With fire protection,neither a lender nor a borrower be

It may be debating what the definition of “is” is, but recently revealed allegations about an apparent 2005 attempt to deceive the Big Lake Fire Department’s fire protection rating company leaves us scratching our heads.

On one side, Big Lake Fire Chief Bill Gamble and Mat-Su Borough Director of Emergency Services Dennis Brodigan say there was nothing deceitful when the Big Lake department outfitted its trucks with equipment borrowed from Central Mat-Su Fire Department to satisfy inspectors. Former Central fire chief Jack Krill believes differently, saying he was leery of the arrangement from the get-go.

The truth is probably somewhere in between. The swap happened on Krill’s watch, and Gamble and Brodigan maintain there was no effort to deceive the Insurance Services Organization, the company that inspects and rates fire departments. Those ratings are then used to help calculate area homeowners’ insurance rates. Whether intentional or not, borrowing equipment from other departments to outfit another for the purpose of an inspection doesn’t pass the smell test.

We have every confidence our area fire departments and emergency responders are top shelf and first rate, but operating above board and honestly is also important for any public entity. While Big Lake may have received or maintained its ISO rating by borrowing the equipment, that Central was then short the equipment it loaned to Big Lake could have affected its rating and, ultimately, the insurance premiums of homeowners in its service area. Of course the timing of the inspections was such that didn’t happen. But now ISO wants to inspect Big Lake again and Gamble is hopeful the inspector will find the borrowed equipment a “non-issue.” Big Lake has added to its own stash of new equipment since the ratings were done in 2005.

Krill’s recollection and after-the-fact questioning of the equipment loan may be more sour grapes from his controversial firing last year by the Mat-Su Borough, but Gamble and Brodigan are now put in a position of putting out an ethical fire that was first sparked in 2005. We may never know the full story but the old adage still rings true that one has to beware when borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.