This from Tom Podraza:
Downers Grove moved up from an ISO 2 to a ISO 1 as of April 16th. It takes effect July 1st 2015
Excerpts from the Village of Downers Grove website:
Fire Department Obtains Class 1 Public Protection Classification Rating On Thursday, April 16, 2015, the Village of Downers Grove Fire Department was awarded the highest Public Protection Classification by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO). Receiving a Class 1 designation now places the fire department in the top 1% of fire departments nationwide.
A community’s Public Protection Classification is based on the three main areas of a community’s fire suppression system: emergency communications, fire department (including operational considerations), and water supply. In addition, it includes a community risk reduction section that recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education, and fire investigation.
ISO is an independent company that serves insurance companies, communities, fire departments, insurance regulators, and others by providing information about risk. Property and business owners in communities with an excellent ISO rating, like Downers Grove, benefit from lower insurance rates.
Some interesting ISO grading facts:
- Grading scale ranges from 1 through 10 (1 is best)
- 48,855 fire departments have been graded nationally
- Only 97 departments have achieved Class 1 status
- 2,413 departments have been graded in Illinois
- The Downers Grove Fire Department is now one of only four Illinois departments with a Class 1 ISO rating.