New fire supression rating could mean rate decrease

(Rockwall) July 5, 2013 – Home and business owners with fire insurance based on fire suppression ratings by the New Jersey-based Insurance Service Office (ISO) could get a rate decrease.

The decrease would affect only fire insurance premiums based on the Rockwall Fire Department’s recent Class 2 rating from the Insurance Services Offices (ISO) Public Protection Class & Outside Protected Area Rating. There are 10 classes with Class 1 being exemplary.

Class 2 is the highest rating the Rockwall department can receive since it has a paid/volunteer staff, and it ranks Rockwall in the top 6 percent inTexasand the top13 percent in the nation.

The new rating took effect this month.

A second ISO rating for the Rockwall department, the Outside Protected Area (OPA) is a 9 based on hydrant locations.

When the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule took effect inTexasin 1994, the city’s volunteer department was rated Class 6.

“It’s been a long road over the last nine years to lower our ISO rating,” Fire Chief Mark Poindexter explained. “Many  improvements were made by the department to help reach our goal.”

Improvements included two new fire stations, a second ladder truck, a third elevated water storage facility, a new radio system and the addition of more full-time firefighters since 2003.

It was a group effort to attain the Class 2 rating, the chief said.

“I credit engineering, water, police communication, internal operations, the building department and the fire marshal’s office for their help,” he said. “If it were not for the support of city management and funding provided by the City Council, we could not have achieved this goal.”

  fire department, fire suppression rate, rate decrease, Rockwall