A Legit Two
Back in February, I told you that Westlake Fire Department was undergoing an audit by the ISO people. The score of that audit determines property insurance costs going forward. I also mentioned that currently Westlake was at a "3" rating, which is a very good score. Well, the results of this year's audit are in and ... (drum roll please) the result is a "2"!!! Yes, Westlake has improved its ISO score and the winners are all of the property owners in Harris County Emergency Services District 47.
Nice going by all of the Westlake members to achieve this lofty score. Less than 2% of all fire departments nationwide are at a level 2 ISO. Not only does an organization have to do extremely well on a daily basis, it must document its actions so that when the auditors check out the records, everything can be proven.
Well, as I hesitate to mention it, not all was found to be well. The District extends to over by the airport and down Groeschke Road. That area does not have an HOA nor a MUD district. In other words, the good folks who live near the West Houston Airport are basically on their own when it comes to municipal services. To complicate matters, the City of Houston meanders back and forth across Groeschke. Well, there are some fire hydrants over there which we determined are in the City. They were not "live". Accordingly, ISO docked Westlake for that area due to lack of a water supply and gave a "9" for that small area.
Westlake Fire Department and ESD 47 got busy to fix this bad mark on the ISO score. The Westlake team found a tanker truck for sale in South Carolina that fit our needs and our price range. Westlake sent one of its members there to check it out. When he gave the thumbs up, ESD 47 sent the payment and he drove it back to the Saums Rd fire station. ISO is in the process of amending our score. It will now be a legitimate "2".
I thought you may want to see what our newest addition looks like so I've posted some photos. To the best of anyone's knowledge, this is the first tanker truck the Department has ever owned. It holds 2500 gallons of water. Should a large fire breakout near the airport, it will be dispatched along with the other usual apparatus.
Check back next month when I'll have some more good news to share.
Until then, stay safe.
Brian Havran
