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Lisle Fire Department Achieves No. 1 Rating
By WAYNE DUNHAM

Dec. 1 was a great day for Lisle residents and property owners.

That's when the No. 1 ranking for the Lisle Fire Department by the Insurance Service Office became effective.

This is quite an achievement. Out of 28,000 fire departments in the United States, only 14 have earned this honor. In Illinois, only Springfield and Oak Lawn have attained this lofty plateau.

In fact, the achievement is so rare that the benefits to our homeowners' insurance policies will be long-term, not short-term, according to Michael Miskiewicz, an independent insurance agent and broker based in Lisle.

"Right now, Lisle residents already have the best insurance rating possible for their homes," Miskiewicz said. "So few areas have a No. 1 rating that most insurance companies give the best rate when a fire department is rated anywhere from 1-3."

Miskiewicz said, however, that as more towns earn the No. 1 rating, insurance companies will establish a separate category. People who own commercial property will benefit immediately, he added.

"Commercial properties are each rated individually by insurance companies based on several factors," Miskiewicz said. "The new No. 1 rating for Lisle should lower business rates, everything else being equal,"

The highlight of the announcement for me was the press conference held by the fire district in Station No. 1, just east of downtown Lisle.

More than 20 people trekked to the podium to express their happiness at the honor. While one of the fire marshals was speaking, a framed poster for the movie "Backdraft" fell off of the wall behind him.

This caused someone in the audience to remark, "It must be the wind from all that hot air up there that blew the poster off of the wall."

Although the press conference was a little lengthy, this achievement deserves lots of attention. It's comforting to know that if we ever need help from paramedics or have a fire, the best fire district in the United States will answer our calls.

Congratulations to Chief Paul Boecker and the men and women of his force who made the high rating possible.

Page 18 / Illinois Municipal Review / January 1994


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