Fires can occur at any time, so in addition to having a fire escape plan for your family, it’s also a good idea to have fire insurance.

The fire escape plan could arguably be the most essential because it ensures the most precious things in life are saved, lives. When people in a home know how to escape from a fire, their lives and those of loved ones are protected.

But items within a home can be replaced. That is where fire insurance comes into play.

Pearl River County homeowners know that if they live within close proximity to a fire station, they will receive a discount on that insurance. The amount of that discount depends on a number of factors, such as their distance from the department and whether a fire hydrant is nearby.  One of the major factors in that discount is the rating of the department in the coverage area. If the department has a rating of 8, then the discount is higher than if the department received a rating of 9 or lower.

However, even if the department has a rating of 7, such as the case with the McNeill Volunteer Fire Department, and your house is more than five road miles away from the station, you get no discount.

But our local fire departments keep that in mind, and do everything they can to ensure each and every citizen receives not only the discount, but the fastest response time possible by situating satellite stations throughout the county.

That’s what the McNeill Volunteer Fire Department would like to do, put a building in the northern part of their district that can house its recently acquired second engine.

So far, the idea is to build a multi-use building at the Lenoir-Rowell Correctional facility, which is county owned property.

We commend the department for trying to expand their reach and the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors for working with the department to reach that goal.