Pictured (l-r): Natalie Chubran, Josh Hunter, Chris Falck, Ken Ranalli, John Popham, Rick Austin. Justin Hicks, Candace Scott, Joe Smith, Mike Mann.
Recent changes to the Demorest Fire Department could amount to big savings for some property owners. The city’s ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating has been upgraded from a 5 to a 3. The rating makes Demorest the proud holder of one of the lowest ISO ratings in Habersham County. Clarkesville was awarded a 3 ISO rating in 2013.
The ISO rating is based on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the best. The lower the number, the better the fire protection. The rating is used to determine fire insurance rates for homeowners and commercial enterprises.
Demorst Mayor Rick Austin shared the good news during last night’s Demorest City Council meeting. He says, “This rating means that our citizens will reap the benefits of having a professional fire department whose hard work led to lowering our rating from a 5 to a 3. In particular, the hospital and Piedmont College should see significant savings.” Austin says Demorest missed getting a 2 ISO rating by less than a percentage point.
A number of things factored into the upgraded rating. Demorest Fire Chief Ken Ranalli credits councilman John Popham and former councilwoman Florence Wikle for working to purchase a ladder truck for the city in 2012. The city also purchased a 5-inch hose in 2014 and it hired three part-time firefighters this year to staff the department 24/7.
Other factors include:
- Training – each Demorest firefighter now receives 240 hours of training per year
- Hydrants – Chief Ranalli implemented a fire hydrant plan to protect and maintain Demorest’s fire hydrants (Demorest still has to carry water to some areas where hydrants aren’t available)
- Automatic Aid – Demorest has an automatic aid agreement with Habersham and Clarkesville Fire Departments to reduce its response time
Austin says, “I could not be more proud of a group of firefighters and our Fire Chief, Ken Ranalli.”
The ISO turnaround is especially good news for Ranalli who just seven months ago appeared to lack the full support of Demorest City Council. In December, Councilmen Jerry Harkness and Donnie Bennett suggested the city consider turning over its fire services to Cornelia to save money. Ranalli quickly dismissed that idea, telling Now Habersham, “There’s no need for them to go outside. We can handle it and we can handle it with the equipment and folks that we have.”
The suggestion to contract with Cornelia has not been publicly discussed since.
