As the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department prepares for its next ISO rating in 2014, it has taken on several initiatives to increase response times and water supply capabilities.
With the purchase of four new 3,300 gallon tanker trucks, and construction underway at three new fire stations, the department plans to eventually have nine stations, each one equipped with a tanker and fire engine.
The new tankers arrived in February and should be on the streets starting in May, said MVFD Fire Chief Gary Vincent. The trucks, which were custom-designed by MVFD, provide more than double the water capacity of some of the 1,500-gallon trucks the department is replacing.
"We serve an area that is two-thirds the size of Austin and there are very few fire hydrants available for us to use," Vincent said. "These trucks will provide us with more water to use in fighting fires on the ground level."
While the new stations and trucks help set MVFD up to increase its fire fighting ability, Vincent said inadequate staffing will become a greater problem moving forward. Building the new stations was the first step in demonstrating the commitment to ISO standards, but how to staff them is still up in the air.
"What we need are additional volunteers or funding to hire more firefighters," Vincent said. "That's an area where we definitely fall short of the ISO standards."
ISO grade
The ISO rating is assigned to every fire department in the nation and is broken down into three categories related to fighting fires. Half the grade is based on an overall evaluation of the department, 40 percent is based on water supply and 10 percent is based on the dispatch system.
Departments are graded on a scale of one to 10, with one being the best rating possible. Magnolia VFD was given a class 3 rating in 2002, which Vincent said is outstanding considering its situation.
"We have a staff of about 200 fire fighters—half working on a volunteer basis, and half part-timers from other fire departments—and a lack of water supply systems in our community," Vincent said "We are performing well compared to career departments. Our dispatch time is only 1.5 minutes slower than Dallas Fire Department, which has 50 fully-staffed stations."
The main purpose of the rating is to give insurance companies a standard by which to set premiums for community members in the department's coverage area. MVFD's improvements will help the department maintain its current rating as standards continue to rise, Vincent said.
"The evaluation is always getting harder," he said. "If you do nothing between your last rating and your upcoming rating, you will probably drop one or two levels just because of changes in the rules."
Expansion process
The tanker trucks the department purchased are superior to older ones in both the water capacity and amount of seating.
"We can transport more of the two most important things: water and manpower," said Battalion Chief Keith Soliz. "They're going to be a huge asset for us."
The three new fire stations will be constructed over the course of the next year. A recent change to ISO standards requires all stations within a department's coverage area to be within a five-mile driving distance of each other.
MVFD, which serves Montgomery County Emergency Services District 10, receives a set amount of money from tax revenue within the district. Vincent noted that, unless the department can secure more funding or recruit more volunteers, it will be difficult to staff the new stations.
