GENTRY — A new substation may be on the agenda for the Gentry Fire Department, according to information reported to the city council by Fire Chief Vester Cripps on Sept. 7.
The new substation, which would be similar to the unmanned substation at Cherokee City, may be made possible through a one-acre land gift on the northwest corner of Taylor Orchard and Marion Lee Roads from American Electric Power Company-Southwestern Electric Power Company. The land is currently a part of land owned by AEP-SWEPCO and is a part of the Flint Creek Power Plant property.
Dan Lee, manager of the Flint Creek Plant, is working togetherwith the city to arrange the land gift for the fire department, Gentry Mayor Wes Hogue reported.
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to receive the land gift if it is offered and to pay the cost of a survey of the land for plat and title purposes. The estimated cost was roughly $800 to $1,000 for the survey.
The substation would improve response times to the SWEPCO plant as well as to Ozark Adventist Academy, Ozark Adventist School and to other homes in the area, Cripps said. It would also help lower the Insurance Service Organization rating for the area, Cripps said, resulting in the possibility of lower insurance premiums.
The department is currently working to lower its rating from a five down to a three.
Fire department ISO ratings are based on a fire department’s fire-fighting capabilities and the available water supply.
Insurance companies use the ratings to determine risk and set premiums. A rating of one is the lowest risk, with 10 being the highest. Gentry is currently in the middle of the rating system.
Recent improvements to the main fire station - adding additional bays and a sleeping area - the addition of the Cherokee City substation and the addition of two large ladder trucks giving the department improved capability fighting multi-story and large building fires will make it possible to bring the ISO rating down to three, Cripps said.
Once the fire department applies for and receives a lowerISO rating, property owners may still need to show the improved rating to their insurance companies to receive a reduction in premiums.
“After the recent annexation, a substation would help us meet our needs to the southwest,” Cripps said.
Needed utilities - electric, water and sewer - are already available at the location, Cripps said.
No further details were provided on the time or the cost of building a substation or how the construction would be funded.
News, Pages 1 on 09/15/2010