ROWLAND — Rowland homeowners will see lower fire insurance rates effective Sept. 1.
“We been trying to get it lower for years,” said Joe McGirt, Rowland Rural Fire Department chief. “Ever since I’ve been here, and I’ve been here at least 37 years.”
The applied protection class went from a class 7/9E rate down to Class 5/9E, McGirt said.
Rates on homes or buildings, including those insured under homeowners policies, are established by the North Carolina Rate Bureau, he said. The lower the rate the lower the insurance premiums are.
“I commend Joe McGirt, and his department, for his dedication and commitment to making his community a safer place to live,” Mike Causey, N.C. Insurance commissioner and state fire marshal, said Thursday.
“I know that the majority of citizens may not be aware that the rating of their responding fire department directly impacts their property insurance calculations, which saves homeowners money and, most importantly, makes their lives safer,” Causey said
The North Carolina Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal completed its evaluation of the fire insurance classification for Rowland Rural Fire District, McGirt said.
“It’s gonna benefit our district, outside and inside the city limits,” McGirt said. “We are happy that the community we serve will save some money.”
The evaluation, performed about six months ago, collected information used to determine a fire insurance classification, said Davie Summey, supervisor of Inspections for the Office State Fire Marshal. The classification can be used to calculate insurance premium rates.
For more information on the ratings and inspection process go to http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/.
