County Fire Marshal receives letter from State Fire Marshal’s Office 

MILL SPRING—Just four years after being on probation previously, the Office of the State Fire Marshal has placed the Mill Spring Fire Department on non-compliant status.  

Polk County Fire Marshal Bobby Arledge received a letter on Monday from the OSFM saying that the Mill Spring Fire Department did not meet the state’s minimum requirements for a certified department.  

The department’s deficiencies include that the chief officer did not complete Chief 101; that the department is low on personnel; that the station had no equipment inventory and that the station had no maintenance records, according to the letter of non-compliance.  

“OSFM appreciates the cooperation and assistance given by members of your staff during the recent inspection of your department,” said OSFM Supervisor of Inspections Davie Summey.  

Summey said the purpose of the inspection was to verify that the department meets the state’s minimum requirements for a certified department and Mill Spring did not meet the requirements.  

The OSFM is giving the department action plans to correct the deficiencies.  

“Failure to meet the minimum requirements for a certified department will lead to a change in the rating classification of your department and the fire district(s) is serves to a Class 10 rating,” Summey said. “Your department currently holds a Class 9E rating. If this rating classification were implemented, the change to a Class 10 would affect all property insurance premium calculations for residential occupancy insured under homeowner policies and other special schedule surveyed property.”  

The OSFM is giving the department 30 days to provide written acknowledgment of their letter; 60 days to provide OSFM with a corrective action plan and six months to complete the approved corrective action plan.  

“OSFM will be committed to assist your department as needed to implement its corrective action plan,” Summey said. “If, after six months, your department still does not meet all of the minimum requirements, OSFM will take action to change the status from non-compliant to probation.”  

In 2015, both the Mill Spring and Sunny View Fire Departments were placed on a one-year probation by the OSFM. Both departments in 2015 failed the state inspection for being low on personnel and failure to meet minimum response requirements. Both departments’ probation was lifted after the year probationary period.  

The Bulletin has visited the Mill Spring Fire Department and sent an email for a response from the department.