Woodlawn Fire Department To Raise Monthly Dues Jan. 1

RISON - The Woodlawn Fire Department will be increasing its monthly fire membership dues from $3 to $5 per month beginning Jan. 1, 2023, Fire Chief Owen Rushing has announced. Rushing said increasing costs for equipment, supplies and especially diesel fuel is what prompted the need to raise the monthly dues. The Woodlawn Fire Department saw its Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating fall to from a 6 to a 5 last year due to improvements made within the fire department. ISO ratings are based on the number of firefighters, training, equipment, water supply/distribution and other factors. The ratings have a direct impact on what insurance companies (continued from page 1) charge in premiums to property owners within a fire department's service area: the lower the rating, the lower the insurance premiums are. Rushing said the Woodlawn Fire Department originally began with a 10 rating, which essentially means there was no fire protection to the area. Since that time, Rushing said the fire department has increased the number of volunteer firefighters, have added trucks and other equipment, and have improved the water distribution throughout its coverage area. In January of this year, Rushing said the ISO lower Woodlawn's fire rating form a 6 to a 5, giving Woodlawn the lowest rating of any rural fire department in Cleveland County. Rushing said lower rating should help homeowners within the Woodlawn Fire Department's service area save on their insurance premiums. Most insurance companies claim a fire department's coverage area to be 5 road miles within a department's fire station. With three stations, Rushing said the Woodlawn Fire Department's coverage area extends roughly from Rodgers Road to the north to about Center Missionary Baptist Church at Rowell to the south. It extends to about Hudgin Creek to the east and roughly follows the Woodlawn School District boundary to the west. Woodlawn...