The Villages Public Safety Department’s chief Edmund Cain and his crew are all set to replace one of two current fire trucks that feature 75-foot-high ladders as they welcome a new unit, the key feature of which is a ladder capable of reaching the roof of a 10-story building with its 100-foot-high ladder.
Worth approximately $1 million, it has elevated the capability of the department to reach atop the tallest buildings in The Villages, like the Brownwood Hotel & Spa and Freedom Pointe, according to Division Chief Bobby Ramage.
Cain said that one main reason the department wanted this new equipment was to help improve the department’s ISO ratings from 2 to a 1.
The Insurance Services Office’s rating is based on four factors: the capabilities of the fire department, the emergency communications system, the available water supply, and risk reduction.
With this new truck, the department is building its case to be a 1, as one of the ISO’s criteria is for a department to have a ladder truck capable of reaching the rooftop of any building in the department’s jurisdiction or scaling to a maximum height of 100 feet.
Chief Cain said that ISO graders will soon be visiting VPS, and results will be out within a few months.
“Many insurance companies offer reduced premiums in communities with better fire protection as measured under the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule,” he added.
Curt Floyd, spokesman for the National Fire Protection Association, said typically, an improved grade can also bolster the community’s confidence in the department which helps set national standards for fire departments. “Moving from an ISO rating of 2 to a 1 shows that the three parts of the schedule have been met to full compliance which indicates that the services required to help make citizens and property safer are available, effective, and ready to respond.”
Not just for high-rise catastrophes, Cain said that the truck will be used regularly for all types of calls, like other VPS units. It is housed at Station 45, near Brownwood.
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun