Lake Waccamaw took steps at its May Town Hall meeting to preserve the area’s ISO rating, so that residents won’t incur higher homeowner insurance costs. The decision was made after Fire Chief Chase Lancaster presented leaders with compelling evidence that a new (to them) fire truck was needed to properly serve the community and keep firefighters safe while on scene.
The Lake Waccamaw Fire and Rescue Department has been experiencing many issues with the current trucks in service for months now. These end-of-life repairs on these vehicles have been a costly endeavor to the town.
The ‘First Out’ fire truck in use is a 2005 model obtained in Cumberland County, and the department’s second emergency engine is a 1993. The maintenance and upkeep of the fire department’s equipment have already cost $75,000 this year.
The LWFD had to take the older vehicle out of service on their last six fire calls, leaving the newer truck to experience all the wear and tear as the station’s only viable engine.
The most recent call involved a structure fire on Ben Jones Road where both the engines failed, and firefighters inside were given the order to evacuate because there was no water available to put out the flames.
“That causes a whole lot bigger problem than any of us want. To go tell someone that they have lost a loved one because a truck malfunctioned,” said Lancaster.
A working fire truck not only helps with the safety of department members on scene. It also affects the ISO rating that insurance companies use to determine homeowner insurance rates as well. ISO ratings start on scale from one to ten, with the lower numbers having the best score.
Lake Waccamaw’s rating is currently a four.
A home worth $400,000 at present is looking at a cost of just over $4,000 per year in insurance fees, according to information gathered by Town staff from Farm Bureau. If the town didn’t have any proper equipment in service, costs would climb to over $6,000 with an ISO of nine. The state, however, would not let the department keep the rating, issuing them an ISO of ten, and raising the insurance rates to almost $8,000 per year for homeowners.
Lancaster has searched through about 250 fire trucks, and he has found a comparable used model that would serve the town for more than a decade. The 2012 Spartan has a one-year bumper to bumper warranty, and water points on the emergency vehicle will help maintain the current ISO rating because the pumper can reach other sources of water from access points at both the lake and the dam.
The engine will be purchased from one of the largest fire truck dealers in the country called Brindlee Mountain. The company is located in Union Grove, Alabama, and the vehicle comes with a price tag of approximately $225,000. The sale of surplus and other out-of-service department vehicles will come extremely close to covering the first-year payment of the fire truck.
A brand-new fire engine runs about $1.5 million.
Town leaders took very careful consideration of Lancaster’s proposal and voted to allow Mayor Greg Jacobs and Town Manager Darren Currie to oversee the purchase. Jacobs owns his own logging company and is very knowledgeable about the inner workings of heavy equipment.
