Good news for homeowners in Missoula County: they may be eligible for lower property insurance costs because of the Missoula Rural Fire District's improved protection rating.
The public protection classification (PPC) collects information on municipal fire protection in cities throughout the United States. Ratings are given on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing "exemplary public protection."
A multitude of things go into the rating, including staffing, training programs and water supply, among other things, according to MRFD Fire Chief Chris Newman.
A property's distance from a fire station also goes into the rating. Any property within 5 road miles of a fire station will now have a PPC rating of 4. Properties beyond 5 road miles from a fire station are automatically given a 10.
"We were fortunate enough to be able to go through a re-rate with the regional person with the Insurance Services Office," Newman said. "We did a lot of things working towards the goal of improving this ISO rating and then we got the good news as of Feb. 1."