Rural Emergency Fire Protection Pilot Program

(A systematic Plan to Improve Fire Protection in Rural VFD’S)

The RC&D Councils participating in the Rural Emergency Fire Protection Pilot Program sponsored an Insurance Service Office (ISO) training workshop on Saturday July 8, 2006 at the Cat Spring Agriculture Society Hall in Austin County, Texas.

Participants included 31 firefighters representing 19 Volunteer Fire Departments (VFD) from 7 counties who took advantage of the one-day training.

The ISO classification system provides an objective standard that rates all fire departments in Texas. The purpose of the program is to improve the fire departments ability to protect life and property by improving their overall efficiency, training, and utilization of equipment. This training lowers the ISO rating of a VFD and results in homeowner insurance savings in rural Texas. The workshop specifically targeted fire departments that serve in the higher ISO class rural areas.

Instructors for the workshop were from the Arkansas Rural Fire Program, Insurance Service Office (ISO), Texas Commission on Fire Protection, Texas Forest Service and Office of Rural Community Affairs.

Sam Houston, Post Oak, Pineywoods and Southeast Texas RC&D Councils are involved in the Rural Emergency Fire Protection Pilot Program.

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