Hydrant shortage could hurt ratings

Property owners in Navarre might see a reduction in their insurance costs come late fall.

As promised, the Holley-Navarre Fire District is having the ISO rating re-assessed in September. ISO uses the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule to evaluate a town's fire prevention efforts, which affect insurance premiums charged to property owners

The fire department was last evaluated in 1993, and the rating hasn't changed since, said Jim Fix, chairman of the Holley-Navarre Fire District board of commissioners.

"We were part-time then and now that we've gone full time, we should be able to get a lower rating,"  Fix said.

According to the FSRS, there are three main parts to effective fire prevention - fire alarm and communications, which accounts for 10 percent; the fire department, which accounts for 50 percent; and water supply, which accounts for the remaining 40 percent. The system was created by the National Fire Protection Agency, which also sets the standards for fire departments across the nation.

"We have all the modern equipment now,"  Fix said.  "But I think the only thing that will hurt us is the lack of fire hydrants."

Currently, there are 1,095 fire hydrants sprawled throughout the nearly 50,000 square feet of Navarre.

There are several neighborhoods in West Navarre, which were built before the Holley-Navarre Water System was in place, that do not have fire hydrants, or the amount desired, said Ron Norton, acting fire chief. In order to receive a good rating, fire hydrants have to be located within 1,000 feet of any building.  

For more details on this story, see the Aug. 14 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe to our online edition.