ESD Board Member Says District Residents Will Continue To Benefit

GRAND SALINE—Being an insurance agent, Harry Clifford knows all the factors that go into determining how much a homeowner pays for a policy.

One such variable is the Insurance Services Office rating, or ISO for short. The more adequate the fire protection in a given area, the lower the ISO number becomes, and as a general result, the cheaper the policy premium becomes.

Clifford, one of the appointed directors for the Van Zandt Emergency Services District (ESD) No. 2, said the tax revenue generated by the ESD has already led to improvement in ISO ratings in and around Grand Saline and will continue to do so in the near future.

That is also why he says he does not understand the desire of some to have the ESD dissolved, original election controversies aside.

"Homeowners in the district are going to see savings that are more than or about the same as the cost of the tax per year, plus they are getting a better and safer fire department," Clifford said in a recent interview following a public hearing before the ESD’s board of directors on Sept. 8.

The public hearing was given for a petition requesting a re-vote on the ESD’s existence due to allegations of several election improprieties in 2006. Among those were charges that some residents outside the ESD boundary lines were allowed to vote, while some inside the district were denied a vote.

Clifford, current board president John Teague and Ray Carnes voted to deny the new election. Board members Doyle Milliorn and Mary Ann Ritchie-Fisher voted in favor of a new election.

Clifford said he saw no proof to back up some of the allegations of election improprieties, such as failure to follow state-required posting and publishing laws.

"The postings (prior to the election) were all done according to Hoyle," he said.

As for the sentiment expressed by some at the public hearing about taxation without representation, Clifford, a county resident, responded, "I have offices in Grand Saline and in Canton and I pay taxes to both cities. But I don’t get to vote in either city’s elections."

What he said he has seen in the past two years through the ESD is a better-funded and better-equipped Grand Saline Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service. Clifford also said the burden of funding those departments is more fairly placed now on county residents as well as those in Grand Saline.

"For many years, people inside the city limits were taking on the bulk of the costs, now the county residents are sharing the costs…about 70 percent of the calls for fire and ambulance were coming from outside the city limits," he said.

One of the keys to improving fire protection and lowering ISO ratings, Clifford said, is the installation of dry hydrants in lakes, ponds and other water sources outside the city.

"As more funds are available, the fire department will be able to buy and install more dry hydrants," he said. "When you have a home within 1,000 feet of a dry hydrant, that ISO goes to a 4."

For those whose ISO rating currently sits at 9, that change could result in up to a 35 percent decrease in the homeowner’s insurance premium, Clifford said. In March, the city’s ISO rating dropped from 6 to 4, an approximate 10 percent savings according to Clifford.

More improvements to fire department equipment have been made or are on the way.

The biggest of these is a pumper/tanker truck the ESD is buying from a fire department in Connecticut. Approval for the purchase came earlier this year after officials traveled to take a look at the vehicle and deemed it in top condition.

Grand Saline Volunteer Fire Department Chief Robert Coffman spoke highly of another new device, a TurboDraft. Coffman said it allows the department to increase its pumping capacity from a pond or private lake.

"You still have to go through the process of getting the pond or lake certified (as a water source for firefighting)," Coffman explained. "But by using the TurboDraft, we can get between 500-600 gallons per minute."

Where a regular PVC-based dry pump cannot be installed, the TurboDraft is a solid alternative, Coffman added.

"It can help us in situations where we may not be able to get the truck real close to a pond or swimming pool…We can reach out up to about 200 feet from the truck with this," he said.

Clifford said the high costs of training, equipment and maintenance of fire and ambulance vehicles today are likely to make ESDs a necessity, not an option.

"How many buildings do we have in Grand Saline now and how many more homes are outside the city compared to 50 years ago?" he stated.

"I think, for most areas, the day of not having an ESD is coming to a close," Clifford added.