Forney council approves ordinance to add six firefighters to protect ISO 1 rating

The Forney City Council approved an ordinance to transfer funds from the general fund balance to the fire department's salaries and benefits to add six firefighters to the department.

Chief Holcomb, who presented the request, said the hires are intended to help the city meet the staffing and response-time benchmarks in the National Fire Protection Association standard NFPA 1710 and to preserve Forney's Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 1 rating. "This request is crucial to not only maintaining our city's prestigious ISO 1 rating, but also ensuring we meet industrial standards that are critical to public safety," Holcomb said.

Why it matters: An ISO Class 1 rating can lower homeowners' and businesses' insurance premiums. Chief Holcomb told the council that a drop from ISO 1 to ISO 2 could lead to homeowner premium increases of roughly 10–20 percent, depending on property and policy, and described the hires as an investment to avoid larger costs to residents.

Details of the measure: The ordinance amends ordinance 24-41 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2024, and ending Sept. 30, 2025, to transfer funds to the fire department for salaries and benefits and to authorize six additional firefighter positions. Chief Holcomb said the city currently conducts separate ISO assessments for the city, the outside protected area (OPA)/ESD and surrounding jurisdictions; the fire department's staffing and response component accounts for roughly half of the ISO evaluation, he said.

Council discussion: Council members asked about timing for new fire stations and the partnership with the Emergency Service District (ESD). Holcomb said the ESD has purchased several parcels and is interviewing an owner's representative; the ESD would build stations and provide apparatus while the city would hire firefighters, funded about half by the ESD based on call-volume allocations. Holcomb said station planning should begin next year and emphasized repeated-station designs to save costs.

Votes and next steps: A motion to approve the ordinance was made by Council Member Traylor and seconded by Council Member Solgado. The motion passed; the council assigned the ordinance number 25-03 for this amendment. The record does not include a roll-call tally in the transcript.

Ending: Chief Holcomb said adding the positions is "an investment for the safety of our community" and indicated the department will begin citizen outreach and training programs to improve public understanding of fire services.