NEW ISO RATING 8b and 4

CONTACT YOUR HOME OWNERS INSURANCE COMPANY

Randolph fire 'superior'

New rating may mean lower rates on insurance for residents

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

RANDOLPH — Residents in this southern Portage township may get a substantial break on their homeowners insurance based on an outstanding performance by the township fire department.

Fire Chief Mike Lang Jr. said the department passed a rating test this spring that won the department a change in its state Public Protection Classification number from Class 9 to a split rating of Class 4 within 1,000 feet of East Manufacturing plant and its pressurized hydrants, and Class 8B for the rest of the township. The testing was done in March and Randolph just got word of the change recently.

There are only 30 Call 8B townships in Ohio. Most, nearly 900, are Class 9. Randolph is the only Class 8B township in Portage, Lang said. The rating “recognizes a superior level of fire protection in otherwise Class 9 areas,” according to ISO Properties Inc., the rating organization.

“They came out and evaluated us and we did better than we did (years) before,” Lang said. Previously, the entire township was Class 9, Lang said, typical of a rural township without hydrants.

“For a volunteer department to move out of a 9 is tremendous, and for us to do it without hydrants is outstanding,” Lang said.

The evaluation is very involved and lengthy, Lang said, and covers testing the department’s equipment, consistency of water supply, response times and personnel, dispatch and training of personnel.

Insurance companies use the ratings to determine their premiums to property owners.

Allen Hanlin of Hanlin & Associates Insurance in Randolph, was instrumental in getting the evaluation done, Lang said.

Hanlin said it took about 10 years to get it done.

“It started when Mike Lang Sr. was fire chief,” Hanlin said. He pushed for the evaluation because he felt the department had the qualities for a better rating.

“Randolph has an upscale fire department considering the size of the community. It has great community support and interest,” Hanlin said.

Also, Randolph “probably has more water on wheels, portable ponds and dry hydrants at ponds less than a mile apart. A lot of townships don’t have that.”

With the new rating, Hanlin said property owners should see discounts — up to 25 percent for some — at renewal time.

Some people may already be getting discounts because different companies use different rating systems.

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