A good grade for Oskaloosa’s Fire Department means lower home insurance rates for you.  Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff told the City Council Monday (10/15) that the Fire Department is now rated as Class 3 by the Insurance Services Office.  The ISO rates fire departments around the country for the way they fight fires and also for things like emergency communication, water supply and educating the public about fire danger.  Insurance companies take into account a local fire department’s rating when figuring out your home insurance rates.  Chief Neff says several factors went in to getting the Class 3 ranking.

“The acquisition of the aerial apparatus was a big part of it, although it was just one piece of that puzzle. We’ve continually increased training standards that we require of both our career staff and our reserve department staff.  They have accepted that willingly.  Then along with that goes into how we actually function as a fire department, our operational procedures.  We’ve changed some of those.  We’re constantly looking at better ways of doing things.”

In 1996, Oskaloosa’s Fire Department was rated Class 6.  That improved to Class 4 in 2014 and now to Class 3.  That new ranking takes effect December 1

A man from New Sharon was arrested after leading police on a chase through Oskaloosa Sunday night (10/14). Around 10:40pm, Oskaloosa Police and Mahaska County Sheriff’s Deputies were told of a van that was driving erratically through town, running red lights and traffic signs and nearly hitting other vehicles. Oskaloosa Police spotted the van near A Avenue East and North 11^th Street.  The driver didn’t stop, fleeing south on 11^th Street.  The chase continued northbound, when the driver pulled over near the intersection of Highway 63 and 220^th Street and surrendered. 37-year-old Jeremy David Williams of New Sharon was arrested for multiple traffic offenses…..and it turned out the van he was driving had been stolen from Barnes City earlier on Sunday.  Williams is being held on $13,000 bond.