CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – On Wednesday afternoon, Conway Fire Rescue Chief Le Hendrick announced the department earned a Class 1 Insurance Services Office (ISO) ranking.
It is the highest ranking a department can achieve and means Conway Fire Rescue provides superior property fire protection.
People who live or own a business in Conway will see a decrease in insurance premiums because of the upgraded ranking, which goes into effect on September 1, 2017.
According to Hendrick, ISO rankings are broken up into four categories:
- Water Supply (hydrants, hydrant, maintenance and the water available for the fire suppression needs)
- Fire Department (training, personnel, equipment, station, locations and response times)
- Communications (receiving and dispatching calls)
- Community Effort to Reduce Fire Risks (fire prevention, fire codes, compliance and fire investigations)
Hendrick said the biggest factor in obtaining the new rating was the relocation of the main fire station closer to downtown Conway.
“Putting it here put it more centrally located,” he added. “It allowed us to get to the major arteries of the city which was Highway 501 back towards Main Street. So we had a faster response time. It allows us to get to most incidents within five minutes.”
Hendrick said those expedited responses were a critical component during the ISO study. He believes their new fire engine and training were also factors in the upgraded ranking.
“Following the last ISO study, I met with the department and identified a few key areas that needed improvement and as a team everyone worked hard towards achieving this historic goal,” he added.
Conway Fire Rescue joins Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach Fire Rescue as the only departments in Horry County with an ISO Class 1 ranking. Less than 4% of fire departments in South Carolina have the ranking.
