SPRAY GUN REDUCES ORAN FIRE INSURANCE

ORAN -- Oran homeowners are seeing some lower fire insurance premiums and can expect further decreases after June 1 because of improved fire protection.

Minor equipment updates since last fall improved the town's rating by the Insurance Services Office from a Class 8 to a Class 7 on March 1, Oran Fire Chief Mike Ramsey said.

Additional purchases of equipment, primarily a portable spray gun able to pour about 1,000 gallons of water a minute on a fire, have gained the department a Class 6 rating, effective June 1.

This is the lowest rating for a volunteer fire department in Scott and Cape Girardeau counties and the same as Sikeston's.

For comparison, Chaffee and Scott City fire departments have a Class 7 rating. Cape Girardeau is a Class 4 and Jackson is a Class 5.

Savings on fire and homeowners insurance can be significant, Ramsey said, depending upon the insurance company and the building's value.

The rating improvement from an 8 to a 7 saved homeowners with a $50,000 house from $41 to $62 a year on a typical policy with two area insurance companies. The rating change on June 1 will save those same homeowners another $20 to $46 a year.

With the insurance rating drop from Class 8 to Class 6, local homeowners will save about $65 annually on a $30,000 house, $80 on a $50,000 house and $100 on a $70,000 house.

"We're real pleased with this rating," Ramsey said. "People will save on their insurance and that's a return on the amount of taxes they pay."

The current city tax for the fire department is 15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which raises about $6,600 for the department. With about 500 water meters in town, that's an average tax payment of $13.20 a year for the fire department.

The new rating applies only to the city of Oran.

The area outside Oran's city limits is rated Class 9. Homeowners with a $50,000 house pay $200 to $250 more on their insurance premiums than someone in town.

Ramsey, 28, has been a member of the Oran department since 1986 and a full-time firefighter on the Cape Girardeau Fire Department for the last year.

The Oran department has 14 members, 10 of whom are also on the Oran Rescue Squad. Ramsey and Larry Chasteen are paramedics and can provide advanced life support treatment in emergency situations.

Ramsey said the department received $1,400 in contributions from four local businesses to buy the portable spray gun. Contributing businesses included C.P.S. Trailer Sales, Halter Gas Co., Dumey Excavation and First Financial Bank of Oran.

The portable spray gun, which can shoot a stream of water about 50 yards, will help in fighting fires in large commercial buildings, Ramsey said. After the gun has been set up, firefighters could move back from the blaze to protect themselves from injury.