Winter 2018

Winter 2018
Welcome to Community Fire Protection News...

Welcome to Community Fire Protection News, our online newsletter for the fire service, insurers, building officials, water professionals, and emergency responders. We provide concise, topical community mitigation and insurance news and more.

In this issue, we discuss what it takes to earn a PPC® Class 1 rank in an interview with Chief Randy Bruegman of Anaheim Fire & Rescue, a Class 1 department in California. His experience and advice will prove invaluable to other fire services. As part of our joint focus on community outreach and service, we discuss how ISO, as one of Verisk’s many businesses, allows you access to a variety of services around the world. Then, we explore the many classes and programs ISO offers for training and community outreach. You’ll see the official unveiling of new ISO seal artwork for Class 1, 2, and 3 departments to use to publicize their rank. In a guest article originally published in Fire Engineering®, EMS Captain Jeremy Hurd, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, writes about the tragedy and loss that’s part of fire service. Finally, “you make the call” to tell us how effectively ISO is communicating with you.

This issue includes many industry updates and insights. We hope you’ll find our latest information useful in your own efforts to keep people and property safe against fire and other catastrophes.

Robert L. AndrewsRobert L. Andrews
Vice President and Chief Field Operations Officer
Verisk Insurance Solutions

Providing the best fire protection possible: An interview with Chief Randy Bruegman, Anaheim Fire & Rescue

By Tom Weber
February 28, 2018

Anaheