Louisiana Community’s Fire Rating Improves

The Village East Fire District has attained an improved rating, meaning residents of the Houma, La., community can expect a decrease in their fire insurance rates.

The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana rates fire departments’ safety and training every four years on a scale of 1 to 10, with Class 1 being the best. The ratings affect the policyholder insurance rates.

The Courier reports the department was assigned a Class 10 rating after its review in April 2013.

That meant a $150,000 home was assessed a $4,657 fire insurance premium each year, state Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says.

The rating was tied to insufficient training hours for volunteers.

After working to fix the issue, the department attained a Class 5 rating this month, meaning rates will fall for policyholders.