Savannah fire chief working to fix error that could affect insurance rates

By Chris Fortune

The Savannah Fire Department chief is taking steps to correct an error that could cause home insurance premiums to rise in Savannah and Country Club.

An email from the Insurance Services Office sharing deadlines to provide paperwork to establish an ISO rating was overlooked after it went to Fire Chief Brian Roarty’s spam box, resulting in a downgraded rating.

“Ultimately, it’s my responsibility,” Roarty said. “I guess I need to check my spam folder a little more often, and I certainly apologize to everyone in the community that this is affecting.”

Roarty is communicating with the Insurance Services Office as he works to fix the issue, which he hopes to resolve within a matter of weeks.

“It’s just a matter of us getting the paperwork finished up and getting an ISO field representative here again to go through our equipment and go through the checklist again,” he said.

An ISO rating establishes how well-equipped a fire department is to put out a fire, and an insurance company uses the rating, which follows a 1 to 10 scale, to help determine home insurance rates.

The Savannah Rural Fire Protection District was downgraded from a 4 to a 5 due to the missed email. A 1 is the best rating a fire department can receive.

The Board of the Village of Country Club Fire Protection District released a statement Wednesday acknowledging the downgraded ISO rating, saying it may impact fire insurance premiums within the Village of Country Club.

“At their meeting on August 27, 2024, the Savannah Rural Fire Protection Board confirmed their awareness of the ISO rating change and stated that they are actively engaged in discussions and remedial actions with ISO,” Chairman Tom Sontheimer said in the statement. “Their goal is to restore the prior rating of Class 4.”

News-Press NOW spoke to Savannah residents who had heard about the potential rise in home insurance rates but declined to be interviewed.

One woman said she was unhappy about the situation but did not want to speak on the record about the issue since Savannah is a small town and she has lived there for decades.

Another man was aware of the situation but declined to comment because he knows some of the firefighters at the Savannah Fire Station.

Roarty said homeowners whose insurance policy will be renewed while the rating stands at a 5 will have to speak with their insurance company to find out how it affects them.

“I just apologize for the whole situation and hope to get this rectified as quickly as possible and get this taken care of,” he said.