More details on ISO Ratings

What is an ISO Rating?
How Does that Rating Affect My Monthly Home Owners Insurance?

ISO is an independent organization that serves fire departments and other agencies by providing information about risk. ISO collects information about municipal fire protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. They then analyze the data and assign a Public Protection Classification (PPC) — a number from 1 to 10. Class 1 represents exemplary fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area's fire-suppression program does not meet ISO's minimum criteria.
What is the current ISO classification for the Cedar Mountain Fire Protection District? The CMFPD currently has a Split Classification 9/10 rating with a goal of a Class 7/10 by year end.
How does this rating affect my monthly insurance premiums? Because the price of fire insurance in a community with a Class 1 rating is substantially lower than in a community with a Class 9 rating. It is the belief of the CMFPD that once the 7 classification is achieved, we may all see a decline in our monthly insurance premiums. In preparation for this article, the question was asked of Agent Rex C. Day at Dixie Leavitt Agency in Cedar City about how much of a monthly insurance premium reduction could property owners expect once we get a lower ISO rating. On May 5, 2007 he replied:

“In reply to our telephone conversation about protection grading classifications established by the Insurance Services Office (ISO).
If a protection class 10 or 9 can be reduced below a class 8 the fire insurance premiums in that area should reduce by approximately 50%. The lower the protection class the lower the premiums”.
I hope this answers your question.
Rex C. Day”

Call your own insurance company and ask them the same question.
Our Fire Chief, Ken Johnson, and the governing Fire Board have been working over the past several years to improve our equipment, training and standards in order to get a decreased ISO rating from a Class 9 to possibly a Class 7. It is an arduous task and involves many aspects of fire suppression as well as our water system. And since we are only allowed to apply for this rating every three years, the CMFPD has been working diligently to upgrade systems, facilities and practices before applying.
The following is a sampling of some of the facilities, equipment, and practices recently implemented in preparation for the upcoming ISO evaluation.
- We now have SCBA apparatus for all firefighters
- The engine pumping capacity has been increased from 250 gallons per minute to 1,600 gallons per minute.
- We have acquired a structural fire fighter engine that complies with NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) requirements.
- In the past, the CMFPD only had wildland fire training, now we have a program to train for structural fires as well.
- The CMFPD now has seven fire fighters that are trained and certified in Structural fire fighting.
- The Cedar Mountain Fire Protection District is the only Department in Kane County that has Fire One personnel. (The two individual exceptions are the Fire Chief for Kanab City, and Alton. Alton fire personnel have been trained by the CMFPD)
- CMFPD has eight volunteers trained in Hazmat.
What is meant by Class 9/10? Class 9/10 is a Split Classification. When ISO develops a single Public Protection Classification for a community, all of the community's properties receive that classification. In many communities however,, ISO develops a split classification (for example, 5/9). Generally, the first class, (Class 5 in this example) applies to properties within five road miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant. The second class (Class 9 in this example) applies to properties within five road miles of a fire station but beyond 1,000 feet of a hydrant. ISO generally assigns Class 10 to properties beyond five road miles. This is why Station #2 in Elk Ridge is critical to those property owners outside the defined 5 miles of Station #1 on Mammoth Creek Road. The completion of Station #2 will allow those individuals in the eastern side of our District to also have a better ISO rating, thus the possibility of lower insurance premiums for property owners.
Why is the CMFPD currently rated only at Class 9/10? Because up to now we have met only the minimum criteria for a Class 9/10. Class 10 is anything outside a five-mile radius from the Fire Station on Mammoth Creek Road. Class 9 means first) Cedar Mountain had to have the minimum facilities and practices which included the basics of an organization, a Fire Chief, four responding members who were trained, alarms, one piece of apparatus and a fire station. Second) we were required to have at least one piece of apparatus with a pump capacity of 50 gpm at 150 psi and at least a 300-gallon water tank. And third) Cedar Mountain had to earn a score of at least 70 credit points in the items listed in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).

