Fire department receives high rating
By BETHANY ROLFSON
The Western News
The local combined fire protection service have outdone most, if not all, volunteer fire departments in Montana in rating, according to a press release issued Monday.
During an awards banquet on Saturday night, the fire department also recognized Fire Chief Tom Wood for his 45 years of service.
Insurance Services Office, Inc., a national service that rates communities on their structure fire suppression capabilities, recently released their report for the combined Libby – Lincoln County Fire Protection Service Area and issued a Public Protection Classification grade of three. The PPC grades are on a scale of one to 10, with one being the best and 10 being essentially uncovered in the event of structure fire.
According to the press release, of the 418 fire departments in Montana, only nine currently have a three rating from ISO — there are no departments rated one and only one rated a two in the state.
The other eight departments with a three rating are all city departments. Most, if not all of which, are paid fire departments.
“We’re proud of this rating,” Fire Chief Tom Wood said in the press release. “It’s been something we put a great deal of work and effort into achieving over the past 10 years or so. A great deal of credit goes to the Rural Fire Board; they’ve been very gracious and very supportive of our efforts. When we needed new equipment, they helped us get it. When we needed new buildings to expand our coverage, they found ways to make it happen.”
The new buildings are a key component of the ISO rating, since areas more than five miles away from a station are automatically given a grade of 10. Because of the new stations built in the past 10 years, there is no area inside the boundaries of the Libby – Lincoln County Fire Protection Service Area that is more than five miles from a station.
ISO information is used by insurance companies around the nation to assess risk and determine premiums for fire insurance. Each rating point on the scale represents about eight percent in premium cost. The two rural fire districts which are now part of the Libby Lincoln FPSA were rated at seven and eight. The new rating of three means residents in those areas could see savings of 32 to 40 percent on their fire insurance premiums.