Fire Insurance Goes Down in Louisiana Town as Safety Rating Rises

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Coteau, La., residents will pay a little less for fire insurance after their volunteer fire department’s latest evaluation.

Fire protection districts are evaluated every five years on a list of criteria designed to judge the effectiveness of the district’s manpower, equipment and setup. The evaluations are used to rate fire departments. The lower a department’s rating, the lower homeowners’ fire insurance rates are.

The Courier reports Coteau’s rating improved from a Class 4 to Class 3 during an evaluation earlier this year.

“We’ve made some improvements in training. Our personnel levels have increased,” said Coteau Volunteer Fire Department Chief Russel DiSalvo Jr. “We have really elevated the level of training. We got a vast number of our firefighters to get certifications and that figures into it.”

The department serves about 2,500 people over six square miles with two stations, three engines and about 40 active members.

“The improved fire protection grading will bring about insurance rate reductions for many policyholders,” state Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said in a news release. “But perhaps more importantly, the new grading means that the protection of residents has been significantly enhanced. I commend the community for their successful efforts to improve safety.”

Fire insurance for a home valued at $150,000 was costing residents in Coteau Fire District about $1,424 a year. That cost is likely to drop to about $1,299 under the new grading, according to Donelon’s office.

DiSalvo said commercial properties can also expect a decrease.