Influx of Volunteers Aids Louisiana Fire Department’s Rating

Louisiana residents should see their fire insurance rates drop as a result of an improved rating awarded to Fire Protection District 8’s improved rating, officials say.

The Advocate reports the all-volunteer department protects nearly 4,000 residents in a 22-square-mile area in southwestern Livingston Parish.

For a homeowner with a house valued at $150,000, the cost of fire insurance should drop about $110 a year, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

Fire Chief Alan Guitreau says the department was able to improve its rating by adding a large number of volunteers and by increasing its water-carrying capacity.

When the department was last evaluated, five years ago, it had about 20 volunteers. It now has 34, the fire chief said.

The influx of volunteers, Guitreau said, “really bodes well for the future.”

The department is supported by a property tax and an annual fund drive, he said.

Its rating rose from class 5 to class 4, Guitreau said

The best rating is class 1 and the worst is class 10. A class 10 rating means an area has no fire protection, according to the fire department.

“A variety of factors are considered in determining a district’s grading,” Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon said. “Everything from the number of dispatchers on duty to the number of firefighters and fire trucks, to the availability of water affect a district’s grading.”

Fire protection grading is done by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana and approved by the state commissioner of insurance.