The time for a collective effort to support a major infrastructure need is way past due. I do not need to tell you many citizens want and demand tax cuts, but in reality they just want more efficient use of their money.

A little understood fact is that over 75% of the fire services in the United States are supported and run by volunteers? Volunteerism has been in a decline, leaving many areas unable to provide basic protection.

The United States has an estimated 1,148,850 firefighters of which 72% (827,150) are volunteers,

protecting over 310 million people and trillions of dollars in property.

With jobs leaving many areas, more communities are becoming bedroom communities and the pool for which many departments depend is unavailable during daytime hours. Add to this the demands of daily life and we have fewer people stepping up to fill the needed demands placed on many departments. This has caused a major imbalance for many communities across the US today.

For every problem there is a solution. Most people do not realize that combination (Paid/Volunteer) fire services do not actually cost a community any money? What? You say. Many insurance companies use the services of a private company called Insurance Services Office (ISO®). This company evaluates a community’s ability to handle fire calls. The better the service provided the lower rates for homeowner insurance, which nationally over 87% of citizens pay.

Better fire service means better protection and lower homeowners insurance. Compare the cost (If you can get it) of a class 10 fire protection. (Which means no creatable fire protection) to the rates you pay now, now compare to the lower rates if available.

This is a quick rundown of the PPC (Public protection classification) or ISO® (Insurance Services Office) rating.

Class 1 – 3 helps out your industry, businesses and homeowners; class 4 – 6 places your homeowners in what is called preferred insurance and class 7 – 10 will put more money in the insurance company’s pockets, because liabilities can be greater.

Some communities have reported as much as a 40 to 1 return on their investment in the fire department. These numbers can look good on their own but, the money saved stays in your community.  

US Chamber of Commerce reported

 “For every dollar that stays in a community it can turn over 6 to 7 times”

Helping communities save money, grow the economy and provide increased services and jobs.

About fifty percent of communities across this nation are rated a class 7 or above, which is non-preferred insurance.

No matter the size of your community, emergencies are going to happen. How prepared we are to handle them can be the difference between life and death. Developing a plan of action and having the ability to place it into action is our only hope to survive.

In 2008 per NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency)

Reports we had over 1,451,500 fires reported in the US causing 2,900 civilian deaths

and costing more than $12.4 Billion in property damage.

As a nation we are ill prepared for another 9/11/2001 or a hurricane Katrina; wild fires and mud slides can/ have and will devastate our pool of first responders and cost our nation thousands of life’s and billions of dollars a year in property loss; impacting the US emotionally, economically and environmentally.

Unfortunately it takes something major to happen for people to take a look at what could have been done.

We need to be proactive and look at what can be done.

The world is a crazy place and a major disaster is imminent. Do we just set around and hope someone well help or are we willing to take matters into our own hands.

Want to know more? Since 1993 the National Fire Services Office (NFSO) has worked for communities across the US helping to provide cost effective fire and life protection. Lowering rates in Metro, suburban and rural areas. Think about it, a program that, places money back at a local level through lower homeowners insurance (like a tax rollback) and creates jobs many times over. Now expand this to a program that can help with at risk kids, low income households, recidivism and deals with a major security issue; a program that helps to protect our environment by helping to manage natural and manmade disasters with qualified pools of personnel to assist in time of emergencies; a program that provides better prepared citizens and a stronger, safer nation at a community level.   

“We are at a major and historical cross road!”

Call and allowing NFSO to show you how as a team we can change history!    

Brian Cohen

brian@nfso.us

National Sales Director

National Fire Services Office

(912)398-6930

www.nfso.us