City of Clinton Fire Rating Improves From 5 to 4
Residents and Businesses Could See Insurance Rate Drop
The Clinton Fire Department's fire services rating from the Insurance Services Office using the Public Protection Classification system will drop from 5 to 4 effective immediately, according to a letter received in January from the Mississippi State Fire Ratings Bureau.
The Fire Ratings Bureau told the city its fire rating would be reviewed following the opening of Fire Station 4 on Pinehaven Road and the addition of hydrants and fire lines to annexed areas of north Clinton.
“I am extremely pleased to receive the lowered fire rating. This ratings drop follows four years of hard work and planning by city department heads. I especially want to commend Fire Chief Blackledge and Public Works Director Dexter Shelby for their commitment to improve our fire rating for Clinton residents and businesses,” stated Mayor Phil Fisher.
Public Protection Classification (PPC) is the countrywide classification system used by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to reflect a community's local fire protection for property insurance rating purposes. The public fire protection of a city, town or area is graded using ISO's Fire Suppression Rating Schedule to develop the community's classification.
ISO classifies communities from 1 (the best) to 10 (the worst) based on how well they score on the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, which grades such features as water distribution, fire department equipment and manpower and fire alarm facilities.
Classifications are based on a number of factors. Several factors taken into consideration when determining a classification are distance from houses to hydrants, stations, and strength of water service. A rating of four (4) refers to the classification of properties within five road miles of a fire station and within 1000 feet of a creditable water supply.
With the addition of fire lines and hydrants across the city on 2016, addition of a new fire truck and completion of Station 4 state ratings officials determined that the city met the existing criteria for a rating of four. With additional staffing, training and adoption of a new fire code, city officials anticipate that the rating could drop to a three (3).
An improved ISO rating can result in lowered premiums for home, property and commercial building insurance. Reductions will be dependent on several other variables and will vary by insurance company. The majority of insurance carriers give their best rate when the ISO rating is a Class 4 or better. The improved rating also serves to attract new development and businesses to our area.
“With the ratings drop, I anticipate savings for our residences and commercial properties. We will continue to work to improve the fire rating even lower to a three (3) in the next year,” Fisher added.
With the drop in the fire rating, Clinton joins several other cities in the state with a four rating, while surpassing several metro area cities in the rating of the fire serves to the community.
Fire Chief eff Blackledge encourages all residents and businesses to contact their insurance carrier to determine the impact of the new lowered ratings and potential drops in premiums for property insurance.
“While the insurance premiums drop is not guaranteed, I encourage each policy owner to contact their insurance agent to assess potential savings,” state Chief Blackledge.
Below is a partial list of fire ratings for departments in the state:
Class III
- Jackson Fire Dept.
- Gulfport Fire Dept.
- Biloxi Fire Dept.
- Southaven Fire Dept.
Class IV
- Clinton Fire Dept.
- Meridian Fire Dept.
- Starkville Fire Dept.
- Oxford Fire Dept.
- Tupelo Fire Dept.
- Greenwood Fire Dept.
- Olive Branch Fire Dept.
- Hattiesburg Fire Dept.
- Grenada Fire Dept.
- Flowood Fire Dept.
Class V
- Ridgeland Fire Dept.
- Brandon Fire Dept.
- Reservoir Fire Dept.
- Richland Fire Dept.
- Corinth Fire Dept.
- Collins Fire Dept.
- Vicksburg Fire Dept.
- Pearl Fire Dept.
- Laurel Fire Dept.