State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor announced that the Central Alexander/Taylorsville and Sugar Loaf volunteer fire departments completed their routine inspections and maintained their ratings.
Central Alexander VFD maintained a 5/9E rating for its rural area and a 5 rating for its municipal area. Sugar Loaf VFD maintained a 5/9E rating.
The inspections, conducted by officials with the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), are required regularly as part of the North Carolina Response Rating System (NCRRS). The routine inspections look for proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment, proper maintenance of equipment, communications capabilities, availability of a water source, and more. The NCRRS rating system ranges from one (highest) to 10 (not recognized as a certified fire department by the state), with most rural departments falling into the 9S category.