City and fire officials this week praised a reduction in the community’s fire rating that will translate into savings for property owners in Houston and the surrounding area. The Insurance Services Office announced the town’s rating will drop from six to four.
The news comes after the City of Houston made significant improvements to its water service, and voters approved an eighth-cent sales tax for a new fire truck equipped with sophisticated firefighting capabilities, including a ladder.
News of the improved rating came Friday after a June review of the community by the organization whose data is considered the leading supplier for the property/casualty insurance industry. The system assesses a figure from 10 [worst rating] to one [best]. Insurance companies use the rating to determine fire insurance premiums. Houston’s last study was done in 1995.
City officials said the 11-page report detailed several factors, including:
*The method of handling fire alarms.
*The equipment available to firefighters, training and personnel.
*The city’s water system, such as capacity, hydrants and water flow.
Of the 100 points possible in the review, 10 are earmarked based on receiving and handling fire alarms, 50 involve the fire department and the balance are determined by the water supply. Houston received 63.82 percent. A rating of 70 percent would have dropped the city’s fire protection class to three.
It is estimated that a homeowners who pays $375 annually for coverage on a $100,000 house will see a reduction of about 18 percent – or $66 annually. The benefit will extend to homeowners within five miles of the fire station. Savings for commercial and industrial building policyholders can be expected to be even more substantial.
The improved rating comes after completion of a water project that included the installation of a loop of 12-inch water line from Grand Avenue, along Spruce Street to Airport Road and on to the industrial park. It also includes an area along Holder Drive to South Sam Houston Blvd. City voters pay a quarter-cent sales tax that allowed the work to be completed. Voters approved it in February 2000. A project of similar scope is set to begin in an area in the southern part of the community. Both were assigned to the city’s water department whose superintendent is Darrell Vandivort. Don Rust is the city’s fire chief.