What is ISO?

The Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) is a non-profit, private insurance industry service organization that furnishes technical services to property and casualty insurance companies in the United States. Most states depend on ISO for establishing the fire protection ratings of the various fire suppression departments. The fire protection rating is used in the process of determining homeowner and business insurance rates.

ISO establishes a numerical public protection classification (rating) for a fire department that is between 1 and ten. Class one is rated as best, while Class 10 is considered as no protection. The protection classification grades the combined effectiveness of the communications (or 911) center, the fire department, and the water system.

Why Hire a Consultant?

Typically, cities, districts, and organizations hire consultants to assist them in making decisions involving considerable expense or complexity. They have discovered that the nominal expense of a consultant outweighs the risk of making poor or uniformed choices. A knowledgeable consultant may be able to provide a low cost option to improving your community’s insurance rating. The ISO System is a complex fire protection evaluation in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance premiums are at stake. Lower insurance rates help taxpaying citizens and businesses, and improves the economic vitality of the community.