Insurance Service Office Rating
ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC™) program analyzes the quality of fire protection in thousands of communities around the nation. A PPC of 1 represents a superior level of property fire protection.
The Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) is proud of its Insurance Service Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) score of a 1. The department has had this score since January 2014. The score plays a role in how insurance companies - including the largest companies in the nation - figure rates and decision making in regards to who they underwrite for insurance. It also impacts economic development.
The score, based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 representing the highest level of fire suppression standards and 10 indicating no recognized fire protection, is produced by ISO through an extensive evaluation process. The department’s services, response times, equipment, personnel, training efforts, community risk reduction, and more are evaluated to develop a final score. That score in turn provides insurers and the fire department a comprehensive measure to rate the quality of the fire protection they provide. In Lakeland’s case, it’s PPC score of 1 indicates that the Lakeland Fire Department provides the highest level of service.
Communities with an ISO 1 rating in the entire United States as of Aug 2021.
Communities with an ISO 1 rating in the State of Florida as of Aug 2021.
Public Protection Classification (PPC)
What is PPC?
The Public Protection Classification (PPC) is provided by Verisk, a data analytics company that specializes in protecting people, property, and financial assets around the world. Verisk derives Public Protection Classification (PPC) grades from the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) — a schedule that ISO developed and uses to review the fire suppression capabilities of communities. The PPC grading system provides information on the level of public fire protection in communities across the United States. To determine a community’s PPC, field staff survey the emergency communications system, fire department, and water supply of a community.
A PPC of 1 represents a superior level of property fire protection. A PPC of 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program doesn’t meet our minimum criteria.
How do insurers use PPC information?
Insurers use PPC information in many ways. PPC can help determine how much to charge for coverage: If a community has a lower PPC, its property owners, both commercial and residential, usually pay lower premiums, assuming everything else is equal. Insurers can manage the quality of fire protection across their book of business and even identify opportunities for writing new business.
What factors does ISO use to determine a PPC?
PPC is based primarily on the quality of a community’s fire department (50 points), water supply (40 points), and emergency communications (10 points). For example, when a fire department is evaluated, Verisk looks at equipment, staffing, training, and geographic deployment of fire companies. When they evaluate water supply, they inspect hydrants and conduct flow tests. For emergency communications, they evaluate dispatch facilities. A community’s fire prevention, public fire education, and fire investigation efforts, are also analyzed, which together account for an additional 5.5 points (out of a total 105.5 available points).