ISO Rating
What is an ISO Fire Rating?
An ISO fire rating also referred to as a fire score or Public Protection Classification (PPC), is a score from one to 10 that indicates how well-protected your community is by the fire department. In the ISO rating scale, a lower number is better: one is the best possible rating, while a 10 means the fire department did not meet ISO's minimum requirements.
A company called ISO (Insurance Services Office) creates ratings for fire departments and their surrounding communities. These ratings calculate how well-equipped fire departments are to put out fires in that community. ISO provides this score, often called the "ISO fire score," to homeowners insurance companies. Insurers then use it to help set homeowners insurance rates. The better equipped your fire department is to put out a fire, the less likely your house is to burn down. That makes your home less risky, and therefore less expensive, to insure.
According to ISO's Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), four main criteria comprise a fire rating score:
- 50% comes from the quality of your local fire department, including staffing levels, training, and proximity of the firehouse.
- 40% comes from the availability of water supply, including the prevalence of fire hydrants and how much water is available to put out fires.
- 10% comes from the quality of the area's emergency communications systems (911).
- An extra 5.5% comes from community outreach, including fire prevention and safety courses.
- Any area that is more than five driving miles from the nearest fire station is automatically rated a 10
How does my ISO fire rating impact insurance rates?
The formulas homeowners insurance companies use to determine their insurance rates are complex and constantly changing. But, all other things being equal, a lower PPC score for your area may translate to a lower homeowners insurance premium, as it means your home is at a lower risk for serious fire damage. Home insurance companies offer lower rates if you have a good ISO rating because a well-prepared fire department should be able to put out a house fire more quickly.
However, how your rating impacts your homeowners insurance premium varies by insurer, and it's often only one of many factors it considers with regards to fire safety. For example, some companies ask about your home's proximity to a fire station or fire hydrant, as well as whether you have a fire alarm or sprinkler system. And some insurers, namely State Farm, do not use ISO's score to set homeowners premiums at all. Instead, they use their own metrics based on factors like historical fire data.
With that in mind, if your homeowners insurance premium has increased due to a negative ISO fire rating, or you're no longer able to get home insurance at all, you may be able to bring your costs back down by shopping around for the best homeowners insurance company for your needs.