Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Fire Department filling open positions

The Gurdon Fire Department is short-handed, but Fire Chief Robert Burns said the problem wont last long.

During the Gurdon City Councils meeting on Monday, April 16, Mayor Clayton Franklin said the fire department was short four firefighters. The city is required to have 16 firefighters in order to keep its current ISO rating. These ratings are used by insurance companies to determine the proper rates for homeowners insurance.

Burns said the agency which provides ISO ratings requires the city to have eight firefighters per company. The number of companies is determined by the number of pumper trucks in operation. Since Gurdon operates two pumpers, the city is required to have 16 firefighters.

The city advertised last month for those interested in becoming a part of the fire department. Burns said 10 applications were received and are being gone through now.

Were waiting on the firemen to go over them, he said. Then the officers will interview them, and well hire four.

Although they are only volunteers, members of the department are paid $25 for every fire to which they respond. They are also provided a retirement benefit after putting in 20 years, Burns said.

Gurdons current ISO rating is five, and Burns said that is good for a small city. The lower the number the better.

According to officials in Arkadelphia, that citys rating is also at five. A spokesperson at Caddo Valley City Hall said their rating is six.

Gurdons rating was dropped from seven to five in 2005, Burns said.

Each household probably saved $300 a year when that happened.

Burns said the rating could have been better, but the city was docked for some things like the need for better communication services. That problem was attributed to having only one dispatcher on duty at a time at the Clark County Sheriffs Office. That problem has now been fixed.

The city was praised in 2005 for the quality of water pressure throughout town and the availability of fire hydrants. Burns said those were major factors in lowering the rating.