To establish fair insurance premiums for residential and commercial properties, insurance companies need reliable, up-to-date information about a community’s fire-protection services.  The Insurance Services Office’s Public Protection Classification program provides that information.  The Insurance Services Office (ISO) evaluates fire protection efforts in communities throughout the United States through their Public Protection Classification program.

A community's investment in fire protection is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses.  In each community, the ISO analyzes relevant data using their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).    The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule considers four main areas of a community’s fire suppression system: emergency communications; the local fire department’s operating procedures and firefighter training program; the water supply available for firefighting operations; and the fire department’s community risk reduction and fire prevention programs.  The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule employs nationally accepted standards developed by organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the American Water Works Association, and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International to create benchmarks and point-values for fire departments to achieve.  At the conclusion of an ISO evaluation, the sum of all benchmarks achieved is calculated and a Public Protection Classification value from 1 to 10 is assigned to each fire department.  Class 1 generally represents superior fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area's fire-suppression program doesn't meet the ISO’s minimum criteria.

By classifying a fire department's ability to suppress fires, the ISO helps communities evaluate their public fire protection services.  The program provides an objective, countrywide standard that helps fire departments in planning for facilities, equipment, manpower, and training.  Insurance companies generally offer lower premiums in communities with better protection ratings, thereby incentivizing and rewarding communities that choose to invest in their local fire department’s services.

Since 2016, the Pattonville Fire Protection District is very proud to have received a Public Protection Class 1 rating by the Insurance Services Office.  Our Class 1 rating was recently reaffirmed by an ISO evaluation conducted during 2021.  A Class 1 Public Protection Classification is a highly sought-after accomplishment that we are proud to have achieved on behalf of our community.  The ISO Class 1 designation is awarded to only two of the forty-two fire departments in St. Louis County (Pattonville Fire Protection District being one), only eight of the 1365 fire departments in Missouri, and only 503 of 37,983 fire departments nationwide.  Through the support of both our residents and committed workforce, the Pattonville Fire Protection District is devoted to doing Whatever It Takes to ensure that you continue to receive the very best and most responsible services possible.