North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Wayne Goodwin announced Monday that the Hoffman Rural Fire District completed its routine inspection and receive a 6/9E rating, effective Saturday, June 1, 2013. The inspection, conducted by officials with the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), is required on a regular basis as part of the North Carolina Response Rating System (NCRRS). Among other things, the routine inspections look for proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment, proper maintenance of equipment, communications capabilities and availability of a water source.
The NCRRS ranges from 1 to 10, with most rural departments falling into the 9S category. While lower ratings do not necessarily indicate poor service, a higher rating does suggest that a department is overall better equipped to respond to fires in its district. Higher ratings can also significantly lower homeowners insurance rates in that fire district.
“I’d like to congratulate Chief (Frank) McKay for his department’s performance and for the hard work of all the department members, ” said Commissioner Goodwin. “The citizens in the Hoffman Rural Fire District should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”
“I’m happy about it,” said McKay. “We worked hard to get this, and it results in lower home owner’s insurance for our citizens. A bunch of us worked long and hard to get the records up to date and this will impact the rates over the 15 years.”
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@civitasmedia.com.
Post a Comment
