FORSYTH - Homeowners and businesses in the Hickory Point Fire Protection District could get a gift in the new year because of an upgrade in the district's public protection classification by the Insurance Service Organization.

The organization inspects 45,000 fire departments nationwide on a 10-year cycle, and Hickory Point received its inspection in May, said Fire Chief Dennis Downey. The organization recently reported that the fire district's classification has been increased to a Class 4 from a Class 5, meaning insurance rates have the potential to improve when the new rating takes effect Feb. 1, he said.

"The ISO has 10 classifications, with 10 being the worst and meaning that there is little or no fire protection coverage and 1 being the best with outstanding protection," Downey said. "Homeowners may want to contact their insurance carrier to see if the new classification will make a difference in their rates when their policies come up for renewal."

Each inspection covers three areas: the fire department, operation and maintenance of the water service within the fire district and dispatching capability.

"They look at whether you are shuttling water to fires or have hydrants readily available and whether the water system and hydrants are testing on a regular basis," Downey said. "They look at the fire department staffing, whether it is volunteer, full time or a combination, such as ours. They look at equipment and training."

The rating system goes from zero to 90 points, Downey said. Hickory Point scored 62.85 points, which was a combination of a rating for the village of Forsyth and another rating for the rural areas, he said.

"We need to get to 69 points to be a Class 3, and we'll be trying to do that," Downey said. "We could ask them to rerate us in a couple years if we make major changes.

"For example, they would like us to have 20 hours of training a month for all our firefighters, but not everyone can attend all trainings, so getting to that total is tough."

The fire district inspects the 190 businesses, churches and schools in its boundaries once a year, but ISO would like that to happen twice a year, Downey said. That will be another area district personnel may try to work on to make an improvement, he said.

The Decatur Fire Department's next ISO evaluation is scheduled for 2011, and efforts are well under way to try to upgrade the community's current Class 4 rating to a Class 3, Fire Chief Matt Sekosky said.

"We've improved our training and training documentation, added a pumper to our fleet, added firefighters to help offset overtime costs, but those also will assist us with the ISO," Sekosky said.

"Improvements are planned in our communications when the StarComm system comes on line next year. We also have computer-aided dispatch that will be an improvement. Our hydrant and water system maintenance and testing programs have been stepped up, as has our building inspections program," he said.

Efforts to obtain a new training tower are on hold for financial reasons, but if that structure becomes a reality, it will improve the ISO rating, Sekosky said.

"We didn't get as much credit as we might have in our 2001 evaluation due to the equipment we carry on our trucks," he said. "We've purchased the necessary equipment and are carrying it now. We anticipate doing well when they come back in 2011."

ringram@herald-review.com|421-7973