ORAN FIRE DEPARTMENT KEEPS IMPROVING

Fire department improvements have upgraded Oran's Insurance Service Organization rating three times in the past four years. It was just announced the town's latest rating is a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, and that is the lowest (lower is better) of any fire department in Scott County and one of the lowest in all of Southeast Missouri.

Insurance companies use the rating to determine fire-insurance premiums, and the latest Class 5 rating undoubtedly will lower rates for some property owners. The reasoning behind lowering insurance premiums is that the fire department can more efficiently respond to and extinguish fires.

Jackson, Dexter, Poplar Bluff and Caruthersville are the only other communities in Southeast Missouri with a Class 5 rating. Cape Girardeau has a Class 4 rating.

What is remarkable about the Oran department is that, unlike other departments with comparable ratings and large budgets, it has achieved Class 5 status on only a $30,000 annual budget with volunteer firefighters.

Residents of the small community in north Scott County can be proud of their volunteer fire department.