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The Springfield Twp. Fire Department significantly improved its fire safety score in a recent study that helps determine local insurance premiums.
Springfield insurance agent Mike Stannard, vice president of McMann Smoot Riddle Insurance, said the department’s new score could improve Springfield Twp. residents’ homeowners insurance by up to 20 percent, depending on their carrier.
There are many factors that go into determining premiums, but on average residents could see a 10 percent decrease in their rates, Stannard said. A person who owns a $100,000 home could expect to save about $100 a year, he added.
“When you have a fire department that is a higher-rated fire department — it is better for that homeowner… It really all comes back to response time,” Stannard said. “In the insurance business, the less risks for the homeowner dictates a better rate.”
All fire departments are rated on response times, equipment and other factors by the Insurance Services Office. Springfield Twp. had completed its last fire safety study in 2004, when Chief John Roeder took over the department.
The lower the score, the better the fire department is equipped to handle fires. The agency got a 4 in 2015, compared to a 5 in 2004. It was rated at a 6 prior to that.
The study also includes how a department performs when a water source is not close by. The latest study was the first time the fire department received a “superior level of fire protection” in rural firefighting.
“We are always trying to make improvements within the department to better our services,” Roeder said.
Roeder attributed the better scores to a variety of changes, including more training for firefighters, equipment upgrades and more available water sources.
The agency now requires 18 hours of training for every firefighter each year, compared to no training in 2004.
The agency acquired five new trucks since the last study as well. One new truck gives them a strategic advantage against bad blazes and definitely contributed to the better score, Roeder said. It’s an ladder truck that can shoot water from 70 feet in the air.
In the last year, the agency also added a second full-time medic unit on the east side of the township to improve response times.
Also, more than 100 new fire hydrants have been added since 2010 due to city expansions and other developments.
“Hopefully (people in Springfield Twp.) can feel a little more of ease in knowing they do have a really good fire department here that hopefully can get out and respond to their house and make a difference when we get there,” Roeder said.
Mark Rucker, of Springfield Twp., used to work for the fire department and said he was “tickled to death” to learn about the new safety score.
“I’m retired two years so anything that affects my budget and is something that cost less, that’s good,” Rucker said. “It’s good for everybody out here.”
Mad River Twp.-Enon Fire and EMS’s safety score is currently a 6, based off a review done in 1987. Chief Tracy Young said the department just completed a review and he expects to get a better rating within the the next month.
Springfield Fire Rescue Division has a safety score of 2.
Bethel Twp. Fire and EMS Department’s rating is a 5.
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