Volunteer firefighter stations expected to see changes|[09/02/07]
Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 2, 2007
Enhancements on the way to Warren County’s firefighting abilities should continue the measured improvements in fire protection countywide in recent years.
Additions to storage and parking space at the station for Culkin, the county’s largest fire protection district, and the expansion of the taxing area for the Fisher Ferry district come just two years after ratings were boosted for both by state insurance regulators.
Expanding the second-largest fire district by about double its current size will be the subject of a Sept. 17 public hearing before Warren County supervisors. If enacted, the annexation will expand fire response to pick up subdivisions between Vicksburg city limits and Mississippi 27 including Oak Park and Turning Leaf. It will also pick up property between the city limits and Grange Hall Road.
Though Fisher Ferry has been response to those areas for years, residents insuring their homes against fire loss were not eligible for any reductions in premiums. Efforts to increase the size of the district were stalled in the legal process for years, Warren County Fire Coordinator Kelly Worthy said. As a result, homeowners there may have missed out on rate savings estimated by the Commissioner of Insurance’s Office to be about 42 percent.
“Insurance companies had not allowed them to benefit from the fire protection ratings,” Warren County Fire Coordinator Kelly Worthy said.
Public sentiment is favorable regarding the expansion’s effect on quality of life, particularly in Oak Park.
“That’s good,” said resident Derrick Holt. “The station’s just right there.”
With apartment fires a concern in Vicksburg — two complexes have sustained significant damage from fires this year — management at the Apple Orchard Apartments welcome the inclusion into the district.
“I smell for smoke all the time,” said Annie Wright, the complex’s on-site manager for the past 18 months. Though all 126 units are inspected for door locks and general tenant-driven mitigation of fire hazards, Wright said fire safety there is an ongoing necessity.
“We make sure the alarms and extinguishers are updated,” Wright said.
Municipal and county fire protection entities are rated about every five years by the Department of Insurance, with a score of 1 being the highest and 10 the lowest. Culkin, Fisher Ferry and Bovina fire districts boosted their ratings in recent years based on Mississippi’s testing criteria, based on water supply and pumping capacity, equipment and personnel. Premiums paid by residents are partly tied into the quality of the fire response.
Culkin and Fisher Ferry rate an 8, with Bovina a 9 and the other three still at 10. Despite efforts to add amenities like a pool table to keep some volunteer presence at a station, the inability to keep stations manned consistently will likely keep scores static.
“We’re not likely to go lower than an 8,” Culkin Capt. Chuck Tate said.
Independent water districts, separate entities from the fire departments, maintain hydrants and water service outside the city. Though the departments are still tested on how much water can be pumped from a hydrant in an hour, chiefs at both district remain generally satisfied with the water pressure.
“They purchase and install the hydrants, and the homeowners may also pay for them in each district,” Fisher Ferry chief Ronnie Richardson said.
Much of the cost of upgrading the county’s fire protection will be defrayed by a $112,795.68 disbursement expected from an annual state-run insurance rebate program.
The State Fire Rebate Insurance program pays back about $10 million in premiums annually to local governments in Mississippi to maintain low-cost fire protection statewide. It is based on a 3 percent tax on all premiums. More than $200 million has been distributed under the program since 1988, when incentives were offered to counties to extend fire protection to all rural areas.
As for improvements for Culkin, they’ll include a Class A truck equipped with a Compressed Air Foam System to fight both structural and brush fires. Built according to district specifications by Deep South Fire Trucks at a price tag of about $100,000, it will occupy one of two new parking bays at its Freetown Road station, part of an upgrade to include building extra space to house breathing tanks, hoses and numerous small equipment.
“We always need storage. Always,” Tate said.
As for the truck, it is a vital cog in most fleets sufficient to fight “wildland,” or fires starting near brush and vegetation. Built on an F-550 chassis, the truck is expected to arrive in October and may do more than just help contain fires.
“We’re seeing the need for more rescue units,” Tate said, pointing out the district’s proximity to car accident hotspots U.S. 80 and U.S. 61 North.
Adding onto the station should enable more motor vehicle accident simulation drills on site, Assistant Chief Jerry Briggs said.
Though the four districts rated in the low-performing category by the state, more trucks could mean a difference in the future.
A new truck was purchased for LeTourneau and arrived this year, with another for Bovina awaiting word on state grant funds for rural fire protection.
Even as statistics have Mississippi leading the nation in fire-related deaths per capita, each upgrade to the county’s firefighting ability helps fuel the mission of volunteer fire assistance, Worthy said.
“We’re all adrenaline junkies,” he said. “We don’t want to have to, but we all want to ‘save the baby.’”
Currently, volunteer fire districts in Warren County are manned by 119 firefighters and other support staff who provide help at the scene of fires and with fundraisers.