Normal Fire Department ISO Rating
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) surveys communities on a regular basis to determine the Public Protection Classification for the fire protection services protecting the community. The Public Protection Classification is used to gauge the ability of a local fire department to respond to fires. A Community's fire protection information is collected and analyzed by ISO using its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. A classification of 1 to 10 is then assigned based upon the results of the survey. Class 1 is the best rating, and Class 10 is basically an indication of no fire protection. The ISO Public Protection Classification is used by the Insurance industry in determining insurance premiums for many properties within the community.
A variety of areas are examined when ISO conducts their survey. They look at the community's water supply, dispatch (communications) center, and fire department. Each entity receives a rating, and in the end those ratings are considered together to determine the final Public Protection Classification.
As a result of the ISO Survey conducted in October, 2006, the Town of Normal has been awarded a Class 2 rating. ISO has collected information from approximately 46,700 jurisdictions across the nation. On the ISO website, 453 jurisdictions are rated as Class 2, and only 48 communities are rated as Class 1. This puts Normal in the top one per cent nationwide.
The Normal Fire Department is proud of the improved Class 2 rating, and is grateful for the cooperation received from the Town of Normal Water Department and Metcomm (the Countywide dispatch center. As a result of everyone working together, we were able to improve our overall classification.
To learn more about how Normal's ISO rating compares to other municipalities in Illinois and across the country, please click on the following links to the ISO mitigation website: