ISO Class 1

The Franklin Fire Department receives an ISO rating of Class 1.

Fire Chief James McLaughlin and Joseph Pasco, Northeast Manager of ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.), presented the upgraded rating of an ISO Class 1 to the Town Council on April 6th, 2022.  The Franklin Fire Department will move to the ISO Class 1 rating effective July 1st, 2022.  The ISO Class 1 rating from the Public Protection Classification is the highest rating attainable.

Franklin will be the 9th Fire Department in Massachusetts, only the 15th Fire Department in New England, and 459th in the Nation to obtain this rating.  This is out of over 45,000 fire departments rated nationally.  The Public Protection Classification goes from 1 to 10.  Class 1 represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet minimum criteria. 

This rating is based on strict criteria developed and assessed by the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).  ISO provides data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry.  Most U.S. insurers use the Public Protection Classification information as part of their decision making on offering coverage and the fees charged for the coverage of personal or commercial property insurance.  It is estimated that the improvement of each rating on the scale of 1-10 helps save property owners 7-15% on insurance.  

Please note that the insurance policy holder must contact their insurance company to inquire about any savings.  Not every insurance company may use this rating. 

Click here to read the official notification to the Town of Franklin!

Some of the factors graded include:

-Emergency Communications

-The Fire Department

-Water Supply

-Community Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Fire

It is important to note that the Town of Franklin Water Department is instrumental in this rating as 40% is based on the Town Water Supply.  Additionally, communications, including the support of our regional dispatch center, The Metacomet Emergency Communications Center, play an important role in this rating.    

Below is information from the ISO Mitigation Public Protection Classification website:  https://www.isomitigation.com/

How Does PPC Information Affect Individual Insurance Policies?

Our Public Protection Classification (PPC®) information plays an important part in the decisions insurers make affecting the underwriting and pricing of property insurance. In fact, most U.S. insurance companies — including the largest ones — use PPC information in one or more of the following ways:

to identify opportunities for writing new business

to manage the quality of community fire protection across their book of business

to review loss experience in various rating territories

to offer coverages and establish deductibles for individual homes and businesses

Insurance companies — not us — establish the premiums they charge to policyholders. The methodology a company uses to calculate premiums for property insurance may depend on the company’s fire loss experience, underwriting guidelines, and marketing strategy.

Here are some general guidelines to help you understand the benefits of improved PPC ratings for residents and businesses:

PPC may affect the underwriting and pricing for a variety of personal and commercial insurance coverages, including homeowners, mobile home, fine arts floaters, and commercial property (including business interruption).

Assuming all other factors are equal, the price of property insurance in a community with a good PPC is lower than in a community with a poor PPC.