Residents say lack of fire coverage in rural Berkeley County causing insurance premiums to skyrocket
BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Residents who live in rural areas of northern Berkeley County are sounding the alarm over skyrocketing insurance premiums.
Neighbors in the Shularville community said the issue is attributed to the lack of fire service.
“My insurance is dropping as of the 30th due to an ISO rating of a 10 for our fire department,” said Robin Gray, who said her insurance premiums increased dramatically.
Insurance Service Office (ISO) ratings are presented on a 1-10 scale with one being the highest and 10 essentially indicating there is no recognized protection. Access to water, equipment, and personnel help determine that rating.
In 2021, the Shulerville-Honeyhill Rural Fire District board voted to merge with the North Berkeley Fire District. The main North Berkeley fire station is located in St. Stephen, which is roughly 26 miles away from this station.
“We have three volunteers and we’re basically not adequately staffed to fight fires,” Gray said.
This station is currently manned with one firefighter Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; that was Chief Otto Steele on Wednesday.
The bad ISO rating means some insurance policies are being canceled or causing skyrocketing premiums.
“My struggle is having the people wanting to come to learn. If they will come and want to learn, I’m willing to teach,” said Chief Steele.
He said when calls do happen, firefighters do show up. “The other volunteers in the other fire stations will come,” he said.
Gray is organizing a meeting for the community to discuss the issue. That meeting will take place Tuesday night at the fire station.
“Our taxes are paying for fire support and that’s what we need — someone from the county to come in and say let’s figure this out. Let’s help this rural community have adequate fire coverage,” said Gray.
News 2 reached out to Berkeley County Government. They said the county did not require or approve the department merger. Also, the ISO evaluation was completed before the departments merged.
The county sent News 2 a station that says, “Berkeley County Government is working with the fire department to resolve these concerns as soon as possible with ISO updates and communication with these insurance companies.”
