The official word was handed down to Northwest Scott Fire Chief Donnie Adkins on Friday, September 1–their ISO rating fell from 9 to 5.
WHAT IS ISO
All fire departments are subjected to a rating from the Insurance Services Office or ISO. This rating is appropriately called your ISO score. What exactly is an ISO rating and why is a good score important? A fire department’s ISO rating is a determination by the Insurance Services Office by how well your department is able to serve the community. You’re assigned a score between 1 and 10, with lower numbers indicating a better score. High ISO scores can increase home insurance rates in the community.
(credit: firefighternow.com)
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR NWS COMMUNITY
“Our former ISO rating was a 9 from the 80’s,” shared Chief Adkins. 1 to 10 (a 10 is minimum/no coverage). At a 5 improving from a 9 should save several hundred dollars a year on home insurance fees.”
The department worked diligently to decrease (improve) their rating. “We have several new trucks, equipment, improved records, more training, and improved responding times,” continued Adkins. “It was a project that the whole fire department was involved with (team effort) to get all the information and to all the timed exercises done and recorded.”
The new rating will go into effect on November 1, 2023. Homeowners in the NWS fire district should see a reflection in their insurance premiums.
Training was a big part of the drop in ISO rating for Northwest Scott Fire Department.
