West Manatee Fire Rescue (WMFR) has been notified by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) that its Public Protection Class (PPC) rating has improved from a Class 4 to a Class 3. This is significant in that it places WMFR among the top 128 rated fire service providers in the state and in the top 5% nationally.
ISO’s PPC classification range is 1 -10 with Class 1 representing an exemplary fire suppression program and a Class 10 means that the community’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria for fire protection. In the State of Florida the largest classification is a Class 5 and Nationally it is a Class 9.
ISO has evaluated and classified over 48,000 fire protection areas across the United States using its fire suppression rating schedule. A combination of meetings between trained ISO field representatives, dispatch centers, fire service providers and water departments in conjunction with a comprehensive evaluation which collects data necessary will determine the community’s PPC. This rating is used by insurance companies to establish fair premiums for homeowners and commercial fire insurance. In general the price of fire insurance in communities with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC.
The first area evaluated is the dispatch center. This in-depth review focuses on the ability of the dispatch center to receive 911 calls for assistance and then dispatch the appropriate emergency response. Our dispatch center (Manatee County Emergency Communications Center) received 9.48 points out of a possible 10.
The second area evaluated is the fire district’s fire trucks, ladder trucks, equipment, fire station distribution and firefighter training. WMFR received 30.99 points out of a possible 50.
The third area evaluated is the community’s water supply which includes the condition and maintenance of its hydrants, alternative water supplies, needed fire flows for fire suppression activities (up to 3500 GPM) and the available water supply. Our water department (Manatee County Utilities) received 35.94 points out of a possible 40.
This new rating will take affect on August 1st,2013 and we encourage all homeowners and commercial building owners to contact their insurance agent/company if they do not see a change on their policy at renewal.
