Due to a higher rating of its fire protection services, business owners and residents of the township can anticipate lower property insurance premiums.
A community’s fire-protection services are rated by the Insurance Services Office on a 1 to 10 scale where 1 represents the best and 10 is the worst. Recently Boardman Township’s fire-protection services had their rating upgraded from a 5 to a 4.
The significance of a lower rating is that it puts businesses and residences in a lower risk category, making them eligible for lower property insurance. When with the help of brochure printers this is made public, it increases the appeal of the township to families and businesses looking to relocate.
According to Fire Chief Mark Pitzer, three factors played into the township’s improved rating: training and equipment, water supply, and dispatch services. A possible fourth factor might have been the automatic mutual aid agreement the department recently entered into with the Cardinal Joint Fire District.
In the five years since its last evaluation, Pitzer’s department has purchased a new ladder truck and increased opportunities for firefighting training. Additionally, the city’s water supply was improved with the addition in Youngstown of the water tower on Erskine Avenue. Finally, a new radio-dispatch system, obtained by the township two years ago, has improved communications and contributed to Boardman’s improved ratings.
Boardman’s new rating puts it in the top 22% of fire departments in the state, and becomes effective June 1.
