Special to 1808Delaware
The Westerville Division of Fire (WFD) has received a class 1 Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) rating following an evaluation and assessment of the department. ISO rates fire departments/districts on a 10-point scale, with class 1 being the best rating and class 10 being the worst. The announcement upgrades WFD’s rating from a class 2, which has held steady since 2015.
ISO is a standardized, national rating system that evaluates and assigns a number on its scale regarding the condition of the community’s fire protection systems. WFD is in the top one percent of departments in the nation to have earned a class 1 designation; only 411 out of more than 48,000 fire departments hold it. In the state of Ohio, Westerville is one of only six departments or districts to achieve the class 1 rating.
“A better insurance rating is money saved for the residents and businesses in Westerville and Blendon Township,” said Fire Chief Brian Miller. “The industry will take this information into consideration when quoting home and business insurance rates. We’re incredibly proud to have this to offer to the community we serve.”
WFD provides fire protection and emergency medical service to the City of Westerville and Blendon Township, a district of nearly 20 square miles and approximately 50,000 residents.
ISO ratings provide guidance to insurance underwriters related to property risks associated with fire protection services. In addition to validating the quality of the department, this rating goes directly to the property insurance premiums insurers charge residential and commercial customers. ISO’s analysis considers suppression capabilities (staffing, equipment and station locations), fire prevention and code enforcement, training, emergency communications, building codes and the quality of the water distribution system.
