Local homeowners can expect a pleasant surprise on their
insurance bills this spring, courtesy of the Hollister Fire
Department.
Hollister – Local homeowners can expect a pleasant surprise on their insurance bills this spring, courtesy of the Hollister Fire Department.
Recent changes and upgrades to the fire department’s operation have earned the city a better ranking with Insurance Service Offices, which could result in substantial savings for those with fire insurance policies.
“We’ve made improvements in all the areas that the ISO looks at,” said Fire Chief Bill Garringer. “We’re really pleased with the results.”
ISO is a large private company that, among other things, helps insurance companies determine how much to charge its customers, depending on a variety of different criteria. Every 10 years, ISO ranks cities with a population less than 500,000 on a scale of one to 10 according to risk – with a rank of one indicating a very safe, low-risk community and 10 being a high-risk community. Hollister was last ranked in 2000, and given a rank of five. But thanks to a host of improvements the fire department has made since then, it raked in a ranking of three this time around.
“Basically they’re looking to see how well you can respond if there’s a major conflagration, if an entire city block was on fire, something like that,” Garringer said. “We knew the improvements that we had made over the past five years would change our rating, so we invited the ISO back.”
Three key changes had been made between 2000 and the second ISO visit in August 2005, which enhanced the effectiveness of the fire department.
Most obvious, of course, was the addition of the second fire station on Union Road in February 2005, which helped the department keep pace with new housing developments in the south area of town.
A new three million gallon water tank on Fairview Road increased the department’s available water supply substantially, which helped to boost the ISO ranking. A partnership between the city and county to upgrade the department’s dispatch system with fiberoptic cables and a staffing increase also contributed to a more efficient response time in an emergency, adding another grade bump to the city.
The purchase of a new fire engine and all-around better training records for local firefighters also contributed to and improved rank, and a few weeks ago Garringer received word that Hollister’s rank had dropped from a five to a three.
“We were hoping to drop down to a four – we knew we had done well,” he said. “But this was a real pleasant surprise.”
What the new ranking means for local property owners is that ISO has determined that Hollister is a substantially safer place to live in than it was five years ago in regards to fire safety. ISO is in the process of notifying insurance companies that they can safely charge less for fire insurance than they have been. And as of April 1, property owners can expect to see a savings of 10 to15 percent on their bill, depending on which company they use. Local insurance companies contacted Friday were unable to give estimates on what a 10 to 15 percent drop could mean for the average homeowner’s insurance.
“This is great news for every resident and business in the city,” said City Councilman Doug Emmerson. “And it’s certainly an incentive for business growth. That’s a big thing they look at when they’re considering whether or not to move to a community.”
The new rating only applies to property within Hollister city limits. Residents in San Juan or unincorporated areas of the county will not see a difference in their bills.
“The news of Hollister’s insurance reduction is very exciting to me,” said Hollister resident and homeowner Diana Ritchie. “We are more accustomed to increases at every turn, so a decrease is a welcome surprise. Since our property taxes are so high, 10 percent may sound low, but in reality it is a large amount.”
Garringer believes that the rate decrease will entice more businesses to set up shop within city limits.
“Companies like Leatherback, Corbin or the cannery are going to see quite a substantial decrease,” he said. “If it’s more affordable to do business here, I think this could really bring more to town.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
