There are two people who you need to get in touch with about your fire district rating…one is your insurance agent and the other is your local fire station.
You can search for your FPC (Fire Protection Class) on the Declaration Page of your homeowner’s insurance policy…good luck….
OR…get in touch with your EMS dept. for the most up-to-date ratings….
Your county’s Emergency Services (Fire) department will know the ratings of their fire districts…here are the county contacts:
New Hanover
230 Government Center Drive, Suite 130
Wilmington, NC 28403
PHONE: 910-798-7420
FAX: 910-798-7052
Website: http://www.nhcfirerescue.org/index.php (you can search for your district on their website)
Brunswick
Building C
3325 Old Ocean Highway
Bolivia, NC 28422
Phone: 910.253.5383
bcema@brunsco.net
Website: http://emergencyservices.brunsco.net/Home/tabid/355/Default.aspx
Pender
605 E. Fremont Street
Burgaw, NC 28425
(910) 259-1210
Eddie King, Director: kinge2@pender-county.com
Charles Newman, Fire Marshal / Assistant Director: newmanc@pender-county.com
Tommy Batson, Deputy Fire Marshal: batsont@pender-county.com
Website: http://www.penderem.com/contact%20information.htm
Columbus
608 North Thompson Street
Whiteville, NC 28472
Jeremy Jernigan, Director: jjernigan@columbusco.org
(910) 640 6610 voice
Kay Worley, Deputy Director: kworley@columbusco.org
(910) 640 6610 voice
Website: http://www.columbusco.org/DotNetNuke_2/Default.aspx?alias=www.columbusco.org/dotnetnuke_2/emergency
Bladen
Department Head—Mitchell Byrd
(910) 862-6760
OEM@bladenco.org
Website: http://www.bladeninfo.org/departments/emergency/index.html
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I was hoping to give more county-specific information in this story…with more maps to show how much variation in the districts there are…but only New Hanover and Brunswick responded to my calls, questions and interview requests….(so high-five to those guys!)
Once you get your district’s rating from your fire station…find out when they were last evaluated by the State Dept. of Insurance. Every district is on a 5 year evaluation plan…HOWEVER…districts can make a request to the state to be re-evaluated sooner. If they have recently put in a fire hydrant somewhere or if they have added a truck, etc….its likely that they will make that request…and so it’s likely your district’s rating will change sooner then scheduled.
Here is a list of what the *scheduled* re-evaluation periods are …(According to the NC Dept. of Insurance)…
I have a very nicely organized Exel document of this…it will not post in a blog so bear with me on the format ( I can email you the doc. if you’d like)
Take note:
1. Ratings under a “6” I’m told will not change your fire protection cost….its when you move from a 9 to a 6 or 10 to a 7 for example that you will feel the impact. However, if you own commercial property…ratings under a “6” DO make a difference on your insurance costs.
2. Districts are defined as 5 mile ROAD territory around a station (not a perfect circle).
3. If you have a grade of 6/9S…that means that homeowners within 1000 ft of a hydrant get a class 6, but the ones > 1000ft and STILL within 6 miles from the fire station are a “9S.”
4. If the grade is a 6/9E then homes within 1000ft of a hydrant are a class “6”…homes that are more than 5 or 6 miles are a “9E.”
Bladen
Department Re-Inspection District Served Rating
Ammon Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. 3/25/2013 Ammon 9E
Bay Tree Lakes V.F.D. 3/25/2013 Bay Tree Lake 9E
Bladenboro Fire Department, Inc. 3/25/2013 Bladenboro, Bladenboro Rural 7, 7/9S
Carvers Creek V.F.D., Inc. 3/25/2013 Carvers Creek 9E
Clarkton Fire Department 3/25/2013 Clarkton, Clarkton Rural 6, 6/9E
Dublin Fire Department 3/25/2013 Dublin 6
East Arcadia Fire Department, Inc. 3/25/2013 East Arcadia 9E
Elizabethtown Fire Department 3/25/2013 Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown Rural 5, 6/9E
Hickory Grove V.F.D., Inc. 3/25/2013 Hickory Grove 9E
Kelly V.F.D., Inc 3/25/2013 Kelly 9E
Lisbon V.F.D., Inc. 3/25/2013 Lisbon 9E
Tar Heel Rural V.F.D., Inc. 3/25/2013 Tar Heel 7/9E
Tobermory V.F.D., Inc. 3/25/2013 Tobermory 9E
