Rating Improves for Louisiana Parish Fire District

The fire protection grading in Cameron Parish’s Fire District 15 has improved from Class 6 to Class 4, which will reduce fire insurance premiums for residents of the district.

State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said the rate reductions will begin Nov. 11 and should result in nearly $250 in annual savings for a home valued at $150,000.

The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana sets the fire protection grading on a scale of one to 10 with 10 having no fire protection and one having the best protection. The state insurance commissioner approves the grades for each district, The American Press reported

“A variety of factors are considered in determining a district’s grading,” 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.”

Mike Feverjean, chief of the Klondike-based fire district, said the district’s water-hauling system improved from 250 gallons a minute to 500 gallons a minute.

“There are no (fire) hydrants,” he said of the district. “We have dry hydrants where we suck water out of ponds or a lake. We shuttle that water to a site, and the truck pumps it out. We have to do that in a certain amount of time.”

Feverjean said the district also paid for a new service truck and more equipment for firefighters. The district’s firefighters are volunteers, he said.

According to Donelon, the rate reductions vary on property value, the fire district and the insurance company’s rate schedule.

Policyholders in the district should call their insurance provider if the reduction is not seen in their upcoming premium renewal notice.