Shreveport`s Fire Insurance Class Rating Could Drop

The Shreveport fire department was hoping to get a piece of the city`s ten million dollar surplus. They say they needed the money to replace a ladder truck that failed an inspeciton. Right now they`re using a reserve truck in its place. And to make matters worse Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran says the city is on the verge of losing its class one fire insurance rating because they`re using the reserve truck. "Everyday that we actually go by without having the reserve in service it subtracts from the points of our class one fire insurance rating. Which means property owners may have to pay more for insurance. Almost three hundred dollars more per year, for a business worth less than half a million dollars. For a million-dollar property, the increase is almost five hundred dollars. Business owner Don Teach thinks the city should have planned for this ahead of time. "You would think they could forecast in advance have some reserve, so you don`t come to the business owners and say hey you guys need to give us more money. City councilman Theron Jackson refuses to beleive the city would actually lose its class one fire insurance rating. He says the fire department may be over reacting. "I think they`ve had sound management. I thinks this is them not even panicking, advocating very hardly and perhaps emotionally so. The next evaluation is set for next year. That`s when the department will find out if the rating drops. For homeowners, the difference in insurance premiums amounts to about ten to sixteen dollars a year. Reported by Maria Vallejo mvallejo@ktalnews.tv