The Insurance Services Office classifications and what effect they have on you

Fires can be a serious threat to homeowners in every state. In 2019, there were nearly 1.3 million in the United States resulting in 16, 600 injuries. The total losses caused by these fires was $14.8 billion, an increase of more than 74 percent from 2010.

Because fires can severely damage and even destroy a house, homeowners insurance companies consider the fire preparedness of a community when calculating insurance premiums. To measure the fire readiness of a community, insurers look to Insurance Services Office ratings, which are determined using factors like the water supply and emergency communication system in a specific area. As such, these variables can have a signifi-cant impact on what you pay for homeowners insurance.

What is an ISO fire rating and how is it determined?

An ISO fire rating is a score provided to fire departments and insurance companies by the Insurance Services Office. The score reflects how prepared a community and area is for fires. While it mainly focuses on the local fire departments and water supply, there are other factors that contribute to an area's score and affect the insurance premiums of every homeowner in the area and can even cause an insurer to deny coverage in some circumstances.

ISO uses the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule to determine your community's Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating using four categories to calculate the total. Those categories are: · 50 percent of the rating is an assessment of the number of fire departments/stations in a given area, firefighter training, number of firefighters and volunteers as well as the maintenance and testing of pumps and other crucial equipment.

· 35 percent of the rating is an assessment of your community's available water supply through fire hydrants, lakes, ponds and rivers after daily consumption as well as if the community has enough water and water access for fire suppression use.

· 10 percent of the rating is an assessment of how well a fire department receives and responds to emergency calls from computer-aided dispatch.

· Five percent of the rating is an assessment of extra practices a community develops regarding community risk reduction in the form of fire safety education, fire prevention techniques and fire investigation.

The best PPC score you can hope to receive from ISO is a one, while the worst score is a 10. Through securing more volunteers, purchasing/maintaining trucks and all equipment, extensive training and identifying/developing ample water supplies are key to help reduce ISO rating, which lowers insurance costs for everyone in the county.

Clay County Fire & Rescue has recently undertaken a new initiative so we can develop an action plan to help us handle your emergency. We are currently completing pre-incident site surveys for commercial properties to become familiar with key aspects at your locationelectric/water/gas cutoffs, building size, layout, parking and access points. Hopefully, when you are called, you'll allow your fire department member to create a plan for your business.

Joyce E. Portik is Clay County Fire and Rescue public officer. Call (828) 389-6905.

Clay County Fire & Rescue Week of March 29 - April 4 · Total calls = 27 · Medical assistance calls - 12 · Brush fires - 6 · False alarm - 3 · Building/residential fires - 2 · Standby -2 · Motor vehicle accident - 1 · Smoke detector activation -1