Fire Suppression Rating Schedule Items
Records
Records must indicate the date, time, and location of fires; the number of responding members; the number of training sessions; and maintenance of apparatus and equipment. Each community must also keep an up-to-date roster of fire department members. 10 points prorated

Equipment
The community must also provide the following equipment:
At least two 150-foot lengths of 3/4-inch or 1-inch fire department booster hose, 1-1/2-inch preconnected hose, or the equivalent, each with a nozzle capable of discharging either a spray or straight stream. 15 points each
Two portable fire extinguishers suitable for use on Class A, B, and C fires. The minimum size should be 20-BC rating in dry chemical, 10-BC rating in CO2, and 2A rating in water-type extinguishers. 4 points
One 12-foot ladder with folding hooks 10 points
One 24-foot extension ladder 15 points
One pick-head axe 1 point
Two electric hand lights 4 points
One pike pole 2 points
One bolt cutter 2 points
One claw tool 1 point
One crowbar 1 point

When was the CMFPD last rated by ISO? In 2001.
Why is the Goal only a Class 7? Why isn’t the goal a Class 6 or lower? One big factor is money. Every improvement made by the CMFPD has a cost. That cost becomes the burden of each property owner assessed on Cedar Mountain. Better equipment takes more money. Highly trained personnel requires more funding for a training program. More fire stations require more money to pay for those stations. We all have to decide how much we are willing to spend on attaining a lower ISO rating. That is why each year there is a public hearing for the CMFPD on the budget. Many of the items in that budget are about achieving a lower ISO rating.
Another limiting factor that we can never change is our location. We are an urban interface. We are remote and therefore have geographical limitations that can not be changed.
What does the CMFPD have to do to get a Class 7 rating from ISO? To achieve a Class 7 we would need between 30 and 39 points on the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). It’s a point system from 1 – 100; the higher the points, the lower the PPC rating, the goal being the lowest rating possible.
Fire Suppression Rating Schedule
Rating Points
1 90.00 or more
2 80.00 to 89.99
3 70.00 to 79.99
4 60.00 to 69.99
5 50.00 to 59.99
6 40.00 to 49.99
7 30.00 to 39.99
8 20.00 to 29.99
9 10.00 to 19.99
10 0.00 to 9.99
The Fire Chief and the Fire Board believe these points are attainable for our community and the Class 7 is very realistic because of the improvements implemented over the past four to five years.
The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) below is a large number of items (facilities and practices) that ISO states we should have to fight fires effectively. The Schedule assigns credit points for each item. Using those credit points and various formulas, ISO calculates a total score on a scale of 0 to 100. Using a large manual called the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), the ISO staff will objectively evaluate three major areas:
• Receiving and handling of fire alarms
• Fire department.
• Water supply
These three areas will be evaluated using a numerical grading system. The CMFPD will be given a percentage weighting of each item in the calculation that leads to a PPC rating.
Receiving and handling of fire alarms
Receipt of fire alarms by commercial telephone — ISO compares the number of telephone lines provided with the number of telephone lines needed for emergency and business calls. The number of needed lines depends on the population served by the communication center. ISO also evaluates telephone directory listings. 2%
Operators — ISO compares the number of fire alarm operators provided with the number of operators needed. The number of needed operators depends on whether the community is meeting its performance standards with existing operators for receiving and dispatching alarms. Alternatively, if performance data is unavailable, the number of needed operators is based upon the number of alarms received. 3%
Alarm dispatch circuits — All fire departments (except for single-station departments with full-time personnel receiving alarms directly at the station) need adequate means of notifying personnel of fire locations. ISO evaluates the type and arrangement of those facilities. 5%
Receiving and handling of fire alarms total: 10%


