PORTER TOWNSHIP | Life is about to get a little cheaper for most township residents.

Porter Township Trustee Edward Morales said the Insurance Services Office Inc. is lowering the fire safety rating for most of the township effective Sept. 1. The change means residents living within five miles of one of the township's fire stations could be eligible for a significant decrease in their annual home insurance premiums.

Former Trustee Bob Wichlinski began efforts to get the rating lowered from a 9 to a 7 about four years ago. Wichlinski said the Lakes of the Four Seasons Fire Chief Mike Parks warned him at the time it would be an arduous process. The words proved prophetic, but the township exceeded its goal by getting the rating dropped to a 6.

"It's a great day for our Fire Department," Morales said. "This is an ongoing challenge that Bob Wichlinski started, and I'm proud to say that it's finally accomplished. Long hours of testing and training, along with vital equipment purchases and the dedication of our volunteer firefighters, made this possible."

Not all insurance companies use the ISO ratings to determine rates, but Wichlinski said it will reduce his premiums by $600 a year. He said the rating should apply to everyone except a small number of people in the northeast corner of the township.

"Not only did we save money on insurance for those companies that recognize the ISO, but we made the township safer by upgrading the equipment with the help of Homeland Security grants and Operation Round-Up," Wichlinski said.

"Our goal was to get the rating down and get savings to the township, but, in the process, we identified areas that needed attention, and we addressed them. The Fire Department is better, and the service is enhanced."

The rating is based on many factors, such as how well the department receives alarms and dispatches firefighting resources, the number of trucks, the amount of water needed to fight a fire, the distribution of stations in the community, training, staffing, maintenance of equipment and water supply. Ratings range from 10 -- the worst -- to a 1.