Fire Department

WEBB CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

INSURANCE SERVICES ORGANIZATION RATING

 Insurance Services Organization, commonly known as ISO had not been to Webb City in approximately 15 years. The Fire Department had wanted to get the ISO rating reduced but knew there wasn’t much of a chance to do so while we were running an ambulance service. The department just did not have the manpower or funding to do so.

The ISO rating is the measuring tool used by Insurance Companies to set rates for Homeowner’s and Businesses. The lower the rating the better the rates.

All the while we were testing hydrants, inspecting buildings, testing hose, keeping records and doing all the things we were capable of  and run an ambulance service.

The city went out of the ambulance business a little over three years ago and we were able to become a full time Fire Department. Now we were able to concentrate on trying to get better Insurance rates for the city.

 The city had an ISO rating of 7 during the years before 2005.  In October of 2004 the Fire Department requested ISO to come to Webb City and see if we had done enough to lower the city’s rating.

 May 19, 2005 the City Administrator and Fire Department were notified that our ISO classification was lowered to a 5 rating. Along with this notification were classification details showing where we needed improvements to obtain a lower rating.

With funding provided by the City of Webb City and approved by the City Council

The Fire Department was able to purchase all required ISO equipment for each truck, we purchased 5” hose for the apparatus, increased our pre-fire planning, increased the number of training hours per man, started hydrant testing twice a year instead of once.

The city added or replaced approximately 50 fire hydrants to our water system.

The Firefighters built a five story training tower mostly with donations and minimal funding from the city. This was a major undertaking. The big purchase was an additional Engine which was needed in our last grading. There is so much more that goes into getting rates lowered I could bore people to death with the facts. Let’s move on.

In July 2007 the Fire Department once again put in a request for ISO to come and re-grade our Fire Department. Our request was granted and John Stack a Field Representative from ISO came back to re-grade our department in October 2007.

John told us if we had not been notified as to our new rating by February 1, 2008 to give him a call and he would have the information. John was called and we received the good news that Webb City would have a rating of Three (3) beginning June 1 2008.

 

E. Goad