County residents living within the Houston Rural Fire Department’s coverage area could benefit from a recent promotion by the industry’s leading ratings source.
Houston Rural recently achieved a “7” rating from Insurance Service Offices, Inc. (ISO), a firm based in Jersey City, N.J., that measures fire suppression capabilities of individual departments and communities. The ISO 7 status means residents within Houston Rural’s zone (five air miles from the fire station on Walnut Street in downtown Houston) might qualify for lower fire insurance rates.
“We ask each member to check with their insurance provider to see if you can take advantage of this rating,” said Houston Rural Fire Association board president Jack Watson.
ISO ratings are based on criteria including equipment resources and maintenance, training regimens and participation, available personnel, firefighter response to emergencies and more. A community’s water supply and dispatch capabilities are also considered.
ISO uses a scale of 1-to-10, with lower numbers representing better ratings. Ratings are typically reviewed about every 10 years, but departments ready to move up a notch or two can request a review at any time.
Houston Rural FD was founded in 1952, and firefighting operations are overseen by Chief Don Gaston. The department’s previous ISO rating was 9.
“During the past year, a lot of hard work has been done by the fire chief, firefighters and board which resulted in the lowering of the ISO rating,” Watson said. “We’re very fortunate to have such a great group of people in this association.”
“We’ve worked hard over the years to improve this department and get to where we are right now,” Gaston said. “We still have steps we’d like to take to make it better yet, but we have a lot of good equipment and a lot of good firemen – which is the backbone of any department.
“I feel very fortunate to be chief of such a department and for us to be where we’re at.”
Like all Texas County fire departments, Houston Rural is a volunteer entity, and to help control costs, personnel are not present at the station at all times. Watson said calling 911 is the best way to report a fire or a controlled burn.
Houston Rural has received several grants and donations during the past year, including funds from the Missouri Department of Conservation, Walmart and local businesses.
“These funds help keep membership dues as low as possible,” Watson said. “Dues will not be increasing this year.”
The fire station includes a sizable community room that is available to rent out for a wide range of events.
“If you have neighbors, please help spread the word about our volunteer fire association and the services we provide to the community,” Watson said. “It takes all of us to continue our 63 years of service to the area surrounding the city of Houston. We encourage non-members to seriously consider becoming a member of the association.”
To inquire about membership, call association secretary-treasurer Don Troutman at 417-967-2112 or 417-260-1111.
To find out about volunteering, inquire about renting the community room, or for other information about Houston Rural, call Gaston at 417-217-1747.
Jack Watson (president), Don Troutman (secretary-treasurer), John A. Foster, Doug Gaston, Kyle Hale, Gary Huff, Debo McKinney, Bill Nichols and Darren Scheets.
We’ve worked hard over the years to improve this department and get to where we are right now. We still have steps we’d like to take to make it better yet, but we have a lot of good equipment and a lot of good firemen – which is the backbone of any department.