Fire Dept achieves ISO Class 1 rating

Fire Chief James McLaughlin and Joseph Pasco, Northeast Manager of ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.), presented the upgraded rating of an ISO Class 1 to the Town Council on April 6th, 2022.  The Franklin Fire Department will move to the ISO Class 1 rating effective July 1st, 2022.  The ISO Class 1 rating from the Public Protection Classification is the highest rating attainable.

Franklin will be the 9th Fire Department in Massachusetts, only the 15th Fire Department in New England, and 459th in the Nation to obtain this rating.  This is out of over 45,000 fire departments rated nationally.  The Public Protection Classification goes from 1 to 10.  Class 1 represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet minimum criteria. 

This rating is based on strict criteria developed and assessed by the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).  ISO provides data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry.  Most U.S. insurers use the Public Protection Classification information as part of their decision making on offering coverage and the fees charged for the coverage of personal or commercial property insurance.  It is estimated that the improvement of each rating on the scale of 1-10 helps save property owners 7-15% on insurance.

Please note that the insurance policy holder must contact their insurance company to inquire about any savings.  Not every insurance company may use this rating. 

The formal notification can be found on the Town of Franklin page   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/iso_town_of_franklin_letter.pdf

The ISO Class 1 rating from the Public Protection Classification is the highest rating attainable

Some of the factors graded include:
- Emergency Communications
- The Fire Department
- Water Supply
- Community Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Fire
 
It is important to note that the Town of Franklin Water Department is instrumental in this rating as 40% is based on the Town Water Supply.  Additionally, communications, including the support of our regional dispatch center, The Metacomet Emergency Communications Center, play an important role in this rating.    
 
Below is information from the ISO Mitigation Public Protection Classification website:  https://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/

Fire Dept achieves ISO Class 1 rating