With an ISO rating of 4/4X McCall residents should see drop in homeowners’ insurance beginning February 1st
Residents living within the McCall Volunteer Fire Department fire district should begin receiving a discount on their homeowners' insurance premium beginning Feb. 1 after the department received an ISO rating of four, which is the lowest score a volunteer fire department can receive.
McCall Fire Chief Charles Jackson said the department received notices from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that the department's Public Protection Classification for its jurisdiction has improved from an ISO 5 to an ISO rating of 4.
“We've done as good as we can do,” Jackson said. “You can't get below a 4 without full-time paid firemen.”
The ISO rating is based 50 percent on the quality of the fire department, including staffing levels and training; 40 percent on the availability of a water supply that includes hydrants; and 10 percent on receiving and handling fire alarms.
Jackson said the increase in the ISO rating came after the last inspection that was conducted in June, 2020. He also noted that McCall remains an all-volunteer fire and Emergency Medical Service that provides fire and EMS coverage between Brewton and the Flomaton the city limits.
McCall currently has 20 active volunteer personnel of which 10 hold certifications from the Alabama Fire College as certified firefighters. The department also has five volunteers who hold advanced certifications as fire safety officers and instructors.
In addition to the fire calls, McCall's department also provides medical assistance to the D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital ambulance service when they are dispatched to medical calls within the McCall jurisdiction. He said the volunteers include four Emergency Medical Technicians and one paramedic who assist in that effort.
Jackson said McCall actually received a 4/4X rating, which gives homeowners an insurance discount even if they are outside 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant.
Jackson said the McCall Volunteer Fire Department was first recognized in 1982 under the Rural Community Protection Program and began with an ISO rating of 10. It was also received recognition in 1983 by the Alabama Forestry Commission.
In 1984 the ISO rating dropped to a 7 and said it has improved over the years. ISO inspections are done on a five-year basis.
