County balks at $92K hydrant plan

Board: State ruling on Weeksville ‘crazy’

By Reggie Ponder
Staff Writer

Friday, November 06, 2009

Pasquotank County officials have derided as “crazy” and “capricious” a state Insurance Department ruling that the Weeksville area needs 31 more fire hydrants — at a cost of $92,400 — before homeowners can qualify for lower fire insurance rates.

According to information presented to county officials this week, average insurance premium increases in the area without the additional fire hydrants would be $86 for a brick home and $421 for a frame house.

Hugh Tarkenton, the county’s volunteer fire coordinator, first reported to the Board of Commissioners in October that the county would need to install additional fire hydrants in order to avoid a fire safety rating change that would raise insurance costs for many homeowners in the Weeksville area.

Tarkenton explained that equipment upgrades and additional training had failed to qualify the Weeksville Fire Department for a lower insurance rating because state inspectors wanted more hydrants in the area. State inspectors are looking for an established water supply, he told the commissioners at the time.

Commissioner Bill Trueblood protested at the October meeting that rural fire departments in Pasquotank County haul water to fires on tankers. Fires aren’t being put out by water from fire hydrants, he said.

He also noted the insurance companies raising rates would be the same ones that raised wind insurance rates for homeowners in Pasquotank and neighboring counties.

County Manager Randy Keaton said the hydrant location formula the state used was based on practices of city fire departments.

“It seems like an arbitrary, capricious rule that doesn’t address the problem,” Keaton said.

Commissioner Matt Wood recommended the staff present a detailed plan on the location of hydrants, cost, possible funding sources and impact on insurance rates.

Tarkenton brought that detailed report to the Pasquotank Finance Committee Monday and commissioners were floored by the cost.

Trueblood said he wondered if anybody at the Insurance Department understood the fire department in Weeksville isn’t using hydrants but is hauling water in tankers.

Wood asked if the additional hydrants would improve the firefighting ability of the rural fire department, and if so, how much.

Tarkenton said rural departments are starting to use hydrants more and volunteers are getting trained in hooking up to hydrants. But he said the firefighting ability of the department wouldn’t be significantly improved unless a hydrant was right in front of the house.

Marshall Stevenson, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said he thinks a fire tanker truck provides a quicker response than a hydrant.

Tarkenton said on a large fire, however, it would take several tankers running continuously to suppress the blaze.

Barry Lowry, president of Weeksville Fire Department, said a hydrant wouldn’t improve response time. A hydrant is backup if everything else goes wrong, he said.

Wood complained that the Insurance Department’s rating system is “one size fits all.”

Lowry pointed out state inspectors didn’t mention hydrants at first.

“They’re just fishing for stuff,” Lowry said.

Wood said it appeared to him the insurance companies were seeking rate increases they don’t need. He also said the hydrant requirement appears not to make common sense.

He said he couldn’t justify spending the money for the hydrants when the state doesn’t have a rational policy.

Wood said the commissioners should write a letter to area legislators asking that the rules be changed.

“The policy is crazy,” Wood said.

The committee did not agree to funding the $92,400 for the additional hydrants.

“I haven’t heard any board member say they want to spend the money,” Wood said.