The El Dorado Fire Department recently rated in the top 7 percent of the 986 Kansas Fire Departments for its ISO assessment, which can affect premiums for fire insurance.
The rating came after the department participated in an assessment from Verisk ISO. This is an important process, and the purpose of the ISO survey is to gather information to determine a Public Protection Classification (PPC), which many insurers use for underwriting and to calculate premiums for fire insurance.
The survey is based upon the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) and utilizing various formulas and calculations it determines a community’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) on a 0 to 100 scale.
The El Dorado Fire Department is proud to announce it has retained its current Public Protection Classification of 3/3Y, scoring 73.06 points (73.00 in 2018) during the most recent evaluation. The 3/3Y classification looks at the distance of properties to a fire station and water supply. The lower the number, the better the potential benefit to insurance premium reduction.
The ISO survey, utilizing the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), recognizes fire-protection features only as they relate to suppression of fires in structures while also evaluating the community’s emergency communications system, water supply system, and the efforts in community risk reduction - all elements demonstrating a community’s effort to provide fire protection services for citizens and property owners. The result of this survey not only demonstrates the community’s dedication to fire mitigation, but the survey process is also a proven and reliable indicator of future fire losses. Many insurance companies use PPC information to help establish fair premiums for fire insurance — generally offering lower premiums in communities with better protection.
However, the most significant benefit of the PPC program is shown by how it affects losses due to fire. Statistical data on insurance losses demonstrates a close relationship between excellent fire protection — as measured by the PPC program — and low fire losses.
While the department is proud to have rated in the top 7 percent of the 986 Kansas fire departments (top 16% Nationwide) surveyed, there is always more to do. Looking to the future, the department plans to find areas to improve the score for the communities Public Protection Classification (PPC). The scores of the individual areas of the Fire Protection Rating Schedule were as follows: emergency communications received approximately 92.5 percent total score possible, the Fire Department scored 60.5 percent, the water system scored 87.8 percent, and community risk reduction received about 70.5 percent.
The Fire Department was identified as the area with the most potential improvement. The largest area of improvement to be gained fell in the area of Fire Department staffing, where the community received only 4.61 of a possible 15 points. Other areas of improvement involve the number of staffed engines and ladder trucks, fire department deployment, and potentially updating fire and building codes.