The Daily Herald has an article
An imminent upgrade of Barrington’s fire insurance rating is being hailed by village officials as validation of their fire department’s realignment after the Jan. 1 split from the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District.
Effective Aug. 1, the Insurance Services Office will upgrade the village’s public protection classification from a 4 to a 2 — putting it in the top 1.5 percent of all fire departments in the U.S., according to the village
While it’s less likely the improved rating will make an impact on homeowners’ insurance rates, Barrington Fire Chief Jim Arie is encouraging commercial property owners to tell their insurance agents of the change. The Insurance Services Office’s classifications are based 50 percent on the resources of the local fire department, 40 percent on access to water and 10 percent on communications, Arie said.
Prior to Jan. 1, the village’s fire department provided services for properties within the fire protection district, which covers 48 square miles in parts of Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Inverness and unincorporated Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. With the split, the fire protection district formed its own department to serve those areas.
As a result, Barrington’s fire department no longer covers large areas outside the village that don’t have fire hydrants.
Barrington officials say the upgraded rating also attests to the reconfigured fire department’s ability to do its job competently.
thanks Dan
#1 by Bill Post on June 6, 2014 - 4:53 PM
I really can see how this is basically smoke and mirrors. It appears that they just unloaded the non/hydranted areas on the other so called new fire department. Because they now have less of an area that they are primarily responsible for the have become a class 2 fire department by default.
By the way ISO credit can be given to a fire department if they do get proper minimum apparatus and manpower cover by a mutual aide or a neighboring fire department on a regular basis.
The real question according to ISO standards are built upon areas of the town within 1.5 miles of the nearest fire station with an Engine company and is the nearest Ladder company within 2.5 miles of the “built upon’ areas of the town.
Another question is the area covered enough so they can meet NFPA standard 1710 for a single family residential structure fire (without a basement) of getting at least 15 people on the scene within 9 to 10 minutes from when the apparatus is dispatched? Of course that also means getting a minimum of 4 people on the scene within 4 to 5 minutes of dispatch time. While the NFPA standard is not a law , it is at least a minimum benchmark that can be followed and if they can;t do that (mutual aide or not) then the ISO rating doesn’t really mean a thing in terms of actual fire protection when it is needed.
#2 by Jim on June 1, 2014 - 6:37 PM
Many times ISO will split a district between hydrated and non hydrated. Does anyone know what the rating was in the Village prior to the split?
0.03- They also reduced their district by about 75%. Not saying it’s right.
#3 by FFPM571 on June 1, 2014 - 4:08 PM
Smoke and Mirrors… Nothing to see here move along… pay no attention to the man in the white helmet behind the curtain..
#4 by 0.03 on June 1, 2014 - 3:52 PM
I understand but how can the rating get better if you have reduced your staffing by over 50% and need mutual aid for just about every call? That is not an improvement in service.
#5 by Brian on June 1, 2014 - 1:26 PM
The non watered areas accounted fir the lower rating
#6 by 0.03 on June 1, 2014 - 11:47 AM
Please explain how reducing services and manning equals better ISO rating? Just goes to show what a joke ISO really is.