By Vanessa Grieve
vgrieve@journalnet.com
If the public emergency response protection rating for Bannock County residents loses ground, then homeowners and other property owners could potentially see a hike in insurance premiums.
For more than 25 years, Pocatello has maintained a public protection class or ISO rating of 3.
Pocatello Fire Chief Mike Irwin speculates that number could drop to a 4 or even a 5 if the department continues to function at currently staffing levels.
“We’re meeting that crossroads now,” Irwin said. “We’ll continue to do what we can, but I can tell you that Nov. 9 if it fails we can’t continue to do what we’re doing. We don’t have the money.”
During a Saturday update on the ambulance district service, Irwin said 67 times this year the city has been emptied of its resources.
Irwin said the department’s increased call volume has put firefighters on medical calls, which in turn, can delay their response to normal duties, including fires. He said if firefighters aren’t able to respond to a fire within eight minutes, there is a good chance the house will be a total loss because fires tend to double in size each minute.
Pocatello Fire Department was reviewed in 2006, retaining an ISO or public protection class rating of a 3 from the Idaho Survey and Rating Bureau. The department is scheduled to have the next regular review in 2013.
Doug Young, the fire insurance ratings representative with the survey bureau, said the independent agency calculates the ISO formula that includes emergency response time, staff training hours, water systems and mileage from station. The range starts at 1, being the best, down to 10, classified as having no fire protection. Current ratings in Idaho fall between a 2 and 10.
“How it can affect (the rating) is it counts against in their staffing levels,” Young said. “We look at dispatch, how many calls do they have, equipment, how many stations, city covered by the equipment and the number of folks.”
Since the fire department took on the Bannock County Ambulance District contract in 1978, the department has seen an increased call volume of 275 percent while maintaining the same staffing levels.
Local State Farm Insurance agent Bob Hunt said in the past 20 years he’s seen a protection rating move cause a 15-20 percent for lower ISO ratings or 25-30 percent for higher ratings.
Ratings throughout the county may differ according to the ISO formala, but they could all take a hit, according to Hunt.
While there are a number of factors for determining an individual’s insurance premium, including credit score, housing material, location of the house to a water supply and number of insurance claims, insurance companies also look at the public protection class ratings when factoring in annual homeowner or property owner insurance premiums.
Bryan Nield, owner and agent at Insurance Designers, said in Southeast Idaho protection class ratings of 3 and 4 have typically been lumped together, causing no premium difference between the two. He said Chubbuck is ranked at an ISO rating of 4. He said homeowners in Pocatello may not even see an increase unless that number drops to a 5, adding that a 15 percent increase in annual premiums seems a bit high.
“I don’t see that happening unless it (the city) grew substantially, but I don’t see that happening,” Nield said.
Irwin said while the funding for the department could be additionally subsidized by the city or county, the best way to hire full-time personnel is through a the proposed $1.5 millions levy, which is on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The levy would cover the cost of a Advance Live Support ambulance and fully staff it with six paramedics.
“People pay that tax strictly for the ambulance district,” Irwin said. “It can’t be used for anything else.”
Hunt said if the rating were to drop and cause a 15-20 percent increase in insurance costs, residents may pay $25-$50 more for a $100,000 home.
Ambulance District Levy would cost property owners $15 annually for every $100,000 in taxable value.
Irwin said is important to the department for people to vote on Nov. 8 whether they support or oppose it.
“Were really needing the public to voice (their) direction in what they want us to do. We need everyone to get out to vote,” Irwin said. “I am scared this is going to be a very low turnout.”
