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ISO review prompts calls to restore fire board and improve water-shuttle and training documentation
Summary
An ISO reviewer told the county the fire department lost ISO points due to poor documentation, underuse of porta tanks and untested dry hydrants, and urged reappointing a fire board and immediate corrective steps to avoid higher insurance rates.
An ISO reviewer told Linn County commissioners that shortcomings in documented training, dry-hydrant testing and water-shuttle procedures likely lowered the county’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) score and recommended immediate reforms.
Tom Kemper told commissioners that ISO requires documentation of training and specific water-supply tactics such as use of porta tanks to support water-shuttle operations. He said that in his review, training documentation was inadequate, some dry hydrants had not been backflushed or tested in several years, and the county should reinstate a fire board to provide oversight and technical knowledge. Kemper said the county’s ISO points can be restored by documenting training and adopting recommended water‑shuttle practices.
Kemper warned that failure to fix contract and documentation issues could result in higher insurance rates for county property and residents. Commissioners discussed the recommendation to reestablish a fire board and asked staff to pull prior resolutions and records on the board’s structure for review.
The board did not take immediate formal action beyond directing staff to gather historical materials and considering executive-session follow-up on fire and emergency-management staffing and hiring.
