Fire district improves insurance rating

SWEETWATER COUNTY – Sweetwater County Fire District #1 today announced it has received an improved insurance rating after an independent review of its fire protection capabilities by the Insurance Services Office.

The Insurance Services Office, Inc., or ISO, is the leading advisory and rating organization for the property and casualty insurance industry. Since 1971, the ISO has conducted periodic field visits to assess local fire protection efforts as part of its public protection insurance classification program.

After a thorough review of fire protection and suppression capabilities, the ISO assigns a classification rating from 1 to 10, with a score of 1 representing the very best fire protection program and a score of 10 indicating the area's fire protection program fails to meet minimum industry standards. Insurance companies then use these ratings for underwriting and calculating insurance premiums on residential, commercial, and industrial properties.

During its previous review six years ago, the fire district received a class 5 rating. During its latest review, in November of last year, the ISO awarded the fire district an upgraded split-class 3/3Y rating, which is effective beginning Aug. 1.

According to fire district chief Scott Kitchner, the new rating not only places the district in the top 14% of communities across the country in terms of the district's ability to effectively respond to structure fires within its jurisdiction, but it also may offer local property owners in the district an opportunity to save money on lower insurance costs.

Kitchner said, "I'm incredibly proud of our efforts since our last review. Our improved ISO rating reflects the hard work of our entire staff, board of directors, and all of the cooperating agencies we work with daily to provide these services."

Kitchner encouraged anyone with questions about the rating process or the new ISO classification to please contact the fire district at (307) 362-9390.