Fire department
Pumpers — ISO compares the number of in-service pumpers and the equipment carried with the number of needed pumpers and the equipment identified in the FSRS (or equivalency list). The number of needed pumpers depends on the Basic Fire Flow, the size of the area served, and the method of operation. 10%
Reserve pumpers — ISO evaluates the adequacy of the pumpers and their components with one (or more in larger communities) pumper out of service. 1%
Pump capacity — ISO compares the pump capacity of the in-service and reserve pumpers (and pumps on other apparatus) with the Basic Fire Flow. ISO considers a maximum Basic Fire Flow of 3,500 gpm. 5%
Ladder/service — Communities use ladders, tools, and equipment normally carried on ladder trucks for ladder operations, as well as for forcible entry, utility shut-off, ventilation, salvage, overhaul, and lighting. The number and type of apparatus depend on the height of the buildings, needed fire flow, and the size of the area served. 5%
Reserve ladder and/or service — ISO compares the adequacy of ladder and service apparatus when one (or more in larger communities) apparatus is out of service. 1%
Distribution of companies — ISO credits the percentage of the community within specified response distances of pumpers (1-1/2 miles) and ladder/service apparatus (2-1/2 miles). 4%
Company personnel — ISO credits the personnel available for first alarms of fire. For personnel not normally in the fire station (for example, volunteers), ISO reduces the value of the responding members to reflect the delay due to decision, communication, or assembly. ISO then applies an upper limit for the credit for manning, as it is impractical for a very large number of personnel to operate a piece of apparatus. 15%
Training — Trained personnel are vital to a competent fire-suppression force. ISO evaluates training facilities and their productivity; training at fire stations; training of fire officers, drivers, and recruits; and building familiarization and prefire planning inspections. 9%
Fire department total: 50%
Water supply
Adequacy of water supply — ISO compares the available water supply at representative community locations with the needed fire flows for those locations. The supply works, the water main capacity, or fire-hydrant distribution may limit the available supply. 35%
Hydrants: size, type, and installation — ISO evaluates the design capacity of fire hydrants. 2%


Hydrants: inspection and condition — ISO evaluates the frequency of fire-hydrant inspection, the completeness of the inspections, and the condition of the hydrants. 3%
Water supply total: 40%
Divergence
Divergence — An inadequate water supply may limit the ability of even the best fire department to suppress fires. Similarly, an inadequate fire department may not be able to make effective use of an abundant water supply. So, if the quality of the fire department and the water supply are different, ISO adjusts the total score downward to reflect the limiting effect of the less adequate item on the better one.
Survey total: 100%
Who performs the ISO evaluation and how does it happen? Once Chief Johnson thinks we are ready for an evaluation, he will request a visit from the ISO. The ISO will come to Cedar Mountain and conduct a field survey. An expert ISO staff expert will observe and evaluate features of our fire-protection systems.
What happens after the field survey? After completing the field survey, ISO will analyze the data and calculate a PPC for the Cedar Mountain Fire Protection District. The grading then undergoes a quality review. The community will receive a notification letter identifying the new PPC. ISO also provides a hydrant-flow summary sheet, along with the classification details and improvement statements. The classification details summarize each subcategory and indicate the total points the community earned. The improvement statements indicate the performance needed to receive full credit for the specific item in the Schedule, as well as the quantity actually provided.
How will the public be notified? Once a new Classification has been issued and received, the ISO will publish that new rating on their website. That website is accessed and utilized by all Insurance Companies routinely. The new ISO rating will be published on the CMFPD website www.cmfpd.com. Additionally, CMFPD will try to contact as many insurance companies as possible in writing. One note: it is widely known that ISO is about six to eight months behind in processing the actual papers of the results of an ISO field survey. So although we may get our Classification right away, the paper work may take an additional six months to process.
How do we maintain our lower rating once we receive it. Constant maintenance and upkeep of equipment, facilities, records, infrastructures, volunteers must continue their training and certification and so on and so on. All of this has a price tag.
How many other Districts in the U.S. have a Classification 9? There are 13,560 Districts with a Class 9 rating, while only 51 with a Class 1 rating.




What other Districts in Utah have a 9 classification? There are 18 Districts with a Class 9, and 22 with our goal rating of Class 7.

Source: ISO and ISO Mitigation