ICARD – Owners of the Icard Township Fire Rescue service area may see their insurance rates drop in the new year.
The department celebrates an improved ISO rating from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Icard Fire Chief Brand Lingerfelt said The herald of the news improving the rating is a task that the service works on daily.
“Even though it’s on a five- to seven-year rotation, it’s something we work on daily,” Lingerfelt said. “Everything we do, from how we answer calls, how members answer calls, how we do when we get there. Once we are done, all the documentation and everything related to it.
He said the department’s new station, which sits just off Interstate 40 exit 116, played a big role in the department’s new rating.
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“With the new Icard fire station, every homeowner in our neighborhood is now within a five-mile drive of a fire station,” Lingerfelt said.
Another contributing factor is the department working with the local water supplier to have more fire hydrants installed.
“Being able to work closely with Icard Township Water Corporation, 93% of our owners are within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant,” Lingerfelt said.
The new rating will come into effect on February 1 and is expected to mean lower home insurance rates for people with property in the district of the department. He said people should be sure to call their insurance agency, especially those in the southern end of the district, such as the Miller Bridge Road and Mount Hebron Avenue areas.
“Thank you to everyone in the department, from new members to the board,” Lingerfelt said. “Thank you for their dedication, professionalism and the service they provide to our community.”
In an NCOSFM press release, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey praised Lingerfelt and his department for the work they did to obtain the new rating.
“I want to commend Chief Lingerfelt for the department’s performance and for the hard work of everyone in the department,” Causey said in the statement. “Citizens…in these neighborhoods should have peace of mind knowing they have an excellent group of firefighters protecting them and their property in the event of an emergency.”
Anyone with questions about the new rating can call the department at 828-397-6400.
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Chrissy Murphy is editor and can be reached at [email protected] or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter.