Birmingham Fire Department rating increases

For the first time in 18 years, the Birmingham Fire Department five-year insurance services office (ISO) review resulted in an increase rating to a new class 2 rating, up from its previous class 3 rating.

ISO ratings are graded 1-10, with 1 being the best.

The fire department said this improvement is a great accomplishment, as it now makes them among the top 1.5 percent of all fire departments in Michigan.

“I am extremely proud of the department’s dedicated personnel who put in the hard work that is required to achieve the training and preparedness scores on this review,” said Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells. “I would also like to thank the residents, city staff, and commissioners for the support to help grow the department and provide the equipment necessary to meet our department goals.”

ISO measures a fire department’s ability through their fire suppression rating schedule (FSRS) review manual. The FSRS considers three main areas of a community’s fire suppression system: emergency communications, fire department (including operational considerations), and water supply. In addition, it includes a community risk reduction section that recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education, and fire investigation.

Wells noted the rating is good news for residents and commercial owners ,not only from a safety perspective, but also from a potential monetary perspective. Most insurance agencies use the ISO rating to determine insurance rate coverage for residential and commercial structures. Residential and commercial owners should mention the rating change to their insurance carriers to determine if the change will reduce their premium.