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2 <br />RES-2012-088 <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />RESOLUTION OF RECOGNITION FOR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTSIN <br />ORANGE COUNTY FOR <br />REDUCING HOMEOWNERS’ FIRE INSURANCE COSTS <br />WHEREAS <br />, fire insurance for homeowners and businesses is impacted by the capabilities <br />of the local fire department covering the structures, including the distance from <br />the fire station; and <br />WHEREAS <br />,in recent years, insurance companies have used new mapping technology to <br />determine a more exact distance from a fire station to an insured structure <br />causing a rise in premiums for some homeowners; and <br />WHEREAS <br />, insurance premiums for both residential and commercial structures can be <br />impacted by multiple variables, including the ISO (Insurance Services Office) <br />rating of the primary fire department covering a home or business; and <br />WHEREAS <br />, many fire departments in Orange County have aggressively worked to reduce <br />fire insurance costs for home and property owners by improving ISO ratings <br />and/or building new stations to cover structures that were previously beyond <br />six (6) milesfrom a station; and <br />WHEREAS <br />, theISOinspection, conducted by officials with the North Carolina Department <br />of Insurance, Office of State FireMarshal, looksfor proper documentation <br />and/or demonstration for staffing levels, sufficient firefighting equipment, <br />proper maintenance of equipment, 9-1-1 communications capabilities and <br />availability of water sources; and <br />WHEREAS, <br />fire departments, through mutual aid agreements, assist each other, including <br />working together to demonstrate water haul capabilities during ISO evaluation; <br />and <br />WHEREAS <br />,Orange County is covered by 12 fire departments – Efland, Eno, New Hope, <br />Orange Grove, Cedar Grove, Caldwell, and White Cross fire departments <br />cover rural districts;Orange Rural (Hillsborough), Chapel Hill and Carrboro fire <br />departments cover municipal and rural areas;and Mebane and North <br />Chatham fire departments are located outside of Orange County, but cover <br />areas within Orange County; <br />NOW, THEREFORE <br />, be it resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners does <br />hereby acknowledge the support Orange County fire departments have <br />displayed in reducing insurance expenses for property owners in Orange <br />County. <br />th <br />This the 16day of October 2012. <br />__________________________________ <br />Bernadette Pelissier,Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />