Green Valley Fire Department prepares for new rating

If you have seen the Green Valley Fire Department out and about recently shooting water into areas where there is no fire—don’t fret—it is in preparation for the Insurance Service Organization’s visit next week.

The ISO is the company that insurance providers use to assess the capability of a fire department by giving it a rating.

The GVFD will be evaluated on its performance in receiving and handling of fire alarms (communication), the department itself (including personnel, training, records and apparatus), and the water supply (available water/hydrants)—which accounts for 55 percent of the overall score.

District firefighters have been doing drills over the past four to six weeks to test hydrants, fire apparatus and their performance.

“The only way to test these hydrants, our delivery apparatus, and our personnel is by actually flowing water.  While we can simulate some training evaluations, this is not one of them, so actual flow is required,” GVFD Chief Bill Bohling said in a press release.

The district recently purchased three  water tenders—that will be tested with a “tender drill”—and also have an impact on the score.

“This is a critical part of the grading and we are training exceptionally hard to be proficient prior to ISO visiting,” Bohling said.

Fire departments are graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest—GVFD is currently rated 4, and has a goal of maintaining or lowering that score. 

The new rating is important because when it’s published, it may impact some residential and commercial insurance rates.

There might be one or two more drills before ISO visits the GVFD area  on Monday, May 7, through May 10 in order to determine its new ISO rating.

amackey@gvnews.com|547-9726