Excerpts from westchicago.org:
The West Chicago Fire Protection District is proud to announce receiving an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 2 rating. This new rating has the potential to decrease homeowners’ insurance costs beginning July 1st. ISO measures and grades city services on a five-year cycle. It is an international organization which insurance companies use when determining homeowners’ insurance rates.
Fire departments/districts are measured on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best rating and 10 being the lowest. Previously the West Chicago Fire Protection District’s received an ISO Class 3 rating in 2011.
West Chicago is one of 1,393 fire departments/districts out of 44,672 fire departments/districts across the country to receive an ISO Class 2 rating, which puts them in the top 3.1 percent of the Nation. The ISO analyzes a community’s fire suppression measures like its 911 call center, water supply, fire apparatus and equipment, fire prevention, community risk reduction, personnel, training, response times, and operations. Statistical data on insurance losses bears out the relationship between excellent fire protection — as measured by the Public Protection Classification (PPC program) — and low fire losses. PPC helps communities prepare to fight fires effectively. The purpose of an ISO public protection survey is to gather information to determine a Public Protection Classification (PPC™), which insurers use for underwriting and to calculate premiums for fire insurance. The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).
The West Chicago Fire Protection District is a career department consisting of 41 full-time personnel, and 12 contract firefighter/paramedics. The fire district’s current staff consists of 57 members that include support staff, career, and fire prevention personnel.
The fire district is currently reviewing and implementing changes to improve the current rating hoping to achieve an ISO Class 1 rating on the next review. Some noteworthy changes have already begun including the addition of a training facility and multi-story burn tower, better documentation of training to not only record completed training but to record time spent on each training subject as well, and pre-plans of all businesses in the district. Further changes will happen over the course of the next five years to help the district realize a higher ISO rating.
