OCR Text |
Show governmental buck-passing It appears that governmental buck-passing and failure to get a concrete plan of action on paper and in to the Insurance Services Office of Utah has resulted this week in a raise in the fire grading system for Moab Citv from Protection Class 6 to 7, and a probable increase in-crease of about 15 per cent in fire insurance premiums for city residents. Officials of the Insurance Services Office were in Moab early last summer to obtain field information for a rcgrading of our fire defense facilities and in February of this year presented the results of that report to Moab City officials. According to the report, the grading indicated in-dicated that improvements had been made in the water system, t but the fire department had apparently retrogressed. retro-gressed. In conjunction with the grading, a list of recommendations recom-mendations was sent to the City covering some potential areas of needed improvement and a request was made that anv plan of action for implementing the improvements improve-ments be submitted to Insurance Services as soon as possible. Since that time a number of improvements have been made, including replacement of an engine on the lajue fire truck; purchase of 2000 feet of new hose; upgrading up-grading of fire extinguishers and equipment on trucks; installation of a second fire siren ; and a new high pressure pres-sure pump on one truck. What hasn't been done, however, is to let the rating bureau know about the changes in writing. Moab presently is the only City in five states which has a volunteer fire den.irtment and maintains a Protection Class of 6. All others are 7 or above. It seems a shame Vit the rating is to be lost if. all the needed effort ti,d monev has been expenldcd to keep the grade, for want of someone to write the needed letter to ISO. We hope that the entire citizenry of Moab will not lie made to bear increased insurance rates if it is feasible feas-ible at all for them to remain at this lower rate. Insurance Insur-ance aernts have not vet been advised of the rate change so perhaps there is ttill time to rectify the situation. |