National Drinking Water Clearinghouse
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6064
Morgantown, WV
26506-6064

Fire Protection-Sometimes the Upside has a Downside

by Larry Rader
NDWC Environmental Consultant

Any small community that struggled through the maze that leads to a new drinking water system will forever remember the frustration that accompanied the project. And during this confusing phase, water boards and community leaders made numerous decisions that would impact their community for many years to come.

At first glance, the cost of fire protection seems like one of the easy decisions. After all, the words fire protection give you a good feeling that you are doing more than merely providing drinking water to your neighbors. You can even use those same words to soften the impact of monthly water bills. And fire protection can offer your customers other benefits. After all, along with fire protection comes reduced insurance rates for homeowners, doesn’t it?

The Added Cost
Adding fire protection to the cost of a system can substantially increase the community’s final bill, and, therefore, the monthly bill that the system’s customers will be paying. To include fire protection, the system will need to add increased storage capacity and line size along with hydrants and other hidden costs. And fire protection is not required for a community to receive loans or grants from RUS (Rural Utilities Service), according to Randy Plum, program director at West Virginia’s RUS state office.

Storage
West Virginia, which follows the Ten State Standards for public water system design requires: “The minimum storage capacity (or equivalent capacity) for systems providing fire protection shall be equal to twice the average daily demand of 150 gallons per customer per day plus fire flow, unless it can be determined that the supply capacity of the system is sufficient to warrant less.”

In rural areas, West Virginia requires fire flow to be no less than 250 gallons per minute (gpm) for two hours. Using, for example, a community with 100 homes, the system would require 60,000 gallons of storage to meet the fire flow requirement. Consider the following equations:

• 150 gallons x 100 homes x 2 days = 30,000 gallons, then add
• 250 gpm x 120 minutes = 30,000 gallons, which equals 60,000 gallons.

Storage tanks that hold 60,000 gallons of water cost approximately $2 per gallon, including foundation and piping, or approximately $120,000. In this example, fire protection has doubled the cost of storage.

Line Size
West Virginia also requires a minimum six-inch line when fire hydrants are used. The cost of six-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is approximately $1.60 per foot as opposed to $1 per foot for four-inch lines or $0.35 for two-inch lines. If you choose eight-inch PVC, the cost jumps to approximately $3 per foot. Again, the cost of fire protection could double the purchase price of PVC pipe.

Hydrants
Hydrants, including the watch valve, can cost $1,500 each plus installation. The maximum distance for hydrant spacing is 1,000 feet.

Hidden Costs
When you install fire hydrants, you have, in effect, advertised fire protection. The hydrants must be maintained and kept in working order at all times. This includes stocking parts and performing routine inspections to make sure the hydrants are working as intended.

The Rest of the Story
Having enough stored water, properly sized lines, and hydrants in place is only part of the fire protection equation as it pertains to insurance rates. Insurance companies establish fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties using information that the ISO (Insurance Services Office) provides. ISO uses National Fire Protection Association standards and analyzes data using the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule to assign a Public Protection Classification for a community.

The classifications range from 1, which exhibits exemplary public protection, to a rating of 10, which indicates less than minimum recognized protection. To arrive at these ratings, the ISO takes into account the local fire department’s fire suppression capabilities.

Fifty percent of the overall grading is based on the fire department and takes the following into consideration:

• type and extent of training fire company personnel receive,
• number of people who participate in training,
• response to emergencies,
• maintenance and equipment testing, and
• pertinent fire fighting and safety equipment.

Ten percent of the grading rests on fire alarm communications—or how well the department receives and dispatches fire alarms.

Forty percent of the grading is based upon the community’s water supply, including pumps, storage, treatment, fire flow testing of hydrants as well as hydrant condition and spacing.

But there is one important point to remember: when properties are more than five road miles away from the recognized, responding fire station, they are considered Class 10, which is the lowest possible rating.

Taking all of these things into consideration determines the monthly rate that insurance companies charge their customers for fire insurance. And in rural areas, there are other options. The ISO considers farm ponds, lakes, or any other reliable water supply that can be used to fight a fire as excellent water supply sources. Dry hydrants are a good alternative, and they connect directly to these non-potable supplies, which makes it easier for fire departments to access the water.

Fire protection can make a tremendous contribution to the growth and well being of even the smallest community. And, coupled with a properly trained and equipped fire department, it can also significantly lower your customers fire insurance rates. However, if your community is small, with little possibility for growth and 10 miles from the nearest fire department, you should consider consulting the ISO or local insurance agents for options.

For more information about fire protection, call the National Fire Protection Association at (617) 770-3000. You also may write them at NFPA, 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, P.O. Box 910, MA 02269-9101. Or visit their Web site at www.nfpa.org/home/index.asp.

To contact the Insurance Services Office, Inc., call them at (800) 888-4ISO. Write to them at ISO, Customer Service Division, 545 Washington Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07310-1686. Send an e-mail to them at info@iso.com. Or visit their Web site at www.iso.com.