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Show FINANCIAL TIMES FROM OUR FIRE CHIEF: FIRE INSURANCE RATINGS The purpose of this article is to clarify the criteria used for fire insurance ratings. earning a class 8 rating. The most obvious is the requirement that the Fire Dept. be able to establish a continuous water flow of 250 gallons/minute for two hours (30,000 gal). If a municipal water A fire protection area is rated, or classified, by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) located in Denver. In an on site visit, they will consider the equipment, training, record keeping, the number of trained people who respond to a fire, and the available water supply. Note that nothing is said about the location of the fire station in establishing the department’s rating. When you apply for home insurance, one of the questions you answer is related to the distance from your home to the fire station. If you are within a specified distance (5 or 6 miles) you qualify for the rating carried by the fire dept. serving your area. All properties in the Town of Castle Valley fall within five miles of the existing fire station. (This does not mean that establishing a substation in the lower end of the Valley should not be seriously considered.) An upgrading of our classification from the present 10 to a 9 would result in significant savings in our insurance rates. Our weakest point is probably in maintenance records. Other than that, we are well within the criteria for a class 9 rating. We will know for sure in a month or so. There are huge hurdles to supply is used (hydrants) the 250 gallons is in addition to the maximum supply needed to furnish domestic requirements. It also requires a significant committment for a number of volunteer citizens. The training levels and the degrees of achievement required are far more extensive than for a class 9 rating. My own philosophy is that the purpose of a fire dept. is to protect life and property to the best of its ability As we continue to upgrade our facilities and the skills of our people, we will, in passing, meet the requirements for class 9 and go on toward class 8. It is always nice to save money on our insurances, but we need to stay focused on what is best for meeting our primary goals. We are in need of more citizens to learn how to suppress fires safely. Things like interior attack, primary search, and establishing pressure ventilation are parts of modern fire suppression that can be done safely only by people who have practiced them. Floyd Stoughton, Chief Castle Valley Fire Protection District - JUNE 15, 1995 - 3 AS OUR WORLD TURNS Summer Solstice...June 2 1 st Begins 1:34 pm, with 14 hrs and 47 min of daylight Full Moon Mania. . .Wed...July 12 Rise...9:49pm————— Set..7:23am New Moon Magic..Thurs..July 27 Rises....7:22 am Sets 9:20pm Planet Sightings... Dawn...Venus...No visual sightings due to morning twilight Evening star...Jupiter..Sets: July 1...4:49am, July ll...4:07am July 21...3:26arn Meteor Showers: July 29, 1 1pm, 10-35 per hour, Delta Aquarid, (meteors fly from the SE) Constellations: Scorpius the Scorpion is a bright cluster of stars low in the south these evenings. Much brighter Jupiter is just above the head of Scorpius. Look for the Summer Triangle in the Milky Way band halfway up the eastern sky. Vega (on top), Altair (to the right), and Deneb (on the left). Deep in the greens of summer sing the lives I’ve come to love. A Vireo whets its bill. The great day balanced upon the leaves; My ears can hear the bird when all is still. —Theodore Roethke Excerpted from Old Farmer’s Almanac ——Jermifer Redding l PLANTS FOR THE CANYON COUNTRY Fruit Trees, Shade Trees Perennials, Ground Covers i l Lawn Seed ‘ FREE CASTLE VALLEY DELIVERY 1 CANYON NURSERY I Call 259-8274 275 Williams Way DRIP & IRRIGATION HEADQUARTERS l |