If you live in the county or thinking of buying a home in the county, you better know the answer to this question.
There is a company that rates fire departments called ISO (Insurance Services Office). They have developed a system of checking the fire department’s ability to fight a fire called Fire Suppression Rating Schedule. This system is used to determine the PPC (public protection class) rating of the fire department, ranging from a PPC 1 to a PPC 10.
A PPC 1 rating is the best rating that a fire department can obtain. Likewise, a PPC 10 rating is the worst rating, which basically means you have no protection. Most of Henderson county fire departments were rated a PPC 9 for years. In recent years, some fire departments have been working hard to obtain a better PPC rate.
The distance to the fire department is important. An example would be a home located in Zion district which carries a PPC rating of 6/9. If the home was within 5 miles of Zion FD and had a fire hydrant within a 1000 feet, that home would qualify for a PPC 6 rating. If the home was within 5 miles of the Zion FD, but did not have a fire hydrant, it would qualify for a PPC 9 rating. If the home was over 5 miles to the Zion FD, then it would be rated as a PPC 10.
Okay, the bottom line: How does this affect my premium? If you fall into a PPC 10 rating, some companies will not write your insurance. Those that do will charge a hefty price to insure your home.
Example: $211,000 frame house in the county. Based on an excellent insurance score, claim free and with the auto/home discount. Actual rates will vary. PPC 10 – $1,617 PPC 9 – $990 PPC 8 – $694 PPC 7 – $554 PPC 6 – $476 How far is your home to your responding fire department? Do you know what your fire department is rated? Do you donate to your fire department or volunteer?