Wednesday 16, 2010 in the Mobile Press Register page 6 C at the bottom of the page in a small caption it reads: City’s fire protection rating downgraded. The article is talking about home owners fire insurance increasing. The article talks about the city’s insurance office rating system being on a scale from 1-10. The lower the number is better and Mobiles rate was a 3 and now has been raised up to a 4. The article also says that the city is taking steps to improve the rating.
 

The Mobile Fire Department and its employees is doing all they can do to respond to emergencies in the Mobile city limits to keep fire insurance down. These days the Mobile city limits are a lot bigger and the bigger the city limits the more calls for city services increase in the emergency medical services and fire runs. In the past two years the City of Mobile has annexed two different sections of Mobile County that was not in the Mobile City limits.
 

With the growth of people receiving city services also comes with a growing price. The price of paying employees overtime for the lack of manpower. The price of increased runs for employees and equipment. The price of maintenance and upkeep of equipment. The price of city fire trucks and rescue trucks spread thin because of units being off duty for classes, training or many other miscellaneous things thus causing a longer response time to emergency calls.

The price of new fire stations, new fire trucks, new rescue trucks and equipment. The price of hiring new firefighters. The price of paying firefighters a good salary with benefits and a good retirement. These are all small prices for the City of Mobile to pay to ensure that this city insurance rating drops from a 4 to a 2. If the number is lower the fire insurance bill for a home owner pays will be lower.

According to Mobile Fire Departments Chief Dean the city has not been evaluated in the last 25 years. Chief Dean also said that the city needs more firefighters and more new fire stations according to this website link  http://www.local15tv.com/news/local/story/New-Fire-Rating-Could-Impact-Your-Bottom-Line/eZs62ENjREiSdK2RsUXcuA.cspx .

The City of Mobile is building two new fire stations to help cover these two new annexed areas. With new fire stations being built this will mean more employees will need to be hired to man these new stations and equipment. But until that time local firefighters and the Mobile Fire Department is doing a great job responding to calls in a timely manner.