@ETpro, the Camden County Board of Commissioners is looking into, has not approved but is considering, using a program that has been around in some areas since the 1940s. It is a select group of inmates. It is part of the department of corrections’ Inmates to Firefighters program.
No firefighters will lose their jobs. The program would actually increase the number of firefighters in the county.
The program is being considered, along with several other options, to save taxpayers money on their insurance costs because of a new Insurance Services Office standards that could more than double the country residents insurance premiums if the county doesn’t open some substations.
“Why Camden is worried about insurance costs:
Under new Insurance Services Office standards, insurance premiums could more than double for Camden County residents if the county doesn’t improve its fire protection services. The county rating would change from Class 4 to Class 10 resulting in the following increases for homes of various values:
- $100,000 home: from $534 to $1,277
- $150,000 home: from $660 to $1,707
- $200,000 home: from $767 to $2,042
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2011-10-09/story/camden-county-considering-inmate-firefighter-program-0#ixzz1afVcvUtU
Also, from the local newspaper: http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2011/06/15/news/top_stories/1topstory6.15.txt