After continuous work to make their coverage area safer for residents, members of Halls Fire and Rescue earned a higher district rating for their dedication. North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey recently announced that the department in the northern area of Sampson County showed improvements after a routine inspection was completed. It is conducted by officials with the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and is required for the North Carolina Response Rating System (NCRRS). The rating also impacts property insurance rates and saves homeowners money. “I feel very good,” Halls Chief Brian Royal said. “We’re all strictly volunteer firemen and we‘ve got some dedicated personnel that will come out and train. We have to keep a minimum of 36 hours of training a year for the Department of Insurance. So they’re basically doing this on their own time.”