Report: Central Coventry Fire District Service is at Lowest Rating

The Central Coventry Fire District has the lowest possible rating in terms of fire protection and coverage, according to the Insurance Service Organization, or ISO.

WPRI reported that the district got word of the classification recently and quoted David Gorman, the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3372, the local fire union, as saying it’s “scary” and believes it is due to staffing reductions caused by the district’s money problems that led it to go bankrupt and into receivership.

The low rating could mean higher insurance premiums for residents living in the district. It might also lead to scrutiny of services in other districts in the town, especially in the Coventry Fire District, also known as the Anthony Fire District, which is at a critical point. Just this week, voters in that district, in a non-binding referendum, chose to dissolve the district and rejected a one-time supplemental tax to save it from what has been described as a fiscal cliff.

The rating downgrade has been seen as vindication for some firefighters who have warned of such a downgrade for months. Gorman has said that the warnings have gone unheeded. Many said firefighters were just using scare tactics to fight against staffing reductions.

But that vindication is cold comfort as firefighters are facing the prospect of layoffs and being unable to provide adequate service. They also agreed to $350,000 in concessions at an average of more than $20,000 per firefighter in the hopes of convincing residents to vote for the supplemental tax in the Coventry Fire District.

On Friday, Gorman continued to call for a town-wide fire department to create operational efficiencies. It’s an idea that seems to be gaining steam in Coventry. A petition has been circulating and the Town Council is expected to face increasing pressure — from both the fire districts and firefighters and taxpayers — to do something, and soon.

Gorman tweeted Friday that it feels embarrassing to say he lives and works in the town when the town’s Emergency Management Agency is “more worried about promoting Coventry Ole home day” instead of addressing the pressing fire district issues.