New fire marshal hired
Jim King, a fire prevention division chief from Lawrence, Kan., has been named the new fire marshal for Evergreen Fire/Rescue. King, who has served as the prevention division chief with the City of Lawrence for the past eight years, has 30 years of experience in the fire service and worked his way up through operations.
King replaces EFR’s longtime fire marshal Frank Dearborn, who stepped down in January after 19 years with the department.
ISO ratings improvements to yield better home insurance rates
Homeowners in the Evergreen Fire Protection District could see their homeowners’ insurance rates decrease after a recent audit of the fire protection district’s structure fire, water source and dispatch capabilities by the Insurance Services Office resulted in improved ISO ratings.
Announced jointly by EFR, the Lookout Mountain Water District and the Jefferson County Communications Center Authority (Jeffcom), the district “received a rating of 3, 4, and 10W,” which means the district is better equipped to battle fires in the area than it was during the previous audit in 2010.
More specifically, the new ratings mean that any property within 5 miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant or a 30,000 gallon cistern is now classified as Class 3; any property beyond 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant or a 30,000 gallon cistern, but still within 5 miles of a fire station or neighboring fire district is classified as Class 4; and any property further than 5 miles from a fire station, EFR or a neighboring fire district is now classified as Class 10W.
According to Evergreen Fire Chief Mike Weege, the improved ISO ratings are the result of several undertakings by EFR, such as signing auto-aid agreements with neighboring fire districts and installing more cisterns in and around Evergreen. The consolidation of emergency dispatch operations down the hill at Jeffcom earlier this year also assisted in improved ISO ratings.
The EFPD’s previous ISO ratings were set at 5, 6 and 10.
EFPD exploring land purchase on Highway 73
The Evergreen fire board is exploring the possible purchase of the old Anderson’s Deli location on Highway 73 as a replacement for the existing Station 1.
Disclosed Aug. 14, the purchase — which includes where the deli and liquor store are located — would give the department “a great opportunity for expansion” and could address concerns associated with the possible expansion of the highway in the near future, per Weege.
While the board hasn’t made any formal decisions about purchasing the property at 5071 Highway 73, an executive session was held Aug. 14 to discuss the property and the district’s pursuit of it.
Contact reporter Sal Christ at sal@evergreenco.com or at 303-350-1035. Follow her on Twitter at @decriture.