Strathmore’s fire protection improves

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

According to a report by an independent auditor, the Town of Strathmore’s fire protection has improved, which could decrease insurance rates for residents and business owners.

Bas Owel, the town’s acting fire chief, said the recent fire underwriters survey showed properties in Strathmore are better protected than before. The report is completed every five years to evaluate fire service operations and capabilities.

The ratings in the report are used by the insurance industry to set policies for commercial, industrial and residential properties in communities. Given the improvement in the ratings this year, Strathmore property owners could see a decrease in insurance premiums related to fire protection, noted Owel.

The survey assesses community risks (e.g., construction layout, occupancies), the fire department (e.g., operations, staffing), fire safety controls (e.g., pre-planning, fire prevention) and water supply (e.g., mains, hydrants, capacities). Using these variables, the report gives two ratings: the first is the public fire protection classification (PFPC), a numerical grading system scale ranging from one (lowest protection) to 10 (most protection), used by commercial insurers. This rating applies to multi-family residential, commercial, industrial and institutional developments.

In Strathmore, for hydrant-protected areas within five kilometres of a fire station, the PFPC rating improved from seven to four, compared to the previous report.

“That is a drastic improvement for that rating, so that’s good for the residents of the community and it’s good for the fire department,” said Owel.

The other rating is the five-point dwelling protection grade (DPG), which applies to the protection of small buildings, including single-family and semi-detached homes. For homes protected by hydrants within eight kilometres by road of the fire station, Strathmore’s grade improved from ‘3A’ to 2.

The fire department also uses the report to provide a measure of risks and gaps in protection the town can work to close, explained Owel. The town’s fire department assessment considered 19 areas. The area where the department lost most of its score was its total fire force available.

Currently, the department’s six full-time members are split into two platoons, each supplemented by an on-call member, providing response 12-hours daily (6 am to 6 pm), seven days a week. 

The rest of the time, Strathmore relies on its force of volunteer firefighters. This can affect muster time because when on a call, volunteers must get to the fire hall, get dressed and take the equipment to the scene.

Owel said the town could get a better rating by expanding staffing.

“We can get better ratings if we have a full-time complement within the hall,” he said. “If we were to have 24-hour coverage, (then) conceivably your ratings would get better because of that.”