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Firefighters pass rural insurance rating test

Homeowners in rural Pelham could see an adjustment in their fire insurance. The Pelham Fire Department has received the Superior Tanker Shuttle accreditation from the Fire Underwriters Survey following a series of tests on Saturday.
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Homeowners in rural Pelham could see an adjustment in their fire insurance.

The Pelham Fire Department has received the Superior Tanker Shuttle accreditation from the Fire Underwriters Survey following a series of tests on Saturday.

The tests, at the new Pelham Fire Station No. 3 on Cream Street, were conducted for the first time in almost 10 years.

It involved firefighters from all three stations in Fonthill, Fenwick and North Pelham. They used pumper trucks, water holding pond units and a new 33,000-gallon-dry hydrant installed at Station No. 3 during its construction earlier this year.

The superior tanker shuttle service test forms part of the Fire Underwriters Survey Rating for the municipality.  Insurance companies use it to determine property insurance premiums.

Superior Tanker Shuttle Accreditation generally provides for hydrant protected insurance ratings for areas of the municipality not equipped with fire hydrants.

To qualify for the accreditation, the fire department must demonstrate that it can flow a minimum of 900 litres per minute of water, uninterrupted for two hours.

“Basically, we’re creating a fire hydrant,” said volunteer firefighter Henry Timmers.

“It’s beneficial for safety and also for keeping home insurance down in rural areas such as Pelham.”

The passing mark indicates that Pelham’s fire services are able to effectively transport water to fire incident scenes throughout the rural area.

For those residents within 8 kilometres of a fire station, it means at least 900 litres per minute can be transported and applied to a fire.

The 900-litres- per- minute is equivalent to the flow from two 45-millimetre attack hose lines. Typically, it would effectively bring a house fire under control.

Timmers credits good equipment and a well-trained group of volunteers for the passing mark.

It was the first time in almost ten years local firefighters have taken the test.

Although firefighters practice the drill regularly, it was the first time all three stations tested at the same time.

“When there is a fire in a non-hydrant area, all crews are dispatched to the scene. So it was nice to get to work with all the crews and save homeowners some money.”

Residents could on average save 30% when it comes to home insurance because of this test.

Timmers said once they punch in your address upon renewing your home insurance, the Tanker Shuttle Accreditation will show up and provide the savings.

To get a passing grade, it resulted in increasing the construction budget at the new Cream Street fire station.

Since the last test was taken nearly a decade ago, many regulations did change and firefighters adjusted to them.

While the 33,000-gallon dry hydrant was installed at a hefty price, Timmers said it’s good for the life of the building and helps lower costs in the long run.