Hodges looking to lower ISO rating

By Staff
Melissa Cason
HOGES-The town of Hodges is working to cut homeowner's insurance rates.
Hodges Mayor Ed Crouch said the last piece of the puzzle to getting the town's ISO rating reduced is nearly completed. The town is having its water system upgraded in order to install fire hydrants every 2,000 feet.
Once the system is complete, the town will submit the paperwork to be re-evaluated to get a new rating.
"Right now our rating is nine, and we hope to get the rating down to seven, maybe even six," Fire Chief Lesley Cantrell said.
Crouch said the town has been working with the water board and the fire department for several years to get the ISO rating reduced.
Cantrell said the first step in getting the rating reduced was getting a new fire truck. In 2003, the department received a grant to get a new fire truck costing $115,000.
The town's water board paid the $15,000 matching funds for the grant.
Cantrell said that once the new fire truck was purchased, the town really started working to get the ISO rating lowered.
"We couldn't even begin looking at lowering the ISO rating until we had a new fire truck," Cantrell said.
With the fire truck already in possession and the water upgrade almost complete, Cantrell said the paper work is being checked to ensure everything is completed so the town can ask for an inspection to lower the rating.
"We expect the inspection to be in the next few months," Cantrell said.
He added that lowering the ISO rating will save the town's homeowners hundreds on the homeowner's insurance premiums every year.
The ISO rating system, which is used by insurance companies to determine homeowners' insurance rates, is comprised of three components. The rating is based 50 percent on the fire department, 40 percent on the water supply and 10 percent on 911 communications.