Warren County approves insurance fee and $1.73 million tanker purchase to bolster volunteer fire service

Warren County Fiscal Court on March 13 approved the second and final reading of Ordinance 2503, creating a license fee on insurance companies to fund a public-safety account for county fire services, and separately authorized a $1,731,156.10 purchase of three 3,000‑gallon tankers to be placed in the county’s volunteer fire system.

The measures follow a county-commissioned review of volunteer fire services and a presentation by County Fire Coordinator Bill Rector, who said rising call volumes, aging apparatus and gaps in daytime staffing are eroding coverage and pushing some areas toward higher ISO ratings that increase homeowners’ insurance costs.

Rector told the court the county now operates as a system of nine fire departments and 24 stations and that last year’s dispatched emergencies totaled 4,666. Using current trends, he said, the county could approach roughly 10,000 calls for service within five years. Rector said the county’s goal with a phased approach is to lower the countywide ISO rating to a 4 and thereby reduce insurance premiums for homeowners. “Our objective with this phased approach will be to get the county wide rating down to a 4,” Rector said.

Richardsville Fire Chief Brian Lee urged the court to approve the ordinance and…