Vermont Rural Fire Protection Task Force
The Vermont Rural Fire Protection
Task Force was formed in 1993 to assist Vermont towns and fire departments with
improving their rural fire protection capabilities. Since the Task Force was formed, it has acted as a steering committee
within both the Northern Vermont and George D. Aiken RC&D Councils. Major projects and success stories are the
Dry Hydrant Grant Program,
Rural Water Supply
Planning and Insurance Service Office (ISO) Audit
Preparation
Assistance, and the Jeffords Fire Safety Equipment Grant
Program.
Mission
Services
Goals
Steering
Committee Members
What's
New
Applications
and Forms
Dry
Hydrant Grant Program
Contacts
The following document requires Adobe
Reader.
2008 Dry Hydrant Grant Report
(PDF 1406 KB) & State Distribution Map (State and Federal Funding)
The mission of the Vermont Rural Fire Protection Task
Force is to enhance personal, family and property security against fire loss in Vermont
by coordinating individual, public and private resources to assist rural fire
departments to improve their fire protection capabilities.
The Vermont Rural Fire Protection (RFP) Task
Force is pleased to announce the 12th year of funding (pending Vermont
Legislative approval) to enable towns to improve fire suppression capabilities
and implement their water supply plans. Please Note: Currently, this may be
the last year the Task Force receives funding.
Other news: After several years of hard
work, grant and local money spent, the Town of Killington and the Sherburne VFD
has successfully lowered their Insurance Service Office (ISO) fire suppression
rating to a 4/8b (effective 7/1/09) saving their community
BIG
money on fire insurance premiums! Troy Dare,
Engineering Technician, has joined forces with VT Enhanced 911 to update the
rural water supply GIS data layers for dispatch centers to make emergency
responders more efficient. Troy is also displaying the Fire-Wise/Fire-Foolish
diorama’s at expos and public events/functions. The diorama’s simulate a
community which has planned well and one which has not. Contact Troy to bring
the display free of charge to your next event. This project is made possible
through a grant with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation.
WANTED:
Recruiting new members to come to bi-monthly
Rural Fire Protection Task Force meetings. Contact Troy Dare at 828-4582 or
email dryhydrantguy@yahoo.com.
Free services available to Vermont Towns and Fire Departments include:
-
Evaluation,
design, and implementation of dry hydrants and drafting basin for year-round
access.
-
Development
of town-wide fire suppression water supply plans.
-
Assistance
with construction inspection of installed improvements.
-
Assistance
to fire departments in raising resources to install dry hydrants and
purchase NFPA approved equipment.
-
Assistance
with the education needs of rural fire departments.
-
Assess
statewide need for improved fire protection.
-
Link
fire protection with economic development to create a coordinated fire
protection strategy.
-
Facilitate
financial and technical assistance to address fire protection needs.
-
Develop
fire safety programs and distribute educational information and materials.
-
Fire
Fighters
-
State
and Federal Agencies
-
Municipalities
-
ISO
(Insurance Service Office)
-
Representatives
of Federal and State Legislators
-
Other
Fire Service Organizations
-
The
Public at Large
-
List of
Steering Committee Members
Vermont Fire
Service Statistics
-
Vermont
had a high per capita death rate
due to fire when compared with the rest of the US
-
The state is rural with 246 small towns and 226 fire departments
-
There
are only 12 paid full time fire departments in the state
-
Of
the 6,500 firefighters in Vermont, 6,250 or 96% are volunteers
-
Most
Volunteer Fire Departments are dependent on their individual town budgets
which are funded by property taxes
-
Other
sources of revenue for fire departments included donations and fundraisers
-
8
of 10 businesses that suffered a fire did not reopen
ISO - Insurance Service Office Audit Preparation
Assistance:
A Task Force subcommittee is working on a video to
compliment the Fire Wise/Fire Foolish dioramas, and a video outlining dry
hydrant maintenance.
The two "Rural Fire Protection Day" pilot workshops
have been done summary/outlines should be available for towns to model and use
for their own educational workshops soon.
The Town of Killington and the Sherburne Volunteer Fire Department
has lowered their ISO rating from a 9/9 to a 5/8b and are working on getting the
5 lowered again to a 4. That would make their ISO rating a 4/8b and will
save the town of Killington an estimated $100,000 a year minimum in insurance
premiums town-wide.
Contact
information for the Dry Hydrant Grant Program:
Troy
Dare, Engineering Technician,
802-828-4582, dryhydrantguy@yahoo.com
or
Beth
Ann Finlay, Coordinator,
Northern Vermont
RC&D,
beth_ann.finlay@vt.usda.gov
Northern Vermont
RC&D
617 Comstock Road, Suite 2
Berlin
,
VT
05602
-8498
Phone:
802-828-4595
Fax:
802-223-6163
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