The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) informed Clark County Fire District 6 of a decline in its insurance rating from Protection Class 3 to 4. The WSRB gathers information on fire service in communities to determine a Protection Class Rating that may be used to develop fire insurance rates or loss costs.
There were a couple areas where the fire district needs to improve. The first would involve purchasing and replacing certain emergency apparatus and equipment. Second, the fire district would need to provide adequate facilities, such as fire stations and training areas, and improve its firefighter training programs.
Fire Chief Jerry Green said some of those items had to be set aside to prioritize “boots on the ground” to respond to the increasing demand by the community for emergency services.Call volumes for the fire district have increased 10% in the past year and more than 31% in a decade.
“We had to make a choice between funding firefighters, or building stations and replacing some rigs,” said Chief Green. “All are important, but our priority short-term had to be firefighters to respond to emergency calls.”
Protection Class Ratings are used by insurance companies in determining premiums for over 90 percent of customers in Washington. A decline in the fire district’s rating by WSRB could increase the amount that homeowners and businesses pay for insurance between 3-9 percent.
Clark County Fire District 6 is taking the steps necessary to try and improve its insurance rating. It will ask voters to restore the fire levy to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value through a lid lift on the November election ballot. Voters approved $1.50/$1,000 in 1995, but the fire levy has fallen to $1.27 since that time. The lid lift is estimated to cost the owner of a $250,000 home an additional $4.79 per month or $57.50 per year.
Funding from the lid lift will be used for apparatus replacement and to improve district facilities and the firefighter training program. Once these improvements have been made, the fire district will ask the WSRB to reevaluate its Protection Class Rating.
Clark County Fire District 6 provides fire protection and emergency medical service to 64,000 people over 37 square miles. Emergency personnel responded to 6,544 calls last year.
