Video: Improved Fire Rating

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OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – After years of training and planning, one volunteer fire department goes through the a drill of a life time. Its all an attempt to up the Districts insurance rating and save area residents money.

Friday’s drill had a lot on the line. For Oktibbeha County Volunteer Fire Department District 5 it was about more than just bragging rights. They had a chance to save county residents money.

According to Ty Windham with the Mississippi State Rating Bureau, “We look at four areas. The Fire Department, the Water Department, the Communication Center and the Building Code Department.”

The Mississippi State Rating Bureau determines the change in the insurance rating. But without a water source in the area, crews from District 5 had to perform what is called a “Water Shuttle”. The goal; unload 500 gallons of water a minute for an hour straight.

Some of the things fire fighters are tested on is how quickly they can respond, how quickly they can unload their fire trucks and how much water pressure they have.

Oktibbeha County Fire Service Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan says, “We are required to demonstrate a capability of delivering 30 thousand gallons of water to a location in an hour.”

Currently the insurance rating is a 10 and after a successful drill the district is hoping to land a rating of eight. Everyone is working in perfect harmony for the greater good of their community.

Rosenhan says, “There is really three things that make the fire departments work. That’s equipment which we have, training which we do all the time and the base of that triangle is spirit.”

All that’s needed now is to file some paper work and the district should be able to lower its insurance rating in a matter on weeks.

Categories: Local News

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