Q&A with Chief Joe Doan
By Barb Pert Templeton
When you’ve been providing fire services in a small town for more than 120 years it’s likely difficult to keep up with the times. The exception here is the Algonac Fire Department, they not only meet the grade but rank right up there with much larger departments across the country.
“I believe in St. Clari County there’s only one other ISO rating of three and that would be a fully manned department in Port Huron, so great job what you guys do here in this town,” Algonac Mayor Rocky Gillis said.
In a memo in the city council packet for the Feb. 4 meeting City Manager Denice Gerstenberg read into the record, just how impressive the new fire department rating was for the city.
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings are a classification system that measure a community’s fire protection capabilities. The rating is important because it affects the cost of homeowners and businesses insurance policies and can lead to lower insurance premiums. The ratings are based on a scale of one to 10, with one being the best and 10 being the worst. The rating is calculated based on the availability of water for fire suppression, the quality and the quantity of fire department equipment, the number of firefighters and their level of training, the geographic distributions of the fire stations and the efficiency of the emergency communications system.
“We are in the top four percent of the fire departments in the country, wow, that’s amazing Joe, congratulations.”
Algonac Mayor Rocky Gillis
The national average for ISO scores is roughly 5.5. The Algona Fire Department has achieved an ISO Class 3 rating which is a rating held by less than four percent of the fire departments nationwide.
“So, a big congratulation to Chief Doan and the fire department for improving our ISO rating,” Gerstenberg said.
Gillis and Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey also offered their congratulations to the chief and his department while the council and crowd broke out in applause.
Council member Cathy Harris took time during her council comments to thank several city departments.
“Congratulations to the fire department on their ratings, good job and good job to the DPW and our police, we’re awful lucky to have the services we have in our town,” Harris said.
“Joe Doan has the best fire department in St. Clair County,” Councilman Michael Bembas said.
“Yes, that’s huge,” the mayor added. “We are in the top four percent of the fire departments in the country, wow, that’s amazing Joe, congratulations.”
In the days after the council meeting Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with Algonac Fire Chief Joseph Doan via email to pose a few questions about the exceptional new rating for his department.
Blue Water Healthy Living: How did the new ISO rating come about for the fire department?
Algonac Fire Chief Jospeh Doan: ISO conducts onsite evaluations every five years.
BWHL: What was the Algonac Fire Department’s rating prior to the recent change?
Doan: In 2010 we had a rating of 5, our previous rating in 2019 was a 4.
BWHL: Were you surprised to get a #3 rating?
Doan: I am very happy that we were able to obtain a rating of 3.
BWHL: Did anything specific change at the department that prompted the new rating? (New firefighting equipment or better communication devices?)
Doan: Over the years, we have worked diligently to improve- we replaced our Engine 1, we upgraded all of our communications equipment both apparatus and portable radio units, and the city has been working to improve our infrastructure with regards to water mains/hydrants. We have also improved our training program with the addition of an online platform.
BWHL: How many fire stations and fire trucks does the Algonac Department have today?
Doan: We have 1 station and have 2 Engines.
BWHL: How many firefighters does the department have?
Doan: Currently, the department has a roster of 17.
BWHL: Any female firefighters on the squad?
Doan: Currently we have four females on the roster.
BWHL: How many firefighters are full-time employees of the city?
Doan: 2
BWHL: Is it a surprise to you that a smaller department – like Algonac- can receive a rating that puts them in a class with just 4% of the departments in the nation?
Doan: It is an honor to achieve a rating of 3. Hard work pays off.
BWHL: What do you feel the biggest challenge today in operating an efficient and well-rounded fire department?
Doan: The biggest challenge would be personnel and keeping compliant with all the mandates. The pool of those wishing to join the fire service over the years has drastically declined.
