The Mentor Fire Department was recently notified that its fire protection rating has improved from an ISO Class 3 to an ISO Class 2 as a result of a Public Protection Classification (PPC) audit by the Insurance Services Office (ISO).
ISO is a national insurance industry risk rating and assessment service. ISO rates municipalities on a scale of 1 to 10. An ISO Class 10 rating is considered the least effective fire defense while an ISO class 1 rating is the most effective fire defense system from an insurance analysis perspective.
“I am very proud of our fire department and the news of the upgrade in our ISO classification. Moving forward, we want to continue to deliver the high level of service the community expects and make an even greater impact on community risk reduction through increased fire prevention efforts as well as providing fire and life safety education to our public,” says Mentor Fire Chief Robert Searles.
Of nearly 49,000 fire departments audited nationwide, approximately 2% achieve a rating higher than ISO Class 3.
ISO ratings play an important role in the underwriting process of insurance companies. Many insurers use these ratings as part of their decision-making when deciding what business to write coverage to or what prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance.
This new rating will take place July 1st, 2016.