Efforts to improve fire protection in the Smiths Station Fire & Rescue may lead to lower fire insurance rates for homeowners, a fire official said.
For more than 20 years, the department has been rated 7/9 on Public Protection Classification by the Insurance Services Office, said Daniel Sexton, assistant fire chief of the all-volunteer department in Smiths Station, Ala. An investment in more equipment, fire stations and training has lowered the PPC to 5/5x.
“It’s taken us about the last three years to accumulate all the equipment and get the training they wanted,” Sexton said of the ISO. “They actually look at fire calls you have been to and how many people showed up. It’s kind of a report card except it’s different from the one in school. You want a lower number instead of a higher number.”
Because insurance companies used the score as criteria to determine rates, Sexton said homeowners may see a reduction in costs for fire insurance. “The lower the score the fire department gets, the better it is for your insurance rate,” Sexton said. “ In most cases, our citizens would see a decrease in home insurance rates.”
Using No. 1 as perfect, the PPC score number system ranges from 1 to 10. Fewer than 1 percent of fire departments nationwide are able to earn the perfect score. Although the Columbus Department of Fire & Emergency Medical Services is in a metropolitan city, Sexton said the city maintains an ISO rating of 2.