Saturday, April 18, 2009

County's ISO fire ratings may be improved

Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdendinger@news-bulletin.com

The county fire chief had good news and bad for the county commission Wednesday evening. Earlier this week, Chief Charles Eaton completed a review of all the county fire districts with the state fire marshal.

"This was to make sure the state fire funds are being spent where they are supposed to be," Eaton said. "This is also a pre-ISO assessment; the fire marshal and I both feel confident that all our districts can transition and improve their ISO ratings."

That was the good news. The bad news was that one fire district had an ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating of 10, the worst possible.

The county's easternmost fire district, Highland Meadows, holds that low score, which may prevent residents in that district from acquiring fire insurance, Eaton said.

"Basically they regard it as having no fire protection," he said. The chief continued, saying the recent purchase and delivery of a truck and a tanker obtained from San Juan County could boost the district up to a nine or an eight.

"Even that will let people get fire insurance," Eaton said. He pointed out that the district received only $34,000 a year in state fire funds, the least of all the county's districts.

"That is something that has never made sense — the districts with the most need get the least funding and those that are doing well get the most," he said. "That is something we are going to try to change in the future through the legislature."

In contrast, the Rio Grande Estates district is rated at a five and receives just over $84,000 a year in state funds.

Eaton said that amount could increase by almost $40,000 if the Tierra Grande substation is designated a main station. "Hopefully, the state fire marshal will recommend pursuing main station review for state fire funding," he said. "We have a truck and staff there. We aren't experiencing a lot of call volume but we are seeing an increase."

If both stations are designated main stations, the district could receive just over $123,000 for both locations.

The chief said his department has been considering a change in district boundaries for the Rio Grande Estates district in the area of the Manzano Expressway and Hillendale Avenue.

"We are evaluating that as we speak," Eaton said. "Things we'll look at are the commercial areas, the schools and the impact on the 200 or so residents in the area."

He added that once the state fire marshal and ISO sign off on the proposed boundary changes, public meetings will be held to inform people of the proposed change. Eaton said an adjustment in the boundary could result in an ISO rating of six or even five.

In the Tomé-Adelino district, which is currently a class six, Eaton said the addition of some equipment and more personnel could help that district reach a five or four rating.

Some work is needed to get the class eight Valencia-El Cerro district to a seven or six rating, the chief said. "The new station and engine two years ago will help," he said.

The county's western district, Meadow Lake, got Eaton's choice for "most improved." Four years ago, the chief said, the station was little more than a two-bay barn.

"It is night and day," he said. "They are at a class five now and, with some minor improvements, could go to a four."

The Los Chavez is rated at an eight, and with the addition of equipment and an improved roster, Eaton said he felt confident they could achieve a seven or six.

Peralta is rated at an eight, and Eaton said they would be requesting it be evaluated for a better ISO rating even though the district and all its equipment was being transferred to the Town of Peralta.

The Manzano Vista district is a class eight and, with the addition of equipment, Eaton said the district could come up to a seven. Currently at a nine, Jarales could come up to an eight or even a seven, the chief said.

"We are trying to get funding to improve the facility and, with the recent purchase of a new tanker, I think we're on our way," Eaton said. "In my opinion, up and down the corridor, we shouldn't have anything worse than an eight. So in the next year, we will be working on a request for an ISO evaluation."

Eaton said half of the ISO rate is based on what districts do — training, equipment, staff availability and response to calls. Another large part of the score is based on water service.

"On the east side, several of the districts are served by New Mexico Water," he said. "But in the rural areas, we have to rely on tanker shuttles."

Having more water available is something that should help boost the rating of the Highland Meadows district, Eaton said. Right now there is a 3,000-gallon overhead tank at the fire station. "The fire marshal suggested increasing the size of that tank," he said.

Other improvements

The fire department has implemented a countywide photo identification system for all personnel, Eaton said. "This also shows the person's level of certification," he said, holding up his own ID card. "That has been a question in the field, so now we can assure people that we have the correct certifications."

The chief said they have also implemented a "red card" system to enable county fire personnel to assist in fires on federal lands. "Last year, we sent crews up to the Trigo fire but they had to sit in the parking lot," Eaton said. "The red card shows they have done the training level and are in compliance."

Not only will this allow the firefighters to assist, but they and any county equipment used will be reimbursed at a higher rate. Without the red card, fire personnel are reimbursed at $11 per hour and equipment between $65 and $75 per hour.

With the red card, the firefighters on a federal fire can get $18 per hour and the reimbursement for equipment doubles, Eaton said. "We are trying to create funding sources for our departments," he said.

And volunteers lined up and got their vaccinations free of charge recently, Eaton reported. "A lot of our people were behind and OSHA was not happy," he said. "We completed 200 vaccinations, and the department absorbed the cost, as we will continue to do with new members and renewals."

The chief said that, within the next few months, he would be bringing a drug testing policy before the commission for consideration. "We have a $300,000 apparatus going down the road full of water, we want to make sure neither our people nor the public are endangered," he said. "We want our people clear-minded and clear-headed."

On the technology side, Eaton said, with the help of the county's information technology department, all the districts were now networked. "Now if we need a report from another district, we can access them," he said.

The remodel of the Tomé-Adelino station is nearing completion but is coming in a bit over budget, Eaton said.

"Our reserves should absorb that cost," he said. "There were some change orders because we're dealing with an old building and we had to bring the electric up to code. Sometimes we didn't know what we had to do until we opened up the walls."

Thanks to a legislative appropriation, Eaton said, warning lights would be going up at the Valencia-El Cerro station. The signs are in place and the roadway painted to indicate where traffic should stop when trucks are pulling out of the station.

"This is similar to Peralta where you have large trucks pulling out slowly into a highly trafficked area," Eaton said.

A back-up generator will be installed at the Rio Grande Estates station, Eaton said. The nearly $50,000 cost will be offset by a FEMA firefighters assistance grant the department received.

Eaton said there is a need for generators in all of the fire stations, since, during emergencies, those facilities need to remain operational. "We are just doing these one at a time," he said. "This will be the same system that is at the Los Chavez station."

Eaton said the four paid fire personnel the county hired last year completed their six-month probationary period last week. With two stationed at the facility in Las Maravillas east of the river and two at the Los Chavez station west of the river, they have responded to 375 calls in the first three months of this year.

The chief was happy to report that 84 percent of those calls were answered within one minute and responded to in six to 10 minutes 82 percent of the time.

"I'm not saying our volunteers don't do a great job, but having the four full-time employees has greatly improved our response time," Eaton said.

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