by Malcolm Butler
The Ruston Fire Department made history this week.
And in a good way
The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL), a state run agency, completed its review and for the first time in the city’s history, the Ruston Fire Department earned a Class I rating.
“This is just incredible for the city of Ruston,” said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker. “We have never had a Class I rating. Chief Womack and his entire staff worked tirelessly on this together. We have always said ‘Excellence Made Here.’ We always want to be excellent in everything we do in Ruston. This is just another example of what great people we have working for our citizens of Ruston.”
Ruston Fire Chief Chris Womack said that every fire department in the state is reviewed every five years as the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana thoroughly monitors them.
According to Chief Womack, the reviews are “very in-depth” and include areas such as telecommunications (dispatch), equipment such as fire engines and ladders (tools), manpower, personnel training, a city’s water (number and locations of hydrants), fire prevention, and public fire safety education.
“It includes a number of categories,” said Chief Womack. “We spend a lot of time each year focusing to make sure we meet these requirements. In the past, Ruston has been a Class II rating for at least the last two cycles, if not the last three. Prior to that we were a Class III.”
The rating system is Class I through Class X with Class X meaning a city doesn’t have a fire department.
Chief Womack said the Ruston Fire Department received a letter in January, communicating it was time for their review.
“We have to turn in a lot of records on-line, a lot of (digital) paperwork,” said Chief Womack. “Then they schedule an actual on-site visit where they check your trucks. They don’t just take your word for it. They go through the trucks, check training records. They will give you a random list and tell you they want to see those 10 (workers) training records. They want to double check everything you provided them.”
Chief Womack said the PIAL personnel visited Ruston in May for their on-site review.
“Our biggest (improvements) were we added some staffing, and we created a fire prevention bureau,” said Chief Womack. “And our staff has really stepped up to the plate and worked hard to cover every basis and making sure we don’t leave anything on the table.
“If we are doing something we want to make sure we are getting credit for it.”
Womack said that the improvement in fire ratings could lead to better fire insurance rates for Ruston residents.
“I don’t want to say that it guarantees lower fire insurance rates, but it should,” said Chief Womack. “Every insurance company does them differently. Some companies give different rates based on each individual (fire class rating) and then some do it by groups of (fire class ratings such as I, II and III get a rate and then IV, V, and VI get a different rate).
“It should give residents the best possible fire rates. And it’s just one more thing to help recruit families and businesses to Ruston. I know a lot of businesses look at fire ratings when looking to relocate because it helps them on their insurance.”