White Lake Fire Dept. 3/25/2013 White Lake, White Lake Rural 6, 7/9E
White Oak Fire Dept. 3/25/2013 White Oak 9E
Brunswick
Department Re-Inspection District Served Rating
Bald Head Island Fire Dept. 7/21/2011 Bald Head Island 6
Boiling Springs Lake V.R.D. 7/25/2011 Boiling Springs Lake 4/9E
Bolivia V.F.D., Inc. 6/23/2013 Bolivia 7/9E
Calabash Fire Dept., Inc. 3/19/2014 Calabash, Calabash Rural, Carolina Shores 4, 5/9E, 4
Civietown V.F.D., Inc. 10/8/2013 Civie Town 6/9E
Grissettown-Longwood Fire & Rescue, Inc. 7/20/2011 Grissettown Longwood 5/9E
Leland Volunteer Fire/Rescue Dept., Inc. 1/27/2014 Belville, Leland, Leland Rural 6, 6/10, 6/9E
N.W. Volunteer Fire/Rescue Dept., Inc. 7/25/2011 Northwest 9E
Navassa V.F.D. 7/24/2011 Navassa 9/10
Oak Island Fire and Rescue Dept. 7/18/2011 Oak Island 5
Ocean Isle Fire Dept. 12/8/2013 Ocean Isle Beach & Rural 4, 4/9E
Shallotte Fire Dept. 7/20/2011 Shallotte, Shallotte Rural 4, 4/9E
Shallotte Point V.F.D., Inc. 7/20/2011 Shallotte Point 6/9E
Southport Fire Dept. 7/18/2011 Southport, Southport Rural 4, 4/9E
St. James Fire Dept., Inc. 7/27/2011 Saint James, Saint James Rural 5, 5/9E
Sunset Beach Fire Dept. 7/19/2011 Sunset Beach, Sunset Beach Rural 5, 5/9E
Sunset Harbor & Zion Hill V.F.D., Inc. 7/26/2011 Sunset Harbor Zion Hill 5/9E
Supply Volunteer Fire Dept., Inc. 7/26/2006 Supply 9E
Tri-Beach V.F.D., Inc. 8/1/2013 Holden Beach 5
Waccamaw V.F.D. and Rescue Inc. 7/27/2011 Waccamaw 9E
Winnabow V.F.D., Inc. 7/24/2011 Winnabow 9E
Yaupon Beach V.F.D., Inc. 7/18/2006 Cawell Beach, Yaupon Beach Rural 5, 5/9E
Columbus
Department Re-Inspection District Served Rating
Acme-Delco Riegelwood Fire & Rescue 8/30/2010 Acme Delco, Riegelwood 6,4
Bolton Volunteer Fire/Rescue Dept., Inc. 11/8/2010 Bolton 9E
Brunswick V.F.D., Inc. 12/6/2010 Brunswick 7/9E
Buckhead V.F.D., Inc & Rescue Squad 11/8/2010 Buckhead 9E
Cerro-Gordo V.F.D. & Rescue 11/16/2010 Cerro-Gordo 9E
Evergreen V.F.D. 11/15/2010 Evergreen 9E
Fair Bluff Fire Dept. & Rescue Squad 11/15/2010 Coles, Fair Bluff 9E/5
Hallsboro V.F.D., Inc. 11/15/2010 Hallsboro 9E
Klondyke-Chadbourn Volunteer Fire Dept. 5/7/2014 Chadbourn, Klondyke 6, 6/9E
Lake Waccamaw Fire Dept. 11/9/2010 E. Columbus, Lake Waccamaw 6/9E, 6
Nakina Fire & Rescue Squad, Inc. 11/18/2011 Nakina 9E
North Whiteville V.F.D. 11/16/2010 North Whiteville 9E
Old Dock/Cypress Creek V.F.D & Auxiliary 11/9/2010 Old Dock/Cypress Creek 9E
Roseland V.F.D. 12/6/2010 Roseland 9E
St. James V.F.D., Inc 11/8/2010 St.James 9E
Tabor City Fire Dept. 12/7/2010 Tabor City, Yam City 5,5/9E
White Marsh-Welches Creek Community V.F.D. 11/10/2010 Welches Creek 9E
Whiteville Fire Dept. 11/17/2010 Whiteville 4
Williams Township Commuity Fire Dept. 12/7/2010 Williams Township 9E
New Hanover
Department Re-Inspection District Served Rating
Carolina Beach Fire Dept. 1/29/2013 Carolina Beach 5
Castle Hayne V.F.D., Inc 1/29/2013 Castle Hayne 6/9E
Federal Point Fire-Rescue, Inc. 1/29/2013 Federal Point 5/9S
Kure Beach V.F.D. 10/17/2013 Kure Beach 5
Myrtle Grove V.F.D., Inc. 1/29/2013 Myrtle Grove 5/9S
New Hanover County Fire Dept. 1/29/2013 Highway 421 North 5/9S
Ogden V.F.D., Inc. 1/29/2013 Ogden 5/9E
Wilmington Fire Dept. 1/29/2013 Wilmington 2
Wrightsboro V.F.D., Inc. 1/29/2013 Wrightsboro 6/9E
Wrightsville Beach Fire Dept. 1/29/2013 Wrightsville Beach 4
Pender
Department Re-Inspection District Served Rating
Atkinson Fire Dept. 4/18/2013 Atkinson 9E
Burgaw Fire Dept. 11/17/2013 Burgaw, Pender Central 5/9S, 5/9E
Hampstead V.F.D., Inc. 4/18/2013 Hampstead 7/9E
Long Creek-Grady V.F.D., Inc. 4/19/2013 Long Creek-Grady 9E
Maple Hill V.F.D., Inc. 4/18/2013 Maple Hill 9E
Penderlea Fire Dept. 4/18/2013 Penderlea 9E
Rocky Point V.F.D., Inc. 4/18/2013 Rocky Point 9E
Shiloh-Columbia V.F.D., Inc. 4/18/2013 Shiloh-Columbia 9E
Sloop Point V.F.D., Inc. 4/18/2013 Sloop Point 9E
Surf City Fire Dept. 4/15/2008 Surf City 6
Topsail Beach Fire Dept. 4/18/2013 Topsail Beach 5
According to the Dept. of Insurance…insurance agents are automatically notified through ISO (www.ISO.com) about ratings changes that will affect their client’s policies. Theoretically, when their customers renew…they automatically qualify for the reduced rates. When I first heard that homeowners automatically qualify I though…not much of a story here…
BUT…
After speaking with a handful of local homeowners who had no clue what I was talking about… who are living in areas that had a class change but weren’t notified…it seemed like a good topic to get the word out on.
Then, when a homeowner’s insurance agent told me they were concerned that people would be calling up asking for years worth of rebates…I figured this was DEFINETELY something to discuss…its YOUR money and if the rate was lowered…I do believe you should be compensated for years of overpaying.
The Dept. of Insurance says it more probable that there was simply a disconnect along the communication line. They say if a Fire Chief does not notify them about an early re-evaluation or paper work gets mixed up, etc. etc….there may be a delay in your agent’s response to lowering your rate.
Robert McIver attests to this…and I know he loves being the money-saving messenger…his face nearly lights up when he talks about saving people’s premiums…and how many people does THAT happen to?!
Robert says he used to receive notices from the fire department when their district ratings had changed…but no longer does.
WHOMEVER is responsible…this is something that YOU can stay on top of…its YOUR cash after all.
The Dept. of Ins. told me that if you were not notified of a ratings change when you renewed, you ARE entitled to your money back on those lower premiums. If you are having trouble with your agent/provider….they say you should file a complaint with their department….call 1-800-546-5664.
A little more about the specific ratings….
The best rating you can get…a “1”…those are few and far between. In fact, I believe there is only one of them in NC (not in our area). So the city of Wilmington takes top honors coming in at a “2.” Robert McIver says they should be very proud of that because they are so hard to get.
On the other hand, there are rural areas, like in Brunswick County, that come in at a 9 or a 10. Does this mean that if you live in those areas no one is coming to help you if your house is on fire?
NO.
Scott Garner (B.C. Fire Marshall) says that when a call comes in from those areas…the surrounding districts are alerted and aid goes out from the nearest station. And STAY TUNED Brunswick County because Scott says that there are some significant changes coming in the near future to a handful of your districts.
Getting a top rating is something that’s a continuous goal for ALL of these districts. Funding plays a big part in how successful they may be…and in this economy…money isn’t at ANYONE’S disposal. Figure that each of those trucks costs $800,000 or so…if that’s the difference in your station moving up in a ratings class…even if a station’s team are world class fire squashers…. without ample coins in the coffer…that truck will have to wait and so may the higher rating.
The fire officials I spoke to said that they are constantly working on the upgrades….and lucky us….its all to our benefit.
A few final words about our fire departments….
I’ve been working on this story for over one month. Previously….I knew very (VERY) little about fire departments except the obvious. I had no idea just how MUCH they do. If there is a car crash, a house fire, a medical emergency…they are always there because they’re first responders. Calls big and small…they are on it.
They go through countless of hours of training every year in order to respond to any type of situation. If they are not AT the fire…they are probably out somewhere training for one…
And they have a very deep sense of pride in what they do and a strong commitment to one another…and that’s very rare to encounter anymore.
So I hope that I’ve somehow made you more aware of where your insurance $$ goes and how you might be able to save some.
I also hope that you will connect with your local fire station to learn about your rating and any future changes.
And I really hope that you will stop by that station soon…a handshake and a thank you for all the hard work…that really DOES pay off for all of us.