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Written by Elizabeth Rivelli at Forbes
When calculating premiums, one of the factors that home insurance companies look at is the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating where you live (where a rating is available). This rating indicates how prepared your local fire department is to handle fires that could damage or destroy properties.
The ISO rating system grades the preparedness of community fire department preparedness is ranked with a Public Protection Classification (PPC) score between 1 and 10, with 1 being the best score.
In areas with a poor ISO rating, insurers often charge higher premiums for home insurance. In areas with a good ISO rating, homeowners usually pay less for insurance because there’s a reduced risk of a fire-related claim.
If you’re curious about your community’s ISO rating, your best option is to ask your local fire department. ISO ratings are not required to be publicly available.
What Is an ISO Fire Rating?
ISO ratings are used to determine how well-equipped a community is to respond to fires. Several factors contribute to ISO ratings, including water supply and emergency response staffing.
Home insurance companies use ISO ratings to calculate home insurance premiums. Areas with strong ISO ratings have the best fire preparedness and a lower risk of fire-related home insurance claims. As a result, communities with good ISO ratings often have access to more affordable home insurance rates.
In communities with low ISO ratings, homeowners can expect to pay higher rates for home insurance. Depending on how bad the ISO rating is, insurance companies might even deny people home insurance because of increased fire risks in their area.
How Are ISO Fire Ratings Determined?
To determine ratings, the ISO uses the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), which highlights the four most critical components of community fire protection and fire suppression. After evaluating the community’s preparedness, the ISO assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPC) score between 1 and 10.
In the table below, you can see the four ISO fire rating factors, how much each one affects the overall rating, and what specific features each factor measures.
| ISO fire rating factor | How much goes into total ISO fire rating? | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Fire department | 50 points | Staffing levels, firefighter training, proximity of residential homes to local fire stations. |
| Water supply | 40 points | Number of fire hydrants in the area, amount of water available to extinguish fires. |
| Emergency communications systems | 10 points | Ease of receiving and responding to emergency calls, number of emergency operators and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) facilities in the area. |
| Community risk reduction | 5.5 points | Whether a community has developed fire protection, fire education, and/or fire safety courses. |
How ISO Fire Ratings Affect Homeowners Insurance Rates
The ISO rating in your community can directly impact the cost of your homeowners insurance policy. If your area has a good ISO fire rating, your insurance premium could be more affordable. That is because the local fire department is strong at preventing and handling fires, making it less likely that homes will be damaged or destroyed.
On the other hand, your home insurance premium will probably be much higher if the ISO rating in your area is poor. Bad ISO ratings indicate that fire departments are less equipped to handle fires, so there’s a higher likelihood that a fire could cause major losses.
However, not all insurance companies use ISO rating factors to set rates. Also, an ISO rating in your community is only one small factor that can contribute to costs. Insurers also consider things like the risk of natural disasters, flooding, and property crime in your area.
For example, if your city has an excellent ISO rating but your neighborhood has a high crime rate, your insurance premium will likely be higher because of the theft risk. Therefore, living in an area with a great ISO rating does not guarantee a low home insurance premium.
How Do I Find My Home’s ISO Fire Rating?
The ISO doesn’t assign fire ratings to individual homes, only to communities. However, the ISO is not required to publish fire ratings for the public to see, so you might not be able to find the rating for your area.
If your location has an excellent ISO rating, it might be announced in a press release or on the local fire department’s website. Another way to potentially find the ISO rating is to contact your local fire department and see if it will give you the rating. However, the department is not required to do so.
What Is a Good ISO Rating?
The ISO rating system grades the preparedness of community fire departments by assigning a PPC score between 1 and 10. A PPC score of 1 is the best score possible, and a rating of 10 is the worst score. Communities with a PPC score of 10 don’t have an effective fire protection program.
Fire departments that earn a score above 90 receive the highest ISO rating of 1. Less than 350 fire departments nationwide earn the highest PPC score of 1. The most common PPC score for fire departments across the U.S. is 5, but ratings of 4 and 6 are the second- and third-most common.
How Can I Improve My Home’s ISO Rating?
While your property doesn’t have its own ISO rating, there are ways to enhance your community’s ISO fire rating. If enough homeowners make improvements to their individual properties, it could positively impact your fire department’s ISO rating.
Some ways to reduce your property’s fire risk include installing fire sprinklers and smoke alarms, removing vegetation close to your house, remodeling with fire-resistant materials and keeping gutters clear of debris.
What To Do if You Have a Negative ISO Fire Rating
Aside from getting homeowners to make the changes above, there isn’t much else you can do if your community has a poor ISO fire rating. Your local fire department is mostly responsible for the rating in your area. If the score is poor, the department must make changes to improve it.
As a homeowner, the best thing you can do is make your home as fire-resistant as possible.
How To Make Your Home More Fire-Resistant
Regardless of the ISO fire rating in your area, it’s important to protect your home against fires. Many fire-mitigation strategies can also help you earn a discount on your home insurance. Here are some measures you can take to reduce the risk of a fire at your home:
- Swap out your vents: If fires are a risk in your area, consider switching to fireproof vents in your home. This will reduce the chance of embers entering your home and igniting a fire.
- Install fire sprinklers and smoke alarms: Putting fire sprinklers in your home can help you avoid significant damage if a fire starts inside. You should also put smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including in basements. On levels with no bedrooms, alarms should be installed in living rooms or near staircases, or in both places.
- Pay attention to landscaping: If you have plants, trees or bushes near the exterior of your home, consider removing the vegetation to limit the spread of a potential fire.
- Maintain your chimney: It’s a good idea to clean chimneys and wood stoves annually to remove buildup that can spark a fire. You can also cover your chimney with a nonflammable screen to prevent embers from escaping and igniting a roof fire.
- Use fire-resistant building materials: If you are building a new home or planning a home remodeling project, consider using fire-resistant materials—such as stucco or specially treated wood—for more protection.
As always, you will want to ensure your homeowner’s policy is up to date and that you are properly covered. SeibertKeck Insurance Partners can assist you with any questions you may have regarding your home insurance.
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