By Julie Mehta
Saratogans served by the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District could see a drop in their fire insurance costs because of an improvement in the district's rating by the Insurance Services Office. The district has earned a Class 2 rating, on a scale where Class 1 is the highest designation and Class 10 is assigned to areas with no fire service.
Fire Chief Douglas Sporleder attributes the improvement from Class 3 in the district's rating to having more employees and equipment and improved communications and water service. Insurance companies that subscribe to the service may reduce insurance premiums for homes and businesses served by Central Fire. These costs are also influenced by a building's construction type and occupancy.
Insurance Services Office is the most widely used fire-service rating organization; it last evaluated Central Fire 10 years ago, Sporleder said.
The fact that Santa Clara County Communications, which provides the district's computer-aided dispatch system, and San Jose Water Co., which dispenses most of its water supply, received higher ratings this time around helped boost the district's marks. Sporleder also credits the cities the district services with helping it get a higher rating by maintaining high standards of fire code enforcement and plan review.
Only part of Saratoga is served by Central Fire; the rest falls under the domain of the Saratoga Fire District. Central Fire also serves Campbell, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos and nearby unincorporated areas. It is one of the biggest fire protection districts in the state, serving around 210,000 people, Sporleder said. It receives about 10,000 calls a year and has 226 employees.
The only way to further improve Central Fire's rating would be to add additional employees, which Sporleder says is very expensive and not likely in the near future.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, April 10, 1996.
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