DeKalb County will add water-hauling equipment in an effort to improve the countywide fire protection rating that impacts homeowners’ insurance premiums.
DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green said the county has targeted additional equipment as part of a long-range effort to strengthen rural fire protection.
“It don’t embarrass me to come to the budget committee and say, ‘Hey, this is important. This’ll have a real direct effect on our citizens, not just life safety, but also their insurance premiums,’” Green said, “And I applaud the county commission for putting that in the budget last year.”
Green said roughly 70 percent of county households currently carry a Class 9 Insurance Services Office rating. ISO assigns property protection classifications on a scale of one to 10, with lower ratings generally qualifying for better insurance discounts. DeKalb County previously held a countywide Class 6 rating in 2018.
Green said the department lost the rating after removing several older homemade tankers from service because of safety concerns.
The loss left firefighters unable to demonstrate adequate hauled-water coverage across at least 85 percent of the department’s service area. Homes near hydrants or approved alternative water sources retained their Class 6 ratings, while most of the remaining properties returned to Class 9.
“Now, those people that are within 1,000 feet or of the water source or the hydrant still got to keep their class six, but everybody else went back to a class nine,” Green said.
Green said the largest coverage deficiency lies in southern and southeastern DeKalb County, including the Belle, Keltenburg, Jefferson, Blue Springs and Four Seasons areas. Existing water infrastructure makes adding hydrants unrealistic in some of those locations.
The department instead plans to increase its ability to haul water to fires. Green said DeKalb County currently operates two tankers and has applied for a Community Development Block Grant to purchase another. Green said the county included money in its capital projects budget to purchase the tanker if the grant application fails.
“So, we’re, we’re on track to purchase that, that tanker this year,” Green said.
The department eventually plans to place the tanker at a proposed three-bay district station in Keltenburg. Until that station is constructed, Green said firefighters can operate the tanker from the existing station at Four Seasons.
DeKalb County has also established 97 alternative water sources, including ponds, streams and lake access points approved for fire protection use. Those locations appear on the county’s 911 maps alongside fire hydrants.
The department faces its next ISO reevaluation in the spring. Green said restoring the countywide Class 6 hauled-water rating requires firefighters to demonstrate they can provide at least 250 gallons of water per minute for two uninterrupted hours through a tanker shuttle operation.
“We have made a lot of progress with that, and we’re hoping to be able, the next time we have our reeval- e- re- we get a reevaluation with the insurance service offices every five years,” Green said. “And next spring, we’re due a reeval- reevaluation.”
Green said firefighters recently tested the system at Indian Creek Youth Camp and sustained a rural water flow of 1,000 gallons per minute.
Restoring the Class 6 rating could also produce financial benefits for homeowners. Green said moving from Class 9 to Class 6 represents an additional 35 percent savings under the ISO breakdown he presented to commissioners, although actual premiums depend on individual insurers and policies.
“But yes, that big savings comes from a class nine to a class six,” Green said. “That’s the biggest savings, that 35% savings.”
Green said grants and private donations have funded much of the department’s vehicle and equipment purchases. Both of the county’s existing tankers came through grants, and Green said the department intends to continue pursuing outside funding before turning to county money.
Green said the department’s longer-range plan also calls for another tanker at Midway to improve coverage around Johnson’s Chapel, Cooper Highway and toward Four Seasons.