Insurance Service Office Rating

The Fort Mill Fire Department improved to a Class 2 after its latest Public Protection Classification (PPC) evaluation from the Insurance Service Office, Inc. (ISO).

ISO rates approximately 48,000 cities and communities nationwide on a scale of 1 to 10 with a rating of 1 being the best. Of these, 1,060 were ranked along with the Fort Mill Fire Department as a Class 2. Only 132 cities earned a higher rating of Class 1 as of 2015. Historically, communities strive to achieve "best in class", which is a Class 1 rating.

Rating Criteria

A community PPC rating is dependent upon:

• Needed Fire Flows - the amount of water necessary for fire suppression
• Emergency Communications - 911 Communications
• Fire Department
  • Equipment
  • Geographic distribution of fire companies
  • Operational considerations
  • Pre-incident planning
  • Staffing
  • Training
• Water Supply - Inspections and flow-testing of hydrants and alternative water supply available with the amount needed to suppress fires up to 3,500 gallons per minutes.
• Community Risk Reduction - Commercial building inspections, public fire safety education, fire investigation

Insurance Role

The ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) programs plays an important role in the underwriting process of insurance companies across the nation. PPC information plays a major role with insurance coverage and costs for home and commercial properties.

Improving the PPC from Class 4 to Class 2 may favorably affect commercial and residential property insurance rates.