The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) is a manual containing the criteria ISO uses in reviewing the fire prevention and fire suppression capabilities of individual communities or fire protection areas. The evaluation includes the fire department, water supply system, emergency communications, and community efforts to reduce the risk of fire.More>>
Iso Community Mitigation Classification Manual
ISO has introduced Class 8B for communities that cannot meet the minimum 250 gpm uninterrupted flows for a two-hour duration in all or a part of their fire-protection area. To achieve a Class 8B classification, you must be able to deliver 200 gpm, uninterrupted, for 20 minutes within five minutes of arrival of the first apparatus at the fire. In addition, your community must score at least five points out of 10 on Receiving and Handling of Fire Alarms and at least 20 points out of 50 on the Fire Department evaluation.
Any community CRS Coordinator that has experienced a major flood knows first-hand about the all-consuming reorientation of community priorities as the community responds to the immediate needs of its residents, helps in recovery, and undertakes mitigation opportunities. The CRS program recognizes the demands upon the CRS Coordinator during these times, and has prepared this fact sheet to highlight common CRS themes that arise during the recovery after a major flood.
When ISO develops a single Public Protection Classification (PPC) for a community, all community properties receive that classification. However, in many communities, we develop split classifications, which we revised in 2013 to reflect the risk of loss more precisely. An example of the split classification is 4/4X or 4/4Y. The first number refers to the classification of properties within 5 road miles of a fire station and within 1,000 feet of a creditable water supply. The second number, with either the X or Y designation, applies to properties within 5 road miles of a fire station but beyond 1,000 feet of a creditable water supply. ISO generally assigns Class 10 to properties beyond 5 road miles.
The X and Y classifications replace the former 9 and 8B portions of a split classification, respectively. For example, a community formerly graded as a split 6/9 will change to a split 6/6X. Similarly, a community formerly graded as a split 6/8B classification will change to a split 6/6Y classification. Those designations reflect a reduction in fire severity and loss and have the potential to reduce property insurance premiums.
During an evaluation, we collect a variety of information and use it to produce two types of data: Protection Class (PC) and Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) classifications. The PC data describes a community's fire-defense capabilities, and the BCEGS data describes its building code effectiveness and enforcement practices. Most insurance companies use our data to evaluate property risk. For those companies using our Protection Class (PC) data, it is essential for setting fire insurance premiums. Fire service professionals and other community officials participate in our evaluation process. They can use our data to identify ways to improve their fire-defense capabilities and build code effectiveness and enforcement. Insurance consumers don't participate in the evaluation process, but our work helps give them confidence their property insurance premiums are set using fair, objective data.Evaluating communities and determining PC and BCEGS classifications are not all we at WSRB do. Our entire organization is dedicated to producing accurate, unbiased data that helps reduce the loss of life and property in Washington state.
As part of our evaluations, we also gather information on building code effectiveness and enforcement to produce a Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS) classification, which helps insurers evaluate property risk. The BCEGS classification system emphasizes building code requirements for mitigating losses from natural hazards. A community with practical, well-enforced, and up-to-date buildings should experience fewer losses when an earthquake, tornado, or other catastrophe strikes, and the community's property owners may pay lower insurance rates. To produce BCEGS classifications, we collect information from building officials and others through questionnaires, phone interviews, and/or in-person visits. Learn more about the BCEGS evaluation process.Insurers can use BCEGS data to better understand the properties they're considering insuring and to set accurate premiums. The BCEGS classification for a community ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating exemplary code enforcement and 10 indicating no recognizable code enforcement.The BCEGS classification for an individual building depends on two factors: its location and its year of completion. To look up the BCEGS classification for a building, you'll need both of those pieces of information. Find out more about BCEGS classifications and how to look them up on our website here.
A review of the emergency communications systems accounts for 10 points of the total classification. The review focuses on the community's facilities and support for handling and dispatching alarms for structure fires.
A review of the fire department accounts for 50 points of the total classification. ISO focuses on a community's fire suppression capabilities. We measure suppression capabilities based on the fire department's first-alarm response and initial attack to minimize potential loss. Here, ISO reviews such items as engine companies, ladder or service companies, deployment of fire companies, equipment carried on apparatus, pumping capacity, reserve apparatus, company personnel, and training.
A review of the water supply system accounts for 40 points of the total classification. ISO evaluates the community's water supply system to determine the adequacy for fire suppression purposes. We also consider hydrant size, type, and installation, as well as the frequency and completeness of hydrant inspection and flow-testing programs. 2ff7e9595c
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