NU Online News Service, Jan.19, 12:18 p.m. EST
Insurance Services Office said that upcoming revisions to the manual it uses to rate fire department capabilities have been endorsed by Jeff Johnson, International Association of Fire Chiefs president and chairman.
Jersey City, N.J.-based ISO said its Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) manual measures the major elements of a community's fire-suppression system and develops a numerical grading called a Public Protection Classification (PPC).
ISO explained that the FSRS incorporates nationally accepted standards developed by such organizations as the National Fire Protection Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials and the American Water Works Association.
Mike Waters, ISO vice president of Risk Decision Services, said, "When those organizations update their standards, the ISO evaluation changes as well. So, the PPC program always provides a useful benchmark that helps fire departments and other public officials measure the effectiveness of their efforts–and plan for improvements."
He related that ISO had recently done a review and update of the manual's contents, after discussions with a number of organizations that deal with water, fire and emergency communications.
"We have developed a list of potential modifications and additions to the current FSRS and will beta test the revisions and additions to assure reliability and consistent application," said Mr. Waters.
He added that after testing, ISO will confer with stakeholders before making the document final and filing it in each state.
Updates include revisions to the FSRS emergency communications section, possible revisions to the fire department and water-supply sections, and references to community risk-reduction programs.
Chief Johnson, in a year-end message to IAFC members, said the ISO action "set the stage for a new era of connection to the fire and emergency service and the communities it serves."
He added, "The fire and emergency service will be well served by having ISO lead the way with a progressive rating system that pulls our industry forward."
ISO explained that the new rating system recognizes accredited departments and will include "recognition of a science-based standard of cover that measures a department's operational performance in time-based fractile percentages, where sufficient data exists, or use of the traditional distance-based method of coverage."
The company also noted that its manual provides points of credit for fire prevention, an updated technology section and many other revisions.
More information about ISO's FSRS is online at http://www.isomitigation.com/. ISO is a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics in Jersey City.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.