Written by Danielle Bradshaw
The Searcy fire department was recently named one of the top eight in the entire country and was currently voted as class one, which is in the ninety percent range. The goal was in fact to reach class one for Searcy.
Fire Departments are annually graded by the Insurance Service Office on how well they perform in their communities. The grading is separated into categories called ‘Classes.’
The city’s fire department was ranked in a class two zone this past year. The change for Searcy from a class two to a class one fire department will be official the first week in November.
This means that this has an impact on the Searcy area. The Insurance Service Office ranks city of Searcy at a high percentage within the United States among all fire departments.
“The ISO levels are not only based on the use of equipment, but also run time, meeting certain goals, water infrastructure, and how much property damage is done” Searcy Fire Department chief Eddie Hollis said.
Because of the high ISO levels, homeowners insurance will be much lower. This benefits the citizens of Searcy by saving money on their homeowner’s insurance. Everything that the ISO grades the fire department on receives a certain percentage of its quality and use.
They also test the hydrants for the fire department twice a year. The ISO normally will grade the city on pre fire plans. These fire plans instruct that every business has to be contacted, such as emergency contacts.
The fire department is not the only one that is getting graded on this. Dispatch for the city of Searcy gets graded on how many annual calls they receive. Communications also takes part in the ISO levels as well.
The telephone service also gets graded on the number of operators that are taking calls. The number of calls received daily by the telephone service is also important.
However, Brooke Sawyers of the SIC (Searcy Insurance Office) states that “the percentage that homeowner’s will be able to save on their homes, isn’t that much to make a difference. “
There will also be a pres conference held on the matter in late October. For further questions on the ISO levels call the Fire Department at (501-279-1066) or visit the city of Searcy’s website at http://www.searcy.com/city/city-home-page/city-of-searcy-home-page.
