The North Carolina Department of Insurance and the Office of State Fire Marshal have awarded yet another a Wake County fire department with an improved fire rating, bringing potentially lower insurance costs to businesses in their area.
Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey yesterday announced that the Western Wake Fire Department has improved its fire rating from 4 to 2. Western Wake, located north of Wade Avenue near its intersection with I-440, is the fourth department in the unincorporated areas of Wake County to achieve the class 2 rating. The Durham Highway Fire Department in northern Wake County also achieved the class 2 rating status recently.
“We’re very proud that – for the second time this week – we’re announcing that one of our local departments has improved its fire rating,” said Matt Calabria, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners’ Public Safety Committee. “Congratulations to the firefighters at Western Wake on this achievement, and thank you for working hard to protect our residents.”
Fire ratings are based on inspections that examine how well a local fire department can protect your community and home. Insurance companies use these ratings to determine how much they’ll charge to insure businesses, so improvements can mean significant savings for commercial structures.
The North Carolina Response Rating System’s scale ranges from one (highest) to 10 (not recognized as a certified fire department by the state). While any rating does not necessarily indicate poor service, a more favorable rating does suggest that a department is better equipped overall to respond to fires — and therefore can result in lower insurance rates in that district.
The inspection, which is required by the state on a regular basis, looks for proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment, proper maintenance of equipment, communications capabilities and availability of a water source. State law requires OSFM officials to inspect departments serving districts of 100,000 people or fewer.
“This is a great accomplishment by the Western Wake Fire Department,” said Darrell Alford, director of Wake County Fire Services. “We are very proud of this department’s history and heritage, as well as the dedication they show to protecting our residents.”
Business owners in the county areas could see reduced insurance premiums based on these new scores by August 2022.
Original source can be found here.
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