BROUSSARD, La. — The city of Broussard recently received its Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) rating, or fire protection rating.
The city's rating dropped down to a two, which may seem like a downgrade, but in this case, the lower the number, the better the score.
Louisiana's fire protection rating system ranges from one to ten—ten meaning no fire protection and one showing an exemplary level of fire protection.
"About five years ago, we went from a four to a three. Now, we've moved from a three to a two, so it's been an ongoing process of improvements," said Ray Bourque, Mayor of Broussard.
According to a statement from the city, the ratings are determined by many factors, which include the number of firefighters and fire trucks and the availability of water.
In order to lower the city's rating, several improvements were made.
The following lists of improvements and their costs were provided in the city's statement.
- Broussard Fire Department improvements:
- Upgrade of equipment, maintenance and record-keeping abilities
- Purchase of two new engines to replace aging apparatus ($1.3 million)
- Implementation of 24-hour fire coverage
- Improved response times of required apparatus due to additional staffing
- Improved deployment of higher-trained resources
- Addition of a Training Coordinator ($30,000)
- Focus on certification completion
- Utilization of out-of-district training facilities in partnership with neighboring departments
- Creation of a Fire Prevention Bureau (Approximately $30,000)
- Three inspectors certified by the Louisiana State Fire Marshall Office to perform inspections of existing commercial occupancies
- Provides annual safety inspections to all businesses within the city limits of Broussard
- Addition of a Community Outreach Coordinator (Approximately $30,000)
- Providing fire safety education throughout the city of Broussard
- City water system improvements:
- Fire hydrant maintenance
- Flushing and maintenance of fire hydrants by water department
- Implementation of hydrant test schedule by fire department
- Implementation of electronic hydrant location data
- Allocation of funds to support hydrant identification program
- Supply system
- Addition of above-ground storage tanks
- Capabilities to remotely activate booster pumps for above ground storage tank in event of a fire
- Looping of water lines in areas with deficient fire flow
- Installation of 8" water meter in place of 4" on Heart D Farm Road
- Fire hydrant maintenance
A better score means more than just better fire protection for the citizens of Broussard.
"PIAL says in their paperwork that a lower rate can reduce property insurance within the city. That will be decided by each insurance carrier, but right now, insurance is really tough in Louisiana, so anything we can do to help our citizens, we want to do, and this is a great win for us and residents of Broussard," Bourque said.
But, the city isn't done improving just yet.
The statement also provides a list of water system projects that are complete or currently under construction, totaling a cost of $4.268 million.
- 12" Waterline extension along South Bernard Road from Heart D Farm Road to West Fairfield Drive
- 8" Waterline extension along Albertson Parkway
- 12" Waterline extension along South Bernard Road from Main Street to Albertson Parkway
- 8" Waterline extension along St. Etienne Road
- 12" Waterline extension along Ambassador Caffery at Bonin Road
- Ground water storage tank on East Madison Street
- 8" Waterline for Hernandez Heights
- 12" Waterline extension along Southwood Drive and South Cruse Avenue
- 12" Waterline extension along Lake Talon Road
- 12" Waterline relocation along Highway 90
"I am proud to say that we'll be announcing some pretty big water improvements and water expansion improvements coming up soon," Bourque said. "And our fire department is also working on some improvements there. We're adding sleeping quarters and full-time fire protection to Fairfield Road's fire station, but we're also working and planning with an architect for a fire station on Highway 90."
