Inspecting and repairing fire hydrants and annual inspections of commercial buildings are the two things standing in the way of improved fire ratings in Summit, Fire Chief Stan McMorris told councilmen Tuesday.
McMorris said that’s the assessment from the ratings bureau, which he contacted to request an assessment of Summit’s situation.
Summit has a Class 6 rating on Mississippi’s 1-to-10 scale. Lowering the rating to a Class 5 could result in savings of up to 10% on property insurance rates, particularly for commercial properties, McMorris said.
“You’re talking about a good amount of money they would save,” he said.
He recently requested the hiring of three or four part-time firefighters to help respond to fire calls during the workday and maintain equipment, including fire hydrants. Town officials said at a budget hearing last week that there’s not enough money to fund the position.
“I understand the budget. I know we won’t get it this year, unless a miracle happens,” McMorris said.
However, he noted that filling the positions could help accomplish some of the tasks needed for a lower fire rating.
“There’s a couple of things that individual could have in the job description that could get us there,” McMorris said.
He said Summit has hired a company in the past to test and repair hydrants and that could be explored as well.
The task of inspecting commercial buildings would fall on building inspector Gerald Alexander, McMorris said.
“If we could do those things we could get to a Class 5,” he said. “I think once we get to that level we’ll maintain it. We’ve never dropped a rating. We’ve always maintained or increased our ratings.”
Councilman Julius Nash asked if commercial buildings are inspected annually, and Mayor Percy Robinson said they are not.
In other fire department news, McMorris said August was extremely busy and September is shaping up to be a repeat.
“We’ve had a busy month and it looks like September is starting off just as busy. Three calls today,” he said.
August had 38 calls, which averages to more than one a day.
“So far in September, today’s the 5th and we’ve answered our seventh call,” he said.
