Demopolis fire rating go up; insurance premiums to go down

Insurance rates are expected to go down in 2020 for Demopolis homeowners and businesses now that the city’s Fire Rescue Department has been upgraded to a Class 3 ISO.

Fire Chief Keith Murray said the Insurance Services Office notified the city last week of the change from a Class 4 rating. The new level ranks the department in the top 10 percent in the nation and the top six percent in Alabama.

“We went through a lot of work to get there,” said Murray. The rating goes into effect April 1 and lasts for three years until the next evaluation.

The department has been working on the rating “since the day I walked in the door” to become fire chief, Murray said but especially over the last four months.

Demopolis earned the rating because of the improved training, stellar response times and record keeping, he continued.

Murray strongly commended the Demopolis Water Department which demonstrated how the city’s water systems were connect.

He also said the Marengo County 911 unit supplied a great deal of information and “did a lot of really good work for us.”

The department lost points because it has no training facility, such as a fire tower. “We just don’t have one we could use.” It also has a very effective fire fighting force, but not the number of responders the ISO requires, he added.

Local State Farm insurance agent Michael Mullins said he has yet to determine what savings local residents and business owners will receive. “I’m just as anxious to see the impact,” he said.

Whatever changes are made will go into effect when insurance policies come up for renewal, Mullins added.

Murray estimated that the savings in fire insurance costs for Demopolis will more than outweigh the added tax from the recent property tax approved in December.

The ISO is a national organization that gather information on the firefighting readiness of units across the country. Insurance companies use the ISO information to help establish appropriate fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties.

Some of the factors that determine the ratings include manpower, equipment, response times, pre-plans, training, communications and water supply.