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Boonville fire chief outlines hiring, ESO training and new tracking to boost ISO rating
Summary
The fire department announced two planned hires, adoption of an ESO training/tracking platform starting June 1, and partnerships with Cooper County Ambulance District and Columbia fire academy for training; officials said improved documentation of training hours could boost the city's ISO rating and lower insurance costs.
Boonville — The fire department outlined plans at the May 5 council meeting to hire two firefighters, implement a new training-record system and expand training partnerships to improve operational readiness and insurance ratings.
Tim (identified in the meeting as a fire department official) told the council the department posted openings for two firefighter positions and will offer current volunteers a preference window. The hiring process will include a written test, a physical agility test, and oral interviews; Tim said he expects the new hires could start “by June.”
The department plans to adopt an ESO training and records program on June 1 to track training hours, certifications, and re-certification reminders. Tim said accurate documentation matters for the Insurance Services Office (ISO) evaluation that influences municipal insurance rates; he said Booneville currently scored a 4 (on a 1–10 scale used by the department), and that better documentation could capture available points the city missed on the last evaluation.
Tim also described continuing education arrangements with Cooper County Ambulance District and outreach to the Columbia fire academy for candidate training. He said the city will seek to require core qualifications for future hires (Missouri State Firefighter I and II and EMT) so the city will not need to pay for those baseline courses for new applicants.
Council members confirmed the training program and hiring fall within the department’s current budget; no additional appropriation was requested at the meeting. Tim said some academy training with Columbia would have costs; he expects to have a cost estimate this week and described confidence in the academy’s ability to provide high-quality training.
