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The
Glynn County Fire Department saves more than Life and Property,
they also provide a financial savings to the property owners of
Glynn County. This savings is realized in the insurance premiums
paid by property owners countywide. Most insurance companies
utilize the services of an independent organization, the
Insurance Services Organization, commonly referred to as the
ISO, to assist them with rates and claim risks pertaining to
many aspects of insurance coverage to include standardized
statistical information about a fire departments fire protection
capabilities. This protection capability is defined as the
department’s Public Protection Classification (PPC). This
classification, commonly referred to as a fire departments’
ISO classification, is in the form of a standardized scale
ranging 1 to 10, with 1 being the best possible rating and 10
being un-rated. This scale allows insurance companies to compare
the fire protection capabilities of different departments and is
used to determine the insurance risks and ultimately the
insurance premiums for a specific community.
The
ISO conducts regularly scheduled inspections of fire departments
to determine if the current PPC has remained the same or
changed. In addition to the regularly scheduled inspections,
departments may voluntarily request an inspection if they feel
that they have improved their protection capabilities and that
their classification should reflect the improvement. The Glynn
County Fire Department has requested this voluntary inspection,
tentatively scheduled February 2003, with the desire of saving
the citizens of Glynn County money on their insurance premiums.
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Glynn-Brunswick 911
Communications Center
In
order to standardize the classification of fire departments the
ISO determines a Fire Department’s PPC by evaluating the
departments ability in three areas; first and counting for 50%
of the total grade is the departments engine companies, as well as training and
personnel responses. Second, and counting for 40% of the grade
is the communities’ water supply and the ability for a
department to provide sufficient water to a location during a
predetermined time period. And third, counting for 10% of the
total evaluation grade is the departments’ dispatch and communications
center and their ability to process emergency calls. These three
vital areas are evaluated to determine a fire department’s
Public Protection Classification.
The
Glynn County Fire Departments’ current ISO classification is 5
in areas with water supplies and a classification of 9 in the
outlying areas of the County without water supply. This
classification, referred to as a split classification, provides
information for insurance companies that define the departments
fire protection capabilities throughout the unincorporated
portion of Glynn County. The improvements that the department is
currently undertaking are being done with the desire of
improving the classification from a class 5/9 to a class of 4/9
or better.
The
Glynn County Fire Department, has been, and, is currently
undertaking many improvements, such as the construction of a
training tower, additional manpower and equipment, proper and
enhanced documentation of all activities, to include personnel
and infrastructure, all with the intention of improving our
current ISO classification and the quality of protection
provided the citizens of Glynn County. As with any capital
improvement these improvements place a financial burden on the
funds allocated to the fire department in the annual budget.
Many of the major capital improvements, recently completed, were
funded by the Special Local Option Sales Tax or SPLOST. However,
many of these projects receive their funding, along with the
day-to-day operation of the department, from the taxes collected
on property located in Glynn County. These same taxpayers are
the ones that will benefit from the savings on their property
insurance premiums as a result of these improvements.
Graph
indicates what a homeowner can expect to pay in taxes as well as
a comparison of projected savings in insurance premiums once the
ISO classification is improved.
As
the graph indicates once the Departments PPC rating is improved
the citizens of Glynn County should see a reduction in their
homeowners insurance premiums. This reduction will more than
offset the expenses that the department is incurring in order to
achieve this goal. In addition to the financial savings that
property owners will realize on their insurance premiums, the
improved public protection classification will reflect the
ability of the Department to provide the fire protection
capabilities that the community expects.
For
additional information on the Insurance Services Organization,
Public Protection Classification and the Glynn County Fire
Departments’ ISO Reduction efforts, please visit these web pages:
1.
Insurance Services Organization - http://www.iso.com/
2.
Public Protection Classification - http://www.iso.com/catalog/docs/prod036.htm
3.
ISO - Mitigation Online
4.
ISO -
Mitigation Online FAQ
5.
ISO
- Mitigation Online – Georgia
6.
Glynn
County Fire Department - Aggressive ISO Reduction
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