Homeowners could see reduction in insurance costs
The Town of Union received a bit of good news last week from the Mississippi State Rating Bureau that’s sure to make Union residents and business owners happy, as well.
According to a letter from the Bureau, the Fire Protection Classification for the city of Union changed from seventh class to sixth class, in effect as of April 5, 2023.
Typically, with the announcement of fire protection classification improvement, insurance premiums decreases usually follow, with the amount varying across insurers.
Union Fire Chief Dale Yates was pleased to get the news, stating the city was close to being classified at sixth back in 2018. “When they came five years ago, we moved down from an eight to a seven,” said Yates. “That was achieved by the town putting generators on all the water wells, along with them looking at our training, our numbers, and our response time. We were really close to going down to a six then.”
The purchases of additional trucks for the department are what pushed them over the top, according to Yates. “In 2019, we bought a new pumper truck that was needed. Then we added on a used rescue truck,” he said. “Both of those purchases helped us climb up another classification.”
Yates said the fired department was glad to see the results of their hard work, but also gave credit to the mayor and board of alderman for their help. “We’d like to thank the board because they’re the ones that purchased our equipment and made sure we got everything we needed,” he said. “The mayor and the board really backed us!”
Union Alderman Billy McCune said that he and the board are thankful for the great job the fire department does in serving Union. “I’m proud of our fire department. Chief Yates is always looking out for us by being on top of grants that can be used to help with his department,” he said. “When it comes to them approaching the board for purchasing equipment, we try to get what they need because they’re a good fire department. And with the news of our fire classification going down here in Union, our insurance rates will be going down and that amounts to big savings for this area. And that’s great news.”
