NC Department Earns Coveted ISO Rating
By Brie Handgraaf
Source The Wilson Daily Times, N.C.
June 28 -- Wilson Fire/Rescue Services recently attained an elite status recently that will reduce insurance rates starting in September.
A recent N.C. Department of Insurance Office of the State Fire Marshal inspection found significant improvements among staffing levels, equipment, maintenance, communication capabilities and availability of water. The inspection allowed the department to move from an Insurance Service Office Class 2 insurance rating to the best rating available.
“I am extremely proud of our department for this achievement,” said Wilson Fire Chief Albert Alston. “Wilson is the first department east of the Triangle to earn a Class 1 rating, which is a tremendous accomplishment for fire service in eastern North Carolina.”
State Fire Marshal Mike Causey presented the honor to officials from the fire department and water resources during the June 21 city council meeting. Only 12 of the 1,532 fire departments in the state have the ISO Class 1 rating and this is the first time Wilson has earned this honor.
“I’d like to congratulate Chief Alston for the department’s performance and for the hard work of all the department members,” Causey said. “The citizens of Wilson should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”
He noted the classification is commonplace in larger city departments such as Charlotte or Raleigh, but rare in smaller communities.
The rating will be most significantly noticed among commercial and industrial insurance rates with little change among residential rates.
“Our department earned the rating through a consistent focus on training, maintaining and preserving our equipment, and the strong contributions of our Water Resources Department,” Alston said.
“We are grateful to the city council and the city’s administration for their steadfast support of Wilson Fire/Rescue Services.”
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