Fire insurance bills may fall in Irmo area

Fire insurance bills may drop for homes and businesses in the Irmo area starting Oct. 1.

Reductions are possible after an influential industry adviser gave high marks to local fire protection for recent improvements.

“This is quite the prize,” Irmo Fire District Chief Mike Sonefeld said. “It’s a welcome response to a lot of hard work.”

Irmo’s rating is one step from the top, a rank he said is rarely attained.

Its force of 40 firefighters serves a 22-square-mile area with 45,000 residents in Lexington and Richland counties.

The latest review by the Insurance Services Office cited upgrades in 911 service, more fire hydrants and agreements with firefighters in Columbia and the two counties that allow the closest force to respond to calls for help.

Irmo firefighters handle about 60 major fire years yearly, with another 1,500 calls for assistance in vehicle accidents.

The ISO decision likely will lower rates rates although its impact will vary among companies, said Russ Dubisky, executive director of the South Carolina Information News Service. No estimate of average savings is available.

It also could mean smaller increases since some insurers are raising rates to pay for damages caused by a series of hurricanes across the Southeast.

Irmo’s new rating “certainly matters” for those who live and work in the town and neighborhoods around it, Dubisky said.

Sonefeld wants to add a third fire station to improve response but said that dream is on hold due to a state-imposed cap on local tax increases.

The higher rating for Irmo follows one given Lexington County firefighters last spring for adding 30 firefighters and other changes that allow faster response.