Hot Springs fire rating a winner

Following a recent Public Protection Classification (PPC) evaluation by the ISO (Insurance Services Office), the Hot Springs Fire Department has been informed that it has retained its Class 2 fire rating, which in turn helps reduce insurance rates for city residents.   ISO is the largest and most frequently consulted organization in the nation when it comes to determining a community’s fire risk profile.

A city’s fire rating, as designated by the ISO, is the primary means by which many insurance companies determine the cost of fire insurance rates. The ISO rating is based upon the quality of the three primary segments of a community’s fire defense system: the fire department, water utility and how the community receives and handles fire alarms. Each of these segments is evaluated independently, scored then added together to produce an overall rating. The score produced from the ratings tabulation determines the cities assigned fire risk classification.

There are ten rating classifications that a community can be assigned. These classifications range from a Class 1 Fire Rating, which is achieved when a community receives a composite score between 90 and 100 points, to a Class 10 rating where 0 points are earned because there is no fire station within five miles of the rated property. During this year’s ISO evaluation, Hot Springs scored 86.66 out of a possible 100 points, increasing the city’s composite score by more than five points over the last survey, which was conducted in 2003.