RVFD Thanks Community for Support

Department (RVFD) held a free hamburger and hot dog cook-out to express its appreciation to the city’s residents. As it turned out, however, as is usually the case, RVFD proved itself to be an organization we should all appreciate. Not only does their rapid response save property and lives, but the department’s dedication to providing effective service is likely to save residents substantial money on future property insurance premiums. As for the cook-out, primarily sponsored with food donations by Dairy Queen of Paris, a good number of residents turned out. Some ate their food at the Community Center, while others chose take-out. Three of RVFD’s trucks were on display. And, for the kids, the most realistic-looking fire departmentthemed bounce house was a source of great entertainment. Residents attending the event were granted an extra treat. RFVD provided information the community has long been awaiting: “The ISO rating for the Roxton Volunteer Fire Department has changed. Our ISO rating was 9 and is now a 4. The equipment that we added to our department has allowed us to get a better rating.” So, what does a lower ISO rating mean for Roxton area residents and property owners? For one thing, depending on your insurer, you may recognize a decrease in premiums when your next renewal comes due. According to the The Public Protection Classification (PPC) program website, ISO classifications provide important, up-to-date information about municipal fire protection services in each community surveyed. ISO’s expert staff collects information about the quality of public fire protection in more than 39,000 fire protection areas across the United States. In each of those protection areas, ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification — a grading from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. Based on this information, one can clearly see the impact RVFD’s efforts to become better equipped and trained have had on the community’s ISO rating. While previously rated just above the bottom level, Roxton has risen five spots — quite an accomplishment for a small town! Most U.S. insurers of home and business properties use ISO’s PPC in calculating premiums. In general, the price of insurance in a community with a good PPC is lower than in a community with a poor PPC, assuming all other factors are equal. A community’s PPC depends on: emergency communications systems, including facilities for the public to report fires, staffing, training, certification of telecommunicators, and facilities for dispatching fire departments the fire department, including equipment, staffing, training, and geographic deployment of fire companies the water supply system, including the inspection and flow testing of hydrants and a careful evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the amount needed to suppress fires community efforts to reduce the risk of fire, including fire prevention codes and enforcement, public fire safety education, and fire investigation programs So, while we certainly offer our thanks for a free meal, even more so, we thank RVFD and its members for everything they do — saving residents’ lives as well as money on insurance premiums.