January 31, 2005
Hahira - These firefighters are more prepared for the job than ever. "Our response time, our equipment, and everything will be much faster and prompt than what we've been able to do," said Mayor Myron Crowe.
And they're not only saving lives, they're saving local residents money on their homeowners insurance. "It's going to save the average homeowner about $225.00 a year," said Fire Chief Dwight Bennett.
The city's had an ISO rating of seven for the past eight years. Now thanks to upgrades in the fire department, its been lowered to four. "The city of Hahira is now higher than 90 percent of the county and there's only 3.8 percent of the country with a lower ISO rating," said Crowe.
Mayor Myron Crowe says the new rating will save the entire city a little over $300,000 annually. It will also help attract new industry to the area. "They look at the fire rating and insurance premiums so that will be an asset to us for our business park and the surrounding area," said Crowe.
But a lower ISO rating means more than just monetary savings and job growth, it means these firefighters are better equipped to protect you and your home. The fire department had to meet strict criteria to lower the rating. "They look at how much equipment you have and if its operable, the different training within the department to make sure we're qualified to go our when a call arises, no matter what type of call it is," said Bennett.
And they're already working on more upgrades to drop the rating even lower.
posted at 3:45 P.M. by ashley.harper@walb.com
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