well. “We were able to accumulate some impressive training hours, as well. There are other aspects, like testing our hoses every two years, and all of that plays into the ratings,” she said.
Water access was a huge factor. “We have several accesses to water availability so that we can keep our tankers full. We also got a grant a couple years and ago, and we were able to equip our other trucks to draft water to our tankers, which means we can keep water on the fire continuously.”
The Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire Department has two full-time and one part-time firefighter as well as 24 volunteers. Station 1 is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
