After enjoying 10 years with an Insurance Services Office rating of Class 2, a lack of personnel to man the Katy Fire Department's trucks may lead to a higher rating and higher insurance rates for residents. However, the ISO gave the department a two-year window to complete the necessary changes and acknowledge areas that need improvement to potentially retain the Class 2 standing.

Katy City Council approved sending a resolution to the ISO, stating the department will review and act on suggested changes at its Feb. 25 meeting. Mayor Don Elder said the City Council discussed what options the city and department have at the March 25 meeting. The two-year window allows both entities to take their time, Elder said, but the issue is a priority. Any actions taken at the March 25 meeting were not available by press time.

KFD Chief Marc Jordan said a "Band-aid" fix would require more than $600,000 in improvements, but would only tide the department over until September. Council may consider approving using reserve funds as well as revenue from a tax on ambulance usage to help the department in April.

The money would fund an additional six fire fighters per shift for a total of 18, additional dispatch operators, more training and a possible second fire station in response to rapid growth within the city.

"I do believe this Band-aid solution will suffice as a good face effort until we get to budget time when we can talk about what we will have to do for the future," Jordan said. "The safety of Katy residents is my number one priority."

The ISO rates fire safety departments every 10 years on a scale ranging from Class 1, which represents "exemplary fire protection," to Class 10, which means the fire department does not meet minimum requirements, according to a letter from the ISO to the KFD. It objectively reviews fire suppression capabilities of a department, and most insurance companies use the classifications to determine premiums for residential, commercial and industrial properties.

The understaffed department is unable to use its three fire trucks simultaneously, Jordan said. In a worse-case scenario in which multiple fires broke out across town, he said the department could not efficiently respond, especially if an incident occurred more than three miles away from the station, such as in Katy Mills Mall.

Elder said he was wary of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars without a guarantee from the ISO that the rating would remain a Class 2 and not rise to a Class 3. Jordan said he would work with the organization to determine what specific actions needed to be taken immediately and to find assurance.

"The No. 1 thing we [seem to] have to do is add personnel," Councilman Bill Lawton said. "This must be the first step."