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Boardman Township gets better fire protection rating
BOARDMAN
Township business owners and residents soon can expect lower insurance premiums after the township got an improved rating of its fire-protection services, which affects insurance rates.
The Insurance Services Office, which rates communities’ fire-protection services on a scale of 1 to 10 for insurance companies, with 1 being the best, lowered the township’s protection classification from 5 to 4.
“It’s great news. Only 22 percent of fire departments in the state of Ohio have a classification of 4 or greater,” said Fire Chief Mark Pitzer. “That means we’re doing some positive things here in Boardman Township and in the fire department.”
Pitzer cites better training, new equipment and better communication as reasons for the improvement. For example, since the last evaluation five years ago, the fire department increased firefighter training opportunities and bought a new ladder truck.
Another factor in the rating is the township’s water supply, which comes from Aqua Ohio and the city of Youngstown. Pitzer said the water supply is adequate, and has gotten better since a water tower on Erskine Avenue in Youngstown was improved.
The dispatch center also factors into the rating. The township got a new radio-dispatch system two years ago, which Pitzer said has helped communication.
“We’re hoping in the future we can potentially reduce it even further,” Pitzer said of the classification.
It might help, Pitzer said, that the fire department recently entered into an automatic mutual-aid agreement with the Cardinal Joint Fire District.
Businesses and homeowners can expect to see reduced insurance premiums after the new rating takes effect June 1.