The New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) published a bulletin on the recent consolidation of fire service protection areas (FSPA) of Fort Bayard and Santa Rita.
Following a Public Protection Classification (PPC) survey, ISO notified the OSI of changes to the classification of the Fort Bayard and Santa Rita areas. This will result in some policyholders having a less favorable classification, but many will improve classification. Class 1 generally means superior fire protection, while class 10 may not meet ISO's minimum standards.
The Santa Rita FSPA will no longer exist. Policyholders in Fort Bayard FSPA (hydrated areas) will be moved from class 4/4x to 5. Policyholders in the new Fort Bayard Fire Department Supply area (non-hydrated, halted water areas) will be moved from class 4x to 6/10. The changes have a target effective date of February 1, 2025.
Residential property insurers with consumers in the affected areas must provide written notice of the changes within 90 days of the bulletin.
The bulletin can be found here.