"These days, many consumers are growing more aware of the costs they face when it comes to their various insurance bills, and because coverage for their homes is often the largest of these (for obvious reasons), that's usually the focus of much of their concern. Because of this, consumers might like to know the many things that could end up having an impact on their ongoing home insurance costs - both from a positive and negative perspective - and insurance agents who can provide such information might empower their clients to make changes that can save them money. One thing that can have a major impact on this sort of issue is whether the property is located within a close proximity of a fire station, according to a report from Wichita, Kansas, television station KSN. Usually, the distance is confined to a five-mile radius, but that may be dependent upon an individual homeowner's insurance company or particular policy. Regardless of the distance, the savings extended to consumers by their insurers because of this can be massive. Often, this distance is categorized as ""classes"" of home, with a ""Class 5"" being within five miles of a station, and a ""Class 10"" being less than 10 miles away. ""There's an approximately a 50 percent savings of insurance, so the person that's paying $2,000 a year as a Class 10 and they become a Class 5 would pay about $1,000 a year for homeowner's insurance,"" Sedgwick County Fire Marshal Daniel Wagner told the station. Why is this the case? For insurance companies, this is a simple issue of risk. Homes that catch fire and are farther away from a fire station are obviously at greater risk of suffering a larger amount of damage - or more significant damage even in a smaller area - than those that are closer. The problem for consumers here, though, is that it may not always be within their control as to how close they live to such a location, but those who are lucky enough to do so can reap significant benefits. The more insurance agents can do to help their clients understand risk factors, and how those impact cost, the more likely they are to have better ongoing relationships. That, in turn, could prove to be more valuable than simply being able to find those consumers the occasional discount on their coverage, because polls show Americans want to receive good customer service above all else from their insurers."