Upgrade to Iowa City Public Protection Classification!

Post date: Sep 06, 2012 4:18:36 PM

Posted on Thursday, August 09, 2012 at 3:56 PM

The City of Iowa City has been notified that the Insurance Services Office (ISO), which conducts insurance risk analyses for businesses, corporations, and municipalities to help insurance providers determine insurance coverage rates, will upgrade the City's Public Protection Classification to a Level 2 effective November 1. Iowa City was previously ranked at Level 3, and will now join Sioux City as the only other community in Iowa to achieve Level 2 classification. The ISO assigns ratings from 1 to 10, with one being the highest possible ranking.

The ISO has reviewed 48,000 fire protection areas nationwide, and has currently awarded Level 1 and 2 status to only 716 of them -- less than 1.5%. The highest number of fire protection areas received a Level 9 classification. To view state and national statistics, visit www.isomitigation.com and select the "Facts and Figures about PPC codes" link on the right-hand side of the page.

As recently as 12 years ago, the City had been classified as a Level 4. In 2002, it was upgraded to a Level 3. An ISO evaluation conducted over a two-day period in May with Fire Chief Andy Rocca, Water Superintendent Ed Moreno, and Joint Emergency Communications Center Director Tom Jones, resulted in the newest classification upgrade. ISO representatives reviewed the Fire Department's operations, response times, and ability to minimize property losses from structural fires. Factors that were reviewed as part of the process included equipment, staffing, training, location of fire houses, dispatching systems, and reliability of water supplies.

According to Fire Chief Rocca, the City's investment in improvements to City services since 2002 contributed to its new ranking. These included construction and staffing of the new northside Fire Station #4 at 2008 Dubuque Road; establishing the Fire Department Training Center in 2002; the department's annual training program; its fire safety inspection program, which is required for all commercial building owners; and the opening of the Joint Emergency Communications Center (JECC) in 2010. In addition, improvements that have been made since 2000 to the City's municipal water system, including the construction of the new water treatment plant in 2003, an ongoing water main replacement project, and the installation of new transmission lines and emergency generators with automatic switches, also contributed to the new rating because these improvements provide a secure, reliable water source and improved water pressure for firefighters.

"The improved rating would not be possible without the community's investment in fire protection services and the support of our citizens, property owners, elected officials, and City staff," Chief Rocca said. "The new ISO rating of Class 2 is the culmination of several years of teamwork between Water Division Superintendent Ed Moreno and his staff, Joint Emergency Communications Center Executive Director Tom Jones and his staff, and the Iowa City Fire Department. The new rating is a significant achievement for the City of Iowa City."

For more information, contact Andy Rocca, Fire Chief, at 319.356.5256 or andy-rocca@iowa-city.org.