ISO PPC Fire Department Rating

November 6, 2015

The Middlefield Fire Department, was inspected in 2015 and received an ISO PPC (Public Protection Classification) rating of “3”. This is an improvement from the last department rating which was a “5.”

ISO is an independent organization which evaluates the quality of a community’s fire protection service. It does so by using a PPC system incorporating standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association and the American Water Works Association.

The Department’s ISO inspection evaluated the following:

Fire Department
The score awarded during the fire department inspection represents 50% of the overall PPC score. Inspectors rate a department in several areas including: the staffing and training of its personnel; the number, types, and pumping capacity of the apparatus available for firefighting; and the distribution of its fire stations.

Water supply
The community’s water supply accounts for 40% of the PPC score. The inspection will review all aspects of the local water supply system, including production, storage, water transmission lines, and water pressure. A critical portion of this review includes the number, location and ongoing maintenance of fire hydrants.

Fire Alarm and Communications Systems
The final 10% of the PPC score is based upon a review of the community’s facilities and support for handling and dispatching fire alarms.

Insurance companies often price property insurance based upon the PPC rating assigned to a community. PPC ratings range from “1” which is the best possible score to “10” which is the lowest possible score. All fifty states use a variation of the PPC rating system.