Reply-To: FIRE-L@cornell.edu To: FIRE-L@cornell.edu Subject: [FIRE-L:18767] Surfside Beach vs Horry County: update Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 13:55:33 EST Published in Myrtle Beach SUN NEWS of Sunday 3-12-2000 County would pay for fire help - By Kenneth A. Gailliard THE SUN NEWSHorry County is trying to make a deal with the Surfside Beach Fire Department to provide fire protection in surrounding, unincorporated communities. County officials, reacting to residents' complaints that some homeowner insurance premiums have nearly tripled because they live too far from the county's Socastee fire station on S.C. 544, have offered to contract the service with Surfside Beach, Mayor Dick M. Johnson said. The county would pay the town a fee every time Surfside Beach firefighters respond to calls outside the town. Surfside Beach Town Council is scheduled to vote on the deal Tuesday.
``They said they would sign a contract right now,´´ Johnson said, referring to a recent meeting between county and Surfside Beach officials. Johnson was unclear about the details of the contract. The Surfside Beach Fire Department late last year ended its automatic responses to county fire calls. The move was designed to keep its resources in town. Now, the town responds to calls outside town limits only after county firefighters determine they need help. This change could cost homeowners who live outside of Surfside Beach plenty.
State Farm Insurance recently told county and Surfside Beach officials it would double or triple premiums for homeowners in Victoria Station, The Lakes, SouthBridge, South Bay Lakes, Mallard Landing, Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht Club, Island Green, Caropines, The Pines at St. James Island and Murifield at Blackmoor subdivisions, unless the town and county reach an agreement.
In a letter dated Dec. 20, State Farm also said higher premiums could be avoided for residents in the Murifield at Blackmoor and The Pines at St. James Island subdivisions if the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire Department's jurisdiction were changed to include those neighborhoods. State Farm said there is no apparent solution for residents in the Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht, and Island Green subdivisions because they are more than five miles from any fire station.
County Councilman Terry Cooper said the county has asked Surfside Beach to consider two options for improving fire coverage in the rapidly growing south end of the county. He wouldn't be specific about the proposals. If Surfside Beach rejects the county's offer, the county would solve the protection problem by building a temporary fire station on Holmestown Road, Cooper said. He said money will be included in next year's budget for a permanent station on Holmestown Road.
``We have plans to alleviate the problems in the Surfside Beach area,´´ he said. ``We have a way to solve it together, but we are prepared to solve it alone.´´
Caropines resident Irene Huggins said she learned from State Farm that her premium, which is due in June, will increase from $465 a year to $1,210. ``I can´t recall there being such a large increase before in my premium,´´ said Huggins, who has lived in Caropines about seven years. ``That´s a chunk of money.'' Huggins said she felt some relief after talking to Cooper. ``I´m glad something is being done about it,´´ she said. Cooper suggests residents hold onto their property insurance bills, because the steps the county is taking would result in lower bills that are retroactive.
State Farm said it increased premiums for those customers who live five miles or more from the Socastee station. The company based its decision on Insurance Services Office ratings for that station. The ISO evaluates and rates fire stations. The ratings are based on such things as dispatching methods, equipment, staffing and water supply. The factors are used to establish ratings that many insurance companies consider when determining rates and premiums, said ISO spokesman Dave Dusgupta. He wasn't sure of the ISO rating for the Socastee station.
``I live in the affected area, but there are people there on fixed incomes, and those are the people I'm going to fight to the last breath to protect,'' Cooper said. ``When you´re on a fixed income, to get hit with an unexpected expense like this is a lot harder.´´
Johnson said he's confident the Surfside Beach Town Council members will try to work with the county. ``If we can´t extend a hand to help our neighbors in need, that says a lot about us, doesn´t it?´´ he said.