Fire department working to correct new ISO ratings map

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

— A new ISO fire suppression rating map has the Gentry Fire Department working to correct some anomalies before the ratings take effect next month.

According to the map which is now based on a three step rating, the ISO rating for those who live within the city limits of Gentry remains unchanged, a rating of 5. Those living outside the city limits but within 5 road miles of a Gentry fire station or substation were rated at 6. But those outside the 5 road miles received a rating of 10 (a change from the previous rating of 8).

The issues the fire department hopes to have corrected prior to Oct. 1 are some apparent miscalculations of road miles from fire stations to homes and structures. The map shows a number of homes and structures outside of the 5 road mile range from stations when, in fact, they are less than five miles from a station.

An updated and corrected map will be published in an upcoming issue of the Eagle Observer when it becomes available.

Also recommended bythe fire committee to the council is proceeding with plans to build a substation on land located at the corner of Marion Lee and Taylor Orchard Roads which was donated to the city by AEP/SWEPCO.

More than $54,000 is available in the Act 833 Account for firefighting equipment and stations, with an anticipated $3,000 more coming into the account each quarter, according to Gentry Mayor Kevin Johnston. The Cherokee City substation, which was paid for by the county, cost approximately $65,000 to build, Johnston said.

Building of the substation would provide improved coverage to Ozark Adventist Academy, the Flint Creek Power Plant and residents in the southern portion of the city and fire district.

Should funding become available to the fire department, an additional substation could also be considered to improve fire protection coverage south and west of SWEPCO Lake. The possibility of sharing a substation with Highfill Fire Department in Springtown was also mentioned by Johnston as an option to be considered to improve coverage in the eastern portion of Gentry’s fire district.

ISO ratings are based on the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule manual used to measure and rate the fire-fighting capabilities of individual communities. The schedule measures the major elements of a community's fire-suppression system and develops a numerical grading called a Public Protection Classification.

According to ISO.com, 10 percent of the overall grading is based on how well the fire department receives fire alarms and dispatches its fire-fighting resources. Field representatives evaluate the communications center, looking at the number of operators at the center; the telephone service, including the number of telephone lines coming into the center; and the listing of emergency numbers in the telephone book. Field representatives also look at the dispatch circuits and how the center notifies firefighters about the location of the emergency.

According to the website, “Fifty percent of the overall grading is based on the number of engine companies and the amount of water a community needs to fight a fire. ISO reviews the distribution of fire companies throughoutthe area and checks that the fire department tests its pumps regularly and inventories each engine company's nozzles, hoses, breathing apparatus and other equipment.

“ISO also reviews the fire-company records to determine the type and extent of training provided to fire-company personnel; the number of people who participate in training; the firefighter response to emergencies; and maintenance and testing of the fire department's equipment.”

Forty percent of the grading is based on the community's water supply - whether the community has sufficient water supply for fire suppression beyond daily maximum consumption.

According to the website, “ISO surveys all components of the water supply system, including pumps, storage and filtration. To determine the rate of flow the water mains provide, (ISO representatives) observe fire-flow tests at representative locations in the community. Finally, (ISO representatives) evaluate the distribution of fire hydrants."

More information on ISO's public-protection ratings is available at ISO.com.

News, Pages 7 on 09/12/2012