ECFD evaluation may affect costs of insurance
EAU CLAIRE — An evaluation determining the Eau Claire Fire Department’s ability to protect property in the area has recently started, and may affect insurance in the area.
According to Eau Claire Fire Chief Matt Jaggar, the evaluation is determined by Verisk, the national insurance service office, which collects information about the fire department. This information goes to a fire suppression rating schedule.
“The purpose of the ISO is to help communities evaluate their public fire protection system in order to be held within the country-wide high standards,” said Jaggar.
He said over 40,000 communities are assessed by Verisk in the nation.
The FSRS is then used to establish the public protection classification evaluation score for the department, said Jaggar. The classification score is rated on a scale of one to 10 with one being the most protection for properties and 10 being the least.
These scores help inform insurers of the “risk of loss” and premiums for properties, said Jaggar.
Once the score is determined it may affect people’s insurance costs when they are renewed, said Jaggar. If the department has a worse score, insurance costs could increase. However, the reverse is also true and costs could decrease if they have a better score.
According to Jaggar, the possible changes to insurance are not confirmed because the score is not the only factor.
The process of determining the score is conducted through meetings, tours of fire stations, and collecting information, said Jaggar. The department has already been taught about the process through an April 3 “pre-survey meeting” and had their first “audit meeting” on May 22.
Jaggar said in the most recent meeting they provided most of the relevant information Verisk would need.
“The areas of a community evaluated in the FSRS are water supply, emergency communications (911), and the fire department,” said Jaggar in City Manager Stephanie Hirsch’s Weekly Update. “Specifically, within the fire department, areas evaluated include daily firefighter staffing, fire apparatus, training, firefighting equipment, and pre-fire planning.”
Fire department operations are then compared to a “schedule of anticipated performance” and the possibility of fire in the area, said Jaggar. This creates the public protection classification rating.
According to Jaggar, the last classification the fire department received was a two in 2015 which is slightly lower than the best classification. The fire department is working to keep up their rating or even get it to a one.
“The better score will be translated into lower risk for fire damage to the community,” said Jaggar. “This will positively impact lower rates for both commercial and residential insurance.”
The date when Hirsch and Jaggar will find out the classification has not yet been determined. Jaggar said they will be meeting on May 30 to finalize and confirm the data they have given to Verisk.
