Volunteer and paid fire departments across the country are measured by the Public Protection Classification Program. It also plays a part in the underwriting process at insurance companies and affects residents' insurance policies.
Fire Chief Rod Buethe said the closer a person lives near a fire station, the more chances are people can pay lower insurance premiums on residential, commercial and industrial properties.
That was one of the reasons for building the Gretna Fire Station No. 2 on 168th Street east of Gretna. The ISO rating was completed recently and Buethe reported to the Gretna City Council at the Jan. 17 meeting that, unfortunately, the public protection class will remain the same at a 4.
However, the Gretna Fire Department rated well enough to be among the top 16 percent of all rated fire departments in the United States and the top 6 percent in Nebraska.
"I think we fared fairly well across the board," Buethe said.
The GFD was last rated in 2005. Fire departments earn credits in a variety of different categories and the class, from 1 to 10, is based on the total percentage credit. Class 1 is the best and class 10 is the worst.
GFD received all or most of the maximum credit in telephone service, operators, dispatch circuits, engine companies, reserve pumpers, pump capacity, water system, hydrants and inspection and condition of hydrants.
Buethe said the areas in which the fire department did not earn many credits were in areas that are not likely to accomplish due to time and money.
For example, the ISO wants two aerial ladders to fight fires in taller buildings, such as the three-story apartment buildings in the area. GFD has none.
The ISO wants GFD to have a four-story burn tower with an attached burn room for training. They also ask for a four-story drill tower. Buethe said that is a training facility that is not likely to be paid for and find space.
The ISO wants firefighters to do 20 hours a month of structural fire training and on structural fire related subjects. Gretna volunteer firefighters average 1.67 hours per month of company training, but yet 65 percent of them participate. Buethe said it's tough to accomplish this because all the firefighters are volunteers.
The ISO requests pre-fire planning inspections of each commercial industrial and institutional buildings twice a year. Buethe said the GFD doesn't do that.
"I don't know there's much more we could have done," he said.
The ISO Class 4 applies to those within five miles of a fire station or 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. Buethe suggested people around the Gretna Fire Station No. 2 consult their insurance agent to check their policies.
"When you put it all into perspective, we did well," Buethe said.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
