Approximately one year ago county supervisors and the county’s fire coordinator first discussed setting up volunteer fire districts in the county.

The move requires some paperwork and some additional training, but the result has been improved fire ratings for several areas of rural Adams County.

The districts were formed around the Lake Montrose, Liberty Road and Foster Mound volunteer fire departments.

That simple, but important, step now has the potential to save some county residents big dollars on their homeowner’s insurance premiums.

Once the districts exist the state fire ratings agency can come in and assess the area’s fire protection. In each of the three new districts, the rating improved from a 10 rating to a 9. One insurance representative suggested such a move on a $100,000 house with a $1,000 deductible policy might save the insurer as much as $1,300 annually.

This is a case of government doing what it should do and finding a way to save residents money while improving public safety services.

We hope the county continues its talks with the City of Natchez regarding the possibility of working together to build new fire stations for city crews as well. The new stations move, while more costly than creating the districts, could provide even greater savings for even more residents as improved fire protection would yield lower insurance costs.