BENSON – The Benson Fire Department received official documentation Monday regarding its new insurance classification from Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey.
Effective February 1, 2022, Benson’s new fire insurance classification will be a 2, an upgrade from the current rating of 4. The upgrade is based on several factors — routine inspections from the state on proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment, proper maintenance of equipment, communication capabilities, and water source availability, among other things.
A high fire insurance rating means that a fire department is operating at its best to protect the community. The scale used is from 1-10 (10 being the lowest score and 1 being the best possible score).
Homeowners in the area may be familiar with these ratings because they affect insurance premiums. This was mentioned during the announcement — how a higher insurance score is good for the community in many ways including paying less for coverage when one lives in an area with a highly-rated fire department.
Benson Fire Chief Alan Johnson thanked his team of firefighters and those that he works with everyday including Town Staff, the Benson Board of Commissioners and Mayor Jerry Medlin, the Benson Police Department, Johnston County 911 operations, Johnston County EMS, Harnett County Emergency Services, and several others.
There are only 63 fire departments in the state with an insurance rating of 2, Commissioner Causey explained during the presentation.
“I’d like to congratulate Chief Johnson for the department’s performance and for the hard work of all the department members,” said Commissioner Causey. “The citizens in the (Town of Benson) should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”
