SEARCY FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES ISO CLASS 1 RATING

The only service of its kind, the Insurance Services Office’s (ISO) purpose is to review and categorize a community’s ability to fight fires.  The ISO is in all 50 states and has information on more than 43,000 municipalities across the United States.

ISO measures major elements of a community’s fire suppression system, such as personnel training, manning levels of engine and ladder companies, water supply, and distribution systems, receiving and dispatching fire alarms, fire fighting equipment, needed fire flow, and fire company locations. The grade is broken down into three sections:

1.  Water system 40%
2.  Fire department 50%
3.  Communications receiving and handling alarms 10%

By analyzing the data and using criteria outlined in a rating schedule, a field analyst will produce a final classification number for a community.  Each of the 43,000 plus communities are graded from one (1) to ten (10), with one being the best.  This also would mean lower or higher insurance rates depending on the classification number. Presently, SFD is the only city fire department in the state to have received the ISO Class 1 rating.  The firefighters, administration and department personnel have worked diligently to achieve the class 1 rating and continue to work hard to sustain it.  It’s a great source of pride for the Searcy Fire Department and to the City of Searcy.