A new fire protection area in District 4 could provide homeowners significant savings with their insurance premiums later this year.
Oktibbeha County Fire Services is going through a process that will hopefully extend Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department’s Class 7 fire district about 41.58 square miles — or about five miles from the city’s volunteer fire department.
The proposed area is currently a Class 10 district, said Capt. Austin Check, already served by SVFD.
The process to create the District 4 fire protection area is expected to continue Monday with supervisors holding a public hearing on the matter. Once the board rubber-stamps the new district, it still must be tested and graded by the Mississippi State Ratings Bureau.
“We encourage folks in that area to support the effort as the board of supervisors holds public hearings. This is one of those things that seems like a small matter of business, but it has a large economic impact for the area,” he said.
MSRB tests require volunteer firefighters to move a minimum amount of water to show their firefighting capabilities.
State assessments, Check said, could come by August or September, and District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller said the department will hold a mock fire exercise June 17.
A move to a Class 7 fire ratings district could provide homeowners about 35 percent in savings with their annual fire insurance rates.
Approximately 585 structures — including 513 residences, nine churches, four businesses and 34 barns and shops — are within the proposed district.
“The committed volunteer fire department and Chief Greg Wall believe they can get it lowered to a (Class) 8 or even 7. I commend them for the initiative to achieve this goal,” Miller said. “After it is achieved, the district areas will automatically be changed in class, and the fire insurance premiums will decrease from the insurance provider.”
District 5 Volunteer Fire Department completed a similar expansion in March when it annexed a small swath of the county — about 4 miles of unincorporated land along Highway 25 and Old Highway 25 — after construction of a private cut-through road allowed better access to the area for firefighters.
Data from the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District shows 134 structures, including 94 residences and 10 businesses, are situated within District 5’s newly annexed area.
Both Craig Springs and Central Oktibbeha volunteer fire departments could attempt similar expansions in the future, Check said.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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