Clermont wins ISO Class 1 rating; council accepts federal SAFER and AFG grants to add firefighters and safety gear
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Summary
ClermontCity Council heard that the fire department earned an ISO Class 1 rating effective in December and unanimously accepted FEMA SAFER funding to add firefighters and an AFG award to buy apparatus-mounted smoke/cancer-mitigation equipment.
Clermont— The City Council on Oct. 14 accepted two federal grants and heard that the Clermont Fire Department had been reclassified as an ISO Class 1 department, a rating officials say will take effect in December.
The fire chief told the council the department was re-awarded an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 1 rating after scoring highly on water-supply points and other measures; the chief said the departmentwould have been a Class 2 on fire operations alone but the communityand county support pushed the overall rating to Class 1. "This year we were re-awarded an ISO Class 1 rating, which will become effective in December," the chief said at the podium.
Why it matters: an ISO rating is one factor insurers and underwriters use when setting hazard portions of homeowner and commercial policies, and officials said the new designation can reduce some premiums for some policyholders. The chief cautioned the effect varies by insurer and agent.
Council action on grants: The council approved acceptance of a FEMA SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant the department secured to hire additional firefighters and offset salary costs over three years. The chief described the SAFER award as funding to hire 15 firefighters to staff a 4-person unit intended for the Wellness Way area; the grant will cover 75% of salary in years 1 and 2 and 35% in year 3. Council members voted to accept the SAFER award and to complete required budget amendments in the first-quarter budget cycle.
Separately, Assistant Chief Rick Castle presented an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) award that will fund apparatus-mounted source-capture systems to reduce firefighters' exposure to carcinogenic smoke products. Castle said the vehicle-mounted capture units cost roughly $11,000 per apparatus and the AFG covers 90% of that cost for the fleet.
Department and union reaction: The local firefightersunion leadership and department staff praised the grants and the ISO result. Tom Bennett, representing line personnel, spoke to the council during public comment in support of the grants and the departments recruitment efforts.
What happens next: staff said recruitment would begin immediately for SAFER positions if the council's acceptance remains in place; the budget amendment tied to the SAFER award will be brought forward after the first quarter. Castle said AFG equipment procurement will follow normal purchasing processes once the grant documents are finalized.
The council vote on both grant acceptances was unanimous.
