The jump to a Public Protection Classification 2 rating from a Class 4 by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO) can make a real difference for residents and business owners.
"A community's investment in fire mitigation is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses," borough Fire Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg said. "Insurance companies use PPC information to help establish fair premiums for commercial and residential fire insurance, which generally offers lower premiums in communities with better protection.
"Many communities use the PPC as a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of their fire-protection services. The PPC program is also a tool that helps communities plan for, budget and justify improvements.”.
Only 24 of 676 career and volunteer fire departments in New Jersey have received the Class 2 rating, said Ehrenberg, who worked toward getting the ISO boost with Chief Fire Prevention Officer Kevin Sheehan, assisted by the borough’s other fire officers and inspectors.
“The classification revision follows a thorough evaluation of three broad areas: emergency communications, water supply and the fire department," he said.ISO rates municipalities on a scale of one to ten. A rating of one indicates the highest level of fire protection, while a ten shows what Ehrenberg called "an undeniable need" for improvement in all areas of public protection.
“ISO is a leading source of information about property/casualty insurance risk and currently evaluates 46,042 public fire service providers nationwide," the chief said. "Through the PPC program, ISO evaluates municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States.
Improving Paramus’s ISO fire rating among the 46,042 throughout the U.S. that are evaluated was one of the department’s top goals for 2018.
"Maintaining this status, until the next evaluation in about 5 years, remains a priority," Ehrenberg said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paramus and receive free news updates.