By Barbara Davis | Staff Writer
After approximately three years of effort to reduce the Hardin County ESD No. 6 ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating, President Matt Dulaney says not only has the rating been reduced from a 9 to a 5 – which is a good thing – but the Silsbee Volunteer Fire Department is better equipped than it has ever been to serve citizens.
“Of course, we wanted the rating reduced, but the important part is protecting citizens and being able to get water to them quickly,” said Dulaney. “We want the citizens outside of the city limits to have the same protection as those inside the city limits.”
In an effort to better serve residents, ESD No. 6 has strategically placed water tank trucks throughout the district, to ensure sufficient water supply is available to all.
The department has maintained a trio of Class A engines, a tanker and three brush trucks since 2015, with a newly purchased high-water rescue brush truck set to arrive in July.
“The high-water rescue brush truck was purchased with $200,000 in grant money from Hurricane Harvey,” said Silsbee VFD Fire Chief Robin Jones.
ESD No. 6 also purchased a new tanker for $400,000, which was in the regular budget. The maintenance and purchase of new equipment positively impacted the ESD’s recent efforts to reduce the district’s ISO rating, according to those closest to the initiative.
Although not all insurance companies consider ISO ratings when setting home insurance rates, many do, and local homeowners outside of the city limits are reporting up to $900 in annual savings on their homeowner policies, following the reduction of ESD No. 6’s ISO rating.
ISO ratings are meant to score a fire department’s ability to protect the community, and many factors are considered when a rating is applied, such as emergency communication systems, training and equipment, water supply, and community risk reduction. Ranging from 1 to 10, with “1” being the most desirable rating, ESD No. 6 held a 9 rating for many years.
Residents outside of the city limits are encouraged to contact their insurance companies to be sure the agencies are apprised of the rating change and inquire about possible discounts available as a result.
“We had to prove water supply, and they got out there with a stopwatch to check our response times,” said Dulaney. “This is better all around for everyone.”
In an effort to better serve the citizens, ESD No. 6 broke ground on the new Silsbee VFD Fire Station in September 2022, with a centralized location to allow for better response times.
“The new station will get us out to the highway quickly, and is right at the intersection of FM 92 and FM 418,” said Jones, who added that there is no tax increase whatsoever with the new station, which is a budgeted item. Jones said that the current tax revenue allows for 10-year financing and the current fire station, located in a residential area, has had the unfortunate pleasure of being caught behind the train on several occasions when responding to emergencies.
“The new fire station is the best move in quite some time, and will be a wind-rated building with double-wide bay stations able to stack eight, instead of four, engines in times of emergency,” said Dulaney.
The state-of-the-art station is slated to be in operation this summer, with late August being the goal. The live oaks remain where John Henry Kirby Elementary School once stood, driveways have been poured with plumbing and electrical conduit installed. Erection of the red steel frame began last month.
The new station is being constructed by McInnis Construction, Inc.