The ISO (Insurance Services Office) makes a survey which enables the insurance companies writing “fire insurance” to have a “Number” (called the Public Protection Classification [PPC]). The survey is made using the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule which is published by ISO. This “Number” is used to base the premium that is paid by all owners of structures within the graded area of the survey. The survey will be made of the existing conditions and situations involving the three areas of the ISO survey: receiving and handling of alarms, the fire department, and the water supply(ies) available to the fire department in the area being surveyed. Although the water system(s) surveyed provide(s) water for consumption to residential and commercial customers, the ISO survey shows the capability of the system(s) to provide the calculated amount of water available for fire suppression purposes. The methods used for calculation are the same as those used by the ISO personnel when they perform their survey using the same Rating Schedule named above.
The use of the pre-ISO survey will enable the personnel that are involved with the survey three areas mentioned to determine whether progress can be made for the varying types of “improvements” that are listed; these listed improvements will enable the calculated numerical score to be improved. A listing of improvements which can be made to obtain additional points in the survey will be provided for each of the three areas. The potential of the costs that this will entail can be made based on the improvements listed. This will usually allow the PPC to be lowered and thereby afford all property owners within coverage of the fire department's surveyed boundary of response, to obtain a lower insurance premium. Meetings will be arranged to gather information from, the fire department, the water system(s) personnel, and the personnel involved with the receiving and handling of alarms (alerting and dispatching) of the fire department. Although many governments have established a 9-1-1 Center, any and all dispatching locations are surveyed ONLY for their ability to communicate with the fire department, regardless of any other agencies with which they regularly contact and communicate.
It will be of extreme benefit if the fire department has on file the Improvement Statement from ISO which covers their last survey. From this statement, progress since the last survey of all three elements involved can be made; this information is very valuable prior to the initiation of the survey.
The basic type of pre-survey is the one most often performed. A fire department was surveyed some years previously, and has made some improvement on the status of one or more of the criteria in the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule that existed at the time of that survey. The department desires to determine the classification they would receive should ISO make a survey at this present time, and/or they desire to determine what has to be done for them to attain a specific “number” rating based on “where we are now.” The use of the same Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, the same grading process used by ISO, and the present calculated results, will provide an idea of the current classification. To provide these results, I will need the results of the previous survey: i .e. the Improvement Statement. It will improve the knowledge for the survey if both the Hydrant Flow Data Summary sheet AND the Needed Fire Flow report (the new term for the old Batch) were available. Should one or any of these are not available, it / they can be obtained as follows:
Request by phone, or by letterhead Improvement Statement MUST be requested by head of government entity
Needed Fire Flow Report and Hydrant Date Flow Summary sheet can be requested by Fire Chief
The information needed (above); name the coverage area desired (City of ...., County [or other designated governing district name] of ......., and state)
City request will have only city address structures; County (or whatever the designated governing name may be) will have ALL the structures listed
Mr. Kevin Gimeno
Community Mitigation Analyst
Insurance Services Office, Inc.
4 B Eves Drive, Suite 200
Marlton, NJ 08053
856-985-5600 Ext 430 Fax is the same first 6, then 2511
e-mail: kgimeno@iso.com
Your return packet may come from a different address. Based on present situations, I would advise a call then a FAX. Plan on calling back if you have not received anything within 2-3 weeks. By providing a letter to me stating that I am a consultant providing this service to you, I can obtain this information from ISO if you so choose. However, regardless of the existing situation with these records, I will gather survey information on what is presently in place. As we proceed, I will keep all the personnel involved up to date on what is gathered. All Items will be addressed in the completed survey report as well as the following conditions and any others that the department (Chief) desires to be made known to the local government officials in the final report. See also last paragraph on page 3.
As progress is being made and information gathered I will keep all personnel up to date on what is gathered. All Items in the Schedule will be addressed in the completed survey report as well as the following listed conditions and any others that the department (Chief) desires to be made known to the local government officials in the final report. The following can be addressed in the completed survey report based on the desires of the Chief:
Review and Analyze current Fire Protection Program so as to establish a baseline from which improvements can be made
identify changes within the fire agency organizational structure staffing apparatus and equipment training fire prevention automatic aid agreements data management (if applicable)
identity community characteristics growth and development target hazards and risks
Review and Analyze current Emergency Communications Program within the context of Receiving and Handling Fire Alarms
Report on the Water Supply portion of Rating Schedule as it relates to the supply of water for fire suppression use; this available supply is in addition to the consumption needs of its customers. The capability of providing the Needed Fire Flow water supply (fire suppression) where required, and the hydrant system required to deliver those flows are brought out. Portions of these requirements will be met by conduction water flows at the test tests.
Comments will be made on the condition of the hydrants and the flowing of the hydrants as credited by ISO.
As noted above, the final comprehensive report will provide a detailed description of the findings of the survey as well as provide recommendations to achieve fire department goals and objectives that the initial request to us sets forth in terms of achieving a desired classification rating.
Some of these may have been covered within the body of the report as they do deal with point credit in the Rating Schedule, however, a more detailed explanation of the importance of the particular need can be brought forth here.