BOILING SPRINGS FIRE DEPARTMENT EARNS TOP RATING

FROM: THE GREENVILLE (SC) NEWS [link]
PUBLISHED TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2004

By Nan Lundeen
STAFF WRITER
nlundeen@greenvillenews.com

What was once a small, rural fire department on Greenville's Eastside has joined a small group of elite fire departments in the state.

Thirty-five years ago, the Boiling Springs Fire Department had one 1936 tanker truck, six volunteer firefighters and no Insurance Services Office rating, according to department spokesman Taft Matney.

Today, with 38 paid firefighters, 20 volunteers and a budget of $2.7 million, it joins Myrtle Beach and Charleston as the only three departments in South Carolina to have achieved a Class 1 rank by the ISO, the organization that ranks departments for insurance purposes.

The district set the goal to improve from a Class 2 to a Class 1 and worked hard for years to achieve it, according to Fire Chief Gerald Luker. However, the department's main concern in making improvements is public safety, according to Luker.

"We're one of the lucky ones," said Amelia Camarena, assistant manager of the Monterrey Mexican Restaurant on The Parkway.

Said Eastside resident Richard Manning, who moved here in July from Pennsylvania, "It's reassuring as a newcomer to the area."

Boiling Springs serves about 26,000 residents, four schools and numerous businesses, including Michelin North America.

Growth and reassessment have funded personnel, new equipment and the addition of a third fire station, Luker said.

"It's great for that community," said Bruce White, spokesman for State Farm Insurance. "It means they really put an emphasis on safety."

The ISO considers numerous rating criteria including receiving and handling alarms, training, number of personnel, equipment and water supply.

Because the district was already rated Class 2, which is a high rating, White expects the improvement might help control the cost of insurance in the future based on claims history, but he doesn't expect much difference in premiums now.

"Insurance rates are based on past claims experiences to predict what the future cost of the insurance policy needs to be," White said.

The industry bases premium rates on claims history over 10 years or more, he said.

Average response time for the department, which took 1,357 calls during the past fiscal year is about 3 minutes, Luker said. He expects that number to improve next year because the district added a $750,000 station on Batesville Road last December, the numbers for which wouldn't be fully factored in yet because it hasn't been in operation long enough.

The chief said about 50 percent of calls are medical emergencies or vehicle accidents, about 45 percent are false alarms and only 5 percent are actual fires.

All paid personnel are trained in basic first aid, CPR and how to use an automatic defibrillator as first responders, he said.

The department would consider for the future an ISO recommendation to increase the number of operators receiving calls from 1.24 to 2 and would consider requiring them to be awake at all times rather than allowing them to sleep with a phone beside the bed, according to Luker.

He said that all calls are answered by the second ring, and the department has never received a complaint that a call went unanswered.

The department serves Buena Vista Elementary School, Riverside High School, Shannon Forest Christian School and Mt. Zion Christian School.

Nan Lundeen can be reached at 298-4316.