Havre de Grace's Susquehanna Hose Co. recently took delivery of a new pumper truck, but Chief Scott Hurst says he's equally proud of the fire company's latest Insurance Services Office, or ISO, rating which improved from five years ago and will be a continued benefit to all city property owners.
The new pumper, Truck 514, was built by Pierson Manufacturing in Appleton, Wis., and will be based at the Number 4 firehouse on Revolution Street, Hurst said Wednesday.
Hurst said radio equipment is in the process of being installed and there will be some training on the new truck before it officially goes in service, probably the weekend of March 14-15.
The new truck is replacing one of two Saulsbury trucks SHCO acquired in 1994, Hurst said. Truck 515 has been sold, he explained, while the former 514 will be stationed at the Number 5 firehouse on Chapel Road. The company will maintain its complement of five pumper trucks.
The new 514, which cost $500,000, can pump 1,500 gallons of water a minute, has a storage capacity of 750 gallons and can accommodate a crew of eight, Hurst said.
"Our fleet is getting old; 20 years is a long time," Hurst said. "We've taken care of our apparatus, which saves money in the long run, but you get to the point where you have to replace it."
Hurst said the new truck is built to better safety code standards than its predecessor, with such features as rollover protection and air bags "that weren't around 21 years ago."
The last new piece of new equipment SHCO bought was the "quint," a dual purpose ladder and pumper, acquired in 2009, that's stationed at the Number 5 firehouse, Hurst said.
He said the company's goal is to replace two other older trucks over the next four years, making it three new pumpers in six years. The other two units will be 20 and 24 years old, respectively, at the time of their scheduled replacement.
ISO certification
Susquehanna Hose recently learned its ISO rating has been reaccredited at a Class 2. The rating is based on three components: The 911 system in Harford County (10 percent), the water system for the City of Havre de Grace (40 percent) and the operation and efficiency of the Susquehanna Hose Company (50 percent), Hurst said.
The rating of 86.3 is up from just over 80 when SHCO was rated in 2010, he said.
"We're really proud of this. It was a goal that we would improve, not fall back, and while the overall rating is Class 2, we were really Class 1 on our end," Hurst continued. "We (the fire company) went from 42.5 to 47.5 out 50, which has to be one of the best in the whole country. It's tough to beat."
Since the last rating, Hurst said, the fire company made many changes and additions to improve its score. Included in the ISO review he said are response times, manpower, training, stations, apparatus, Standard Operating Guidelines, pre-plans and maintenance records. Some 1,500 documents and records also were reviewed. He also said cooperation of the Harford County Department of Emergency Services and City of Havre de Grace was essential in achieving the improved score.
The all-volunteer company also has an average at-location time from time of dispatch of under 3 minutes, he noted.
The Insurance Services Office, a risk management assessment service operated by Verisk Analytics of Jersey City, N.J., is responsible for rating more than 30,000 fire departments in 49,000 communities, Hurst explained. It is used by most major insurance companies to determine policy premiums charged homeowners and business owners, as the rating reflects the adequacy of fire protection in a particular community.
"We're proud of our members' dedication and the community support that enables us to be rated so highly," he said. "We're glad to be able to do our part for the citizens of Havre de Grace to have good insurance ratings."
In addition to SHCO's 47.5 fire suppression rating, Harford's 911 system rated 8.85 out of 10 and Havre de Grace's water system rated 30.3 out of 40, Hurst said,
In addition to the Class 2 ISO rating, Susquehanna Hose Company was recently recognized for achieving of more than 700 National Pro Board certifications for its 125 members, which Hurst said is by far the most in Maryland for a volunteer fire company.
Hurst said the fire company plans to host local elected officials April 2 at the Number Four firehouse for a dinner and a presentation about the latest ISO rating.