Lee County’s Northridge fire rating improved from Class 10 to Class 7, a change officials say could reduce homeowners’ insurance premiums by 25% to 30%

By Caleb McCluskey
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

TUPELO, Miss. — Homeowners in Lee County’s Northridge area will see a significant decrease in their insurance premiums following a reduction to the fire rating spurred by the creation of a new district.

Lee County Emergency Services Director Marc Flanagan said the state ratings bureau has reduced Northridge’s fire rating by three points following a flow test and inspection last month, leading to a 25% to 30% decrease in insurance costs.

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“That’s great news. We’ve been working on that a long time,” said District 2 Supervisor Mike Smith, who represents the area. “ That rating is a significant drop … We’re happy, and I am sure (the residents) will be happy.”

The rating moved from a Class 10, which is essentially ungraded and the worst score possible, to a Class 7, lower than the average Class 8 that much of the county floats around.

Given based a variety of factors including the distance to the nearest fire department, the equipment and amount of firefighters, and the flow of water to the area, districts are given fire ratings on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best possible grade.

Flanagan said he anticipates the city will be able to improve the ratings of other area fire districts soon. He said there were still two districts in the county graded at Class 10 which he expects to fare better when reviewed again.

“We are also focusing on a couple of other areas that are still rated at a Class 10. I think we are going to be able to lower those as well,” Flanagan said.

An unintended consequence of the pump test a month ago was that it caused low pressure in the neighborhood, which led to water discoloration. North Lee Water Association flushed the area’s waterline, but it took time for the water quality to return to normal.

Northridge is Lee County’s youngest fire district, formed after the Lee County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Emergency Services Department and changed Flanagan’s role from fire coordinator to director. This consolidated all of the districts under one unified management and allowed the county to lower ratings across the board. It also led to the hiring of two full-time strike teams to help the local volunteer fire departments.

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