The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-29
How to Improve our Fire Service OF
the State so that the Property
Owners May Get Better Rates of
Insurance.


James before the State Firemens AS
sociation.)
In presenting this subject, you must
realize that II Is one that every
property-owner realizes as the most
essential part of our fire ser
vice. The question may be asked do
we need fire insurance or do we need
better fire service. Both are essen
tial, one cannot live without the other.
The property owners and insurance
companies need the fire service al
though 1t may be only a bucket bri-
gade which in some instances, have
saved thousand dollars worth Of prop
erty. And We should aim to make
and to keep our fire service up to
the standard. Each and every town
or city, has some kind Of fire service,
and in these towns and cities insur-
ance Is being sold to the property
owners, classed ON a basis of from
fifth to first class.
The classification first depends
largely on Its moral risk, whether
good or bad. Secondly on Its FIRE SER
vice. and the poorer the fire service
the higher the insurance rate ia;
being classed at say. fourth. A great
many towns in the State have a fair
moral risk. but no fire service, they
are usually classed 4th or 5th and
their rate Of insurance Is very heavy
to the property owners. Then there
are towns in the State who have q
so-called fire department whose popu-
lation is from 1000 to 5000. They
are usually classcd Srd or 4th. Their
basis rate on Insurance If properly
written. would bc from $3.50 to $2.00
per hundred, on dwellings. and from
$500 to $500 on business houses. as
stores. warehouses. etc.
You can readily see from this that
each town or city his its own rating
Of insurance, and we cannot expect
our insurance rate to be as cheap in
one town, with a poor fire service, as
IL Is In another town with a good SER
vice.
The proposition Is entirely left to
the property owners and the munich
pal government Of each town or city
the rate of insurance they wish to
pay. II they wish to do without
fire service then the insurance COM
panies charge for this risk, on the
other hand IL they wish cheap insur-
ance then II Is up to the municipal
government to improve It's fire service,
and give its people the benefit: by
doing so the insurance companies
are better pleased to take on more
insurance at a cheaper rate.
They realize that where good fire
service is maintained. although their
rate OF insurance may be less, still
they are more anxious to do business
there. than they would elsewhere,
where the fire service Is poor.
The question before you then is,
how we can get a better rate of in
surance for our property owners, and
what will 1t cost US to do so. The
first thing then to consider is what
basis of insurance rate your town is
entitled to. If 1t Is third class which
most of the towns from 1000 to 5000
are rated at, how can we get to
second class, fiat, without and def
ciencies. In presenting a question of
this kind, it must be carried up to
the insurance authorities, or better
still. to what is known as the Tar
III Association or underwriters. This
association makes all rates and sees
that the insurance companies carry
out this rate. There may be a low
rate on some special building or it
may be high, according to the moral
hazards under which II may be con-
structed, etc. But the basis rate re-
mains the same throughout
To give you an explanation Of this
rating. we put our basis rate, say End
class town at $3.50 on stores. This
building must conform to all require
ments. Fire walls of proper size. fire
doors and windows, etc. If it does
not conform 10 these requirements,
then SO much Is added on for de-
hcicnces. as poor walls. two occupants
I'm one building, poorly constructed
hues, with brick on edge. etc Each
one Of these deficiencies add so much
to its basis rate. To go TO the Tar
in association for "a better rating YOU
must submit To them maps of city
showing water works and supply. fire
equipment If YOU have any. build