Ortonville- A supply well located downtown will give Brandon firefighters a more reliable water source, better firefighting capabilities and may mean lower insurance premiums for some residents and business owners.
Brandon Fire Chief Dave Kwapis received village council approval May 11 for moving forward with plans to locate a supply well on property next to the Old Town Hall.
‘The well will give us reliability and a flow of 300-375 gallons per minute,? Kwapis said. ‘The water will be primarily used on businesses and residences in the village, but it can also be used anywhere it’s needed in the township for firefighting purposes.?
There will be a fire hydrant, he added, but it won’t operate like a typical one because the village doesn’t have a pressurized system like cities do. Instead, the hydrant will be connected to the well, which will be turned on and off as needed. Kwapis estimates the cost of installing the well will be between $25,000 and $35,000, paid for out of budgeted fire department funds, but besides safety, residents and business owners in the village may reap the benefits of a lower ISO rating.
The ISO, International Organization for Standardization, provides set standards for fire protection and insurance companies contract with the ISO for ratings. The ISO scale for fire protection ranges from 10 to one, with the lower the number, the greater the fire protection. The village currently has a ?6? rating and missed the ?5? rating the township has due to lack of reliable water sources. Several dry fire hydrants in the village are no longer functional. A lower ISO rating could mean lower insurance premiums for residents and business owners currently at the ?6? rating. There will be minor disruption to the Heritage Garden at the town hall site, which he said they will try to restore once the well is installed, to be as minimally invasive as possible.