Training lowers insurance rates

SUPERIOR - The next time Superior Volunteer Firefighters respond to a structure fire, they will be even more prepared for unforgiving conditions in the field after a training session on Tuesday July 1.

Using equipment on loan from the Montana State University Extension Services Fire Training program, Superior firefighters experienced the heat, low visibility, smoke and cramped quarters they would likely encounter when entering a structure fire.

The equipment used to simulate the conditions consisted of a converted semi-trailer made to resemble a house or apartment on the inside. The mobile facility was stuffed with bundles of a flammable material that was lit on fire with SFD personnel inside who promptly put out the blaze under the controlled conditions.

According to Fire Chief John Woodland, the training not only provides his staff with the opportunity to experience conditions they might encounter in the field, it also has a direct impact on the community.

“This allows us to give the guys some live fire training,” Woodland said. “It gets them acclimated to working in a live fire situation. It also shows them something about fire behavior.”

Woodland said the level of training his staff undergoes is monitored by some insurance companies and they can make adjustments to customer rates accordingly.

“The other thing this training does is we just got an improved ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating,” Woodland said. “One of the things that does that is I can show that these guys are training regularly. They rate the fire department and the community’s ability to fight fire. That rating affects people’s insurance rates. I talked to a citizen a few weeks ago and she said with the new rating, her insurance rates went down about $100 a year.”

Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) is an organization that provides data, underwriting, risk management and legal services to property and casualty insurers with a special emphasis on community fire protection efforts.

According to the company website, ISO has amassed enormous databases of information about hundreds of millions of individual insurance policies across the country.

In its capacity as an advisory organization to insurance companies, ISO evaluates community fire protection readiness and makes recommendations to insurance companies based on those results. Insurance companies can then use the information from ISO to establish fair premiums for fire insurance.

In addition to saving some residents a significant amount of money, Craig Jeppson with the MSU Fire Training program said working with the trailer keeps veteran firefighters up to date on the latest techniques and provides rookies with their first structure fire experience. Jeppson said the training helps personnel become comfortable with fire conditions so if the real thing happens, they will be ready.

“They get a chance to see what fire does,” Jeppson said. “It builds confidence. They get a chance to see that their gear works. We are simulating in a very controlled and safe environment how to fight a structure fire. They learn to stay together as a crew and get water on the fire as soon as they can.”

MSU Fire Training Instructor Jerod Horvath said because the trailer is mobile, they are able to allow smaller departments like the SFD to train on equipment they may not be able to provide themselves.

Horvath said the training was particularly important for newer volunteers who may not have had the opportunity to experience a structure fire before.

“This is starting place for the new guys,” Horvath said. “We are teaching them the basics. This by no means a stopping point. This is a way to open their eyes and a way to get new recruits going. It allows them to practice. Practice is key. We can teach them a lot of things with this trailer.”

For one SFD volunteer, it was not only his first time training with the trailer, it was his first day training overall and his first day with the department.

Chance Davis, 18, said getting thrown into the fire on his first day provided him a graphic look at what his time with the department could entail.

“It was different,” Davis said. “It’s good practice and it’s something you have to get used to. I think this will be a good opportunity to learn.”