Fire dept. aiming to lower ISO rating this year

The Sundance Volunteer Fire Department has set itself the goal of improving the city's ISO rating this year. With the recent improvements to Sundance's water system, said Fire Chief Gari Gill, it might just be time to hit that achievement.

ISO, which stands for Insurance Services Office, is a score assigned to a fire department based on how it matches up to the standards used by the organization to determine property insurance costs. It's scored in four areas, including emergency communication systems, the department itself (including training, equipment, personnel and so on), water supply and community risk reduction.

Though the two are not directly tied together, a department's ISO rating can affect insurance rates within its community, so the aim is to secure the lowest number possible (with "one" being a perfect score and "ten" meaning that the department did not meet the minimum requirements).

A lot of work has been completed in the city since the last rating was set, said Gill last week. For example, Sundance now has a looped water system, which provides stronger water pressure.

"We'll be pretty much a looped town with 3rd Street," he said, referring to the current project to fix a leaking line.

Meanwhile, he said, a number of improvements have been made to the department, such as bringing the training up to snuff.

Sundance's current rating is seven, Gill said. By way of contrast, he stated that most of the county is at a 9.

This is largely due to the need for residences out in the county to dig their own wells, commented Mayor Paul Brooks. It's difficult to get below an 8 or 9 without a public water system.

In general for a small town, said Gill, "It's tough to get below a 7."

However, Gill said he believes that the improvements made will give Sundance a fighting chance of improving the ratings and consequently people's premiums. The goal is to upgrade to a rating of five, he said, and the department is looking at fall to start the process.