By Kevin Eigelbach
Post staff reporter
With all that's happened to the volunteer fire department lately, Sparta residents might wonder about what would happen if a fire breaks out.
When they ask Fire Chief Mike McDowell if the department can protect their homes, he tells them yes.
"I have a good crew, 15 certified firefighters," he said. "I have good fire departments around me, where if I need water, I can get it.
"I feel 100 percent positive that Sparta city residents are safe whenever a house catches on fire," he said.
Carol Farrar, co-owner of the Sparta Department Store on Main Street, said she's not especially worried about fire protection.
There are three good fire departments within 10 miles of Sparta, she said, in Warsaw, New Liberty and Glencoe.
The Sparta department's biggest fire worry might be the Kentucky Speedway, where there's always the possibility of a fiery crash.
The Speedway's director of communications, Tim Bray, wouldn't comment on the situation at the fire department.
The Speedway uses its own fire suppression equipment, operated by a staff of volunteers, during race weekends and for other events, he said.
If any emergency were to happen at the track at other times, the Sparta and the Gallatin County Fire Department in Warsaw would respond, he said.
McDowell has worked with the Speedway's response and safety team in the past, Bray said.
Since McDowell and his wife, Becky, took over management of the department in November, the department has been called on to handle at least two auto accidents, Becky McDowell said.
The most recent one was Saturday night on Interstate 71. Volunteers from Glencoe reached the scene first, however, and after learning they didn't need help, the McDowells returned to the firehouse.
The turmoil at the fire department hasn't changed the way that the Gallatin County Fire, Wind and Lightning Co. writes insurance for homeowners in Sparta, Manager Brenda Leary said.
But unlike many insurance companies, her company doesn't have different rates for each class of fire protection a home has. Her company gives each insurance agent more discretion to set rates, she said.
The Insurance Services Organization rates fire departments across the country on a scale from one to 10, with Class 1 the very best.
It's an important scale for homeowners, because insurers use it to determine how much they charge for homeowner's insurance.
The Insurance Services Office says it has never rated the Sparta department's ability to provide fire protection.
Consequently, it would consider the department a Class 10 operation, the worst possible.
Just moving up from a Class 10 to a Class 9 in the rating system can save a homeowner substantially on homeowner's insurance.
It's the difference between paying $1,000 a year and about $600 a year, Gallatin County Judge-Executive George Zubaty said.
It wouldn't take much for the department to get a class 9 rating. According to the ISO, it simply needs:
• Enough members to assure response of at least four members to a structure fire.
• Two hours of training per month per member.
• A proper alarm system.
• An engine with at least a 300-gallon water tank, which can pump at least 50 gallons of water per minute at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch.
• A place to park the fire engine out of the elements.
• Enough equipment to score 70 points on the ISO's rating system. It's a fairly generous system -- a 24-foot extension ladder counts for 15 points.
A review of the department's equipment with McDowell's wife, Becky McDowell, the fire department treasurer, indicates that the department now has enough equipment to qualify for a Class 9 rating.
Things looked better for the department this time last year, when Wallace Patrick was the fire chief.
It had moved into a new firehouse on U.S. 127, right by Interstate 71, where many of the emergencies that the department responds to happen.
It had three fire engines of its own, including a brand-new pumper, leased for $24,000 a year.
It had twice weekly bingo games that reportedly earned the department up to $20,000 a quarter.
But things went downhill quickly. All the fire trucks were repossessed, the bingo license suspended.
Patrick resigned last November. The Kentucky State Police are now looking into possible embezzlement of fire department funds, and have many of the department's financial records. The McDowells say the police have told them the department is more than $300,000 in debt.
As officials from the state Department of Charitable Gaming, the fire department and state police continue the investigation, the volunteers of Sparta continue to respond to calls, plan fundraising dances and polish the equipment they have left.
