The Stevens Point Fire Department (SPFD) announced Tuesday, June 6, it has received a higher Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating which will save taxpayers of Stevens Point, residential and commercial alike, money on their insurance premiums.

Previously, the SPFD had a rating of Class 3, but after a push in optimizing its systems, equipment and infrastructure, it has earned its place among the 1,324 Class 2 fire departments in the nation. Only 241 fire departments are listed as Class 1.

Because of the higher classification, insurance companies will deem local businesses and residential properties at less of a risk, reducing insurance premiums as a result.

“When we go from a Class 3 to a Class 2, some businesses can save upwards of 3 percent on their insurance premiums. I talked to some insurance companies and some of the insurance policies in the city could save companies somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000 annually,” said Fire Chief Robert Finn.

Finn said homeowners will also see savings, but he doesn’t have specific figures to announce because it depends on individual homeowner insurance policies.

“Homeowners will see some savings, I just don’t know how much,” he said.

“The fire department being an ISO Class 2 actually benefits every single property owner in the city and even outside the city in the metro district,” said Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza. “I think it’s a huge testament to the wildly-successful fire department we have, and I commend each and every one of those people for helping us achieve this ISO Class 2 rating.”

ISO currently evaluates more than 46,000 fire departments nationwide and the Stevens Point Fire Department has scored in the top 3 percent. The rating reflects the hard work and dedication of the Stevens Point Fire Department, the Stevens Point Water Department, the city of Stevens Point and the Portage County Dispatch Center, officials said. The new public protection classification (PPC) rating will become effective Aug. 1.

Fire departments across the nation are rated by the ISO to determine a PPC for individual cities or counties. This rating is published by the ISO and used by insurance companies to determine insurance rates. The ISO schedule develops a PPC number on a relative scale from one to 10, with one being the very best and 10 representing less than minimum recognized fire protection.

Most U.S. insurers of homes and business property use the PPC in calculating premiums. In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC.

“This is major news for every home owner and business owner. If you buy fire insurance, you’re going to see a significant reduction in the cost of that insurance because of years of hard work,” said Gary Wescott, Police and Fire Commission president.

When the ISO evaluates a fire department’s capabilities, it uses a Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), which employs nationally accepted standards developed by such organizations as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International.

The Stevens Point Fire Department recently asked for a reevaluation because of recent updates to its entire system.

“Usually, you only move up one or two points. We asked for a reevaluation right when I was made chief because (former fire) chief (Tracey) Kujawa brought us up. We moved up over 10 points,” Finn said.

Finn said the success of the system is due to the commitment from city leadership, the Police and Fire Commission, the Portage County Communications Center and the Utilities Department.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Mayor (Andrew) Halverson was the big push behind this because he knew this could possibly attract businesses to the city,” Finn said.

“This is a major economic development tool that has been added to (Director of Community Development Michael) Ostrowski’s arsenal to attract those thriving, growing corporations to Stevens Point because they look at things like this,” Wescott said.

The FSRS considers three main areas of a community’s fire suppression capabilities including emergency communications (911 call center), the fire department and water supply.

In addition, it includes a community risk reduction section that recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education and fire investigation.

Key elements considered when evaluating a fire department include response capabilities, which includes adequate staffing of fire service personnel on engine crews and ladder companies, fire station distribution (location and coverage), appropriate apparatus and equipment, training, water supplies, organizational structure, communications and building/fire prevention codes and the effectiveness of the enforcement of those codes.

Starting in July of 2017, the Stevens Point Fire Department recommends that all property and business owners within the city of Stevens Point contact their insurance agents to inform the insurance companies of this important ISO rating change for possible savings on their insurance premiums.

“The important thing to remember is this doesn’t take effect until August, but homeowners should contact their insurance company and let them know because the insurance company might not know the insurance rating has changed. So, it’s up to the homeowner to ask for that discount,” Wiza said.

Finn also said the SPFD has all the necessary resources budgeted to maintain the rating, and Stevens Point is actually very close to a Class 1 rating, but has some more work to do first.