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Forest Bend Fire Department
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WHAT IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY!
Recently the Forest Bend Volunteer Fire Department achieved a lower ISO rating classification from a CLASS 6 to a CLASS 3. What does that mean for the residents of Heritage Park and surrounding community? Simply better fire protection, water distribution system, and an emergency communication center, plus saving on fire insurance for most of our residents whose insurance companies recognizes the ISO classification rating system.
For the past two years, the fire department as a whole has worked very hard on gaining a lower classification by ordering new equipment, maintaining/testing existing fire equipment, and obtaining hundreds of training hours. These are just a few of the many areas that were improved before the external evaluation was performed.
Our goal now is to further increase the community's public protection and lower the insurance rates by obtaining a CLASS 2 rating. The method we are pursuing is to purchase a new fire truck. Currently, the fire department receives $5.85 per month per household unit which is collected by MUD #55. Recently, MUD #55 approved an increase for the fire department fee by $0.15 per household, bring the total amount per month to $6.00.
There are two letters about the community's new ISO classification. You may have already benefited from the new lowered ISO classification as a saving in home owner's insurance premium. You may also want to provide a copy of the TEXAS DEPARTMENT of INSURANCE letter to your insurance company and inquire about a lower premium.
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW AND PRINT FOR YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE letter
INSURANCE SERVICES OFFICE, INC. letter
Please share your comments and questions with us. Your participation in the community only helps you and your family. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail or call and speak to the Fire Chief or President of The Forest Bend Fire Department. For more information, visit the ISO homepage. Thank you for your support.
Fire Chief's Office: 281-996-9206
WHAT IS ISO AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) is a for profit monopoly that is authorized by 48 state legislatures to rate community fire defenses. They sell the collected data to the insurance industry for the purposes of establishing insurance rates. The ISO audit is a totally open book test. The ISO rating sets commercial, contents, homeowner, crop and rental insurance rates. The ISO rates communities every 15 years. The ISO rating is the reason fire insurance rates are so high in the community.
1) A review of the communications and dispatch facilities.
2)
A review of the water supply and distribution system.
3)
A review of the fire department.
4)
And awards a community wide grade that is combined from the three above.
The
community wide grade has a 100 point score and is made up of: communications
which counts for 10%; water supply which totals 40% and the fire department
which is worth 50%. As you can see
it is not just a fire department grade.
The grading audit simply measures compliance to the national minimum standards in the respective areas. Examples of questions asked are: Can a caller find the fire department phone number in the phonebook? Does the water system match the needed fire flow requirements of the buildings in the department? Are your ladders long enough to reach the buildings you protect? Do you test your fire hydrants? Are your fire stations properly located? Are there enough hydrants in the right areas? Do you have the correct mix of fire apparatus?
The
grade is presented in a Class 1 to Class 10 format with Class 1 being the best
and Class 10 being the worst. A
Class 1 department pays the lowest possible rates and scores 90% or better on
meeting the national standards in communications, fire department, and water
supply. A Class 5 pays medium rates
and meets 50% to 60% of the standards. A
Class 9 is the worst grade for any form of recognized fire protection and only
scores 10% to 20%. Class
10 is an area with no formal fire department. The insurance
industry has made it clear that cities that offer high levels of fire protection
services will pay less insurance than communities that offer low or mediocre
levels of protection.
Realtors
and developers use ISO data that is readily available to the public to determine
which communities are the friendliest to their customers.
For example, the increase in the mortgage payment caused by higher
insurance premiums is the difference in buying a "fixer upper" or a
starter home or a mobile home versus renting an apartment.
Realtors make their money on the value of the home sold.
Obviously, they will double their efforts to sell the more expensive home
for the same monthly payment. This
might mean ignoring one town for another with a better rating.
In some cases insurance is so high the buyer cannot qualify for a loan.
To a developer, the rating difference can determine the community they
select. Many communities use the
ISO grade as a marketing tool to compete with other communities/cities in the
area.
