News Release - ISO Ranks Rochester as Class 1 City for Fire Protection

City of Rochester

News Release 

(Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today that the national Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO) has ranked Rochester as a Class 1 city for fire protection, which can lead to lower insurance rates for homes and businesses.

“This independent evaluation assures our citizens and business owners that we are not only making them as safe from fire as we possibly can, but we’re also doing everything we can to keep their insurance rates as low as possible,” said Mayor Warren. “Anyone who chooses to invest in our city now has more confidence that those investments are safe and City services can lead to lower costs. That confidence will open the door to increased investment, which leads to more jobs for our citizens.”

The ISO is a private risk-assessment firm that provides insurance carriers with an independent evaluation of a municipality’s ability to mitigate fire loss. The evaluation considers the full range of firefighting and fire-safety activities, including code enforcement, community education, emergency response times and the availability of water.

In addition to the work of Fire Department, the ISO evaluated the ability of Office of Emergency Communications to quickly and accurately dispatch fire-related calls and the Department of Environmental Service’s Bureau of Water to supply more than 4,000 fire hydrants with a steady flow of water with enough pressure to fight a fire.

The Fire Department was graded on a wide range of activities, including training requirements; station location and personnel deployment; and the quality and maintenance of its equipment. The Fire Marshal’s office was also graded for fire prevention and code enforcement.

Rochester was awarded 94 out of a possible 105 points, making it one of just 144 out of 47,500 fire districts in the United States and Canada to receive more than 90 points and earn ISO’s Class 1 designation. Rochester is now one of four Class 1 cities in New York State.

The Mayor’s decision to reestablish a true Community Outreach Unit, with firefighters dedicated full time to fire prevention and safety, also played a major role in the grade. Rochester scored 5.04 out of 5.5 points for Community Risk Reduction activities.

Rochester had been a Class 2 city prior to its most recent evaluation. The new rating will take effect March 1 – when insurance companies can begin to account for the status in their risk assessments of Rochester properties. Home owners could see an average 1 to 2 percent reduction in insurance costs and businesses could see a 2 to 4 percent reduction.

The Rochester Fire Department will continue to work with the ISO on additional evaluations that can lead to lower costs.

-30-

News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo at 428-7135.