The St. Charles Fire Department once again has been awarded a Public Protection Class 1 rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The Department first achieved this elite rating in 2015, and is honored to maintain this elite status as an ISO Class 1 Fire Department.
The ISO evaluation process includes multiple sections and subsections to provide a thorough review of the fire protection capabilities and actual performance. Protection classes are graded on a scale from 1 to 10, with Class 1 being the best rating possible. This rating places St. Charles in the top 1.5% in Illinois, where only 27 of 1772 fire departments have earned ISO Class 1. Nationwide, this distinction places us in the top 1% of the 39,200 fire departments in the country to achieve ISO Class 1.
“Achieving a Class 1 rating demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest levels of service to our community,” said Fire Chief Scott Swanson. “I appreciate the professionalism and dedication of the members of our Fire Department, as well as the combined efforts and cooperation of the Public Works Water Division and Tri-Com Central Dispatch. When these three components work so well together, we are able to achieve a superior level of fire safety and protection.”
Communities with better fire protection ratings generally have lower insurance premium costs, according to ISO. The insurance losses bear out the relationship between excellent fire protection, as measured by the PPC program, and lower fire losses experienced by the residents and businesses within a community.
