Improved Fire Department Rating Could Benefit Homeowners

WOODSTOCK, GA — Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services said its new Insurance Service Office, or ISO, rating will go into effect on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The county's ISO Public Protection Class rating will move from a split Class 3/3Y to a split Class 2/2Y rating. The ISO system is used to rate how well fire departments serve their area. The scale runs from one to 10, with one being the best fire service. The ratings are used by some companies to calculate homeowners' insurance costs.

The PPC rating determines how well local fire department can protect residents and the community. Insurance companies use the score to help calculate home insurance rates, as a home that is less likely to be severely damaged or destroyed by fire earns lower rates to insure.

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The ISO classification system ranks departments on a scale of Class 1 to Class 10, with 1 being the best in the rating system and 10 reserved for an area where fire suppression capabilities do not meet any kind of minimum requirement. ISO review of a department is divided into three sections: 911 center, which accounts for 10 percent of the rating; the fire department, which makes up 50 percent; and the county's water supply system, which makes up the remaining 40 percent. Fire departments are reviewed on their ISO ratings every three years.

The split classification of a 2/2Y for Cherokee County deals with the location of a creditable water supply source. The first number is the class that applies to properties within 5 road miles of the responding fire station and 1,000 feet of a creditable water supply, such as a fire hydrant, suction point or dry hydrant. The second number is the class that applies to properties within 5 road miles of a fire station but beyond 1,000 feet of a creditable water supply.

There are approximately 46,000 fire departments in the United States. Approximately 242 departments, including the city of Woodstock, have achieved the Class-1 status and just over 1,325 departments have obtained a Class-2. Cherokee County Fire now ranks in the top 4 percent of fire departments nationwide.

Calculations used by the insurance industry vary from company to company. As result of this change, Fire Chief Tim Prather recommends that property owners check with their perspective insurance agents to determine if there will be any significant change with their insurance rates.

“Most all of the insurance companies have their own specific process in determining rates,” he added. "So in short, an ISO classification is not the sole source in determining rates. But, I do believe it is large part of a calculation with most companies. It is notable to mention that current property owners that were being provided service by Cherokee County will see the change from Class3/3Y to Class-2/2Y. With the current consolidation of fire services with the city of Canton, the city residents will see a change from Class-4 to the Class-2/2Y which could mean a larger difference. Again, this can only be determined by contacting your insurance agent."

Photo: Cherokee County Fire Chief Tim Prather applies the new Class 2 logo on fire engine No. 8. Credit: Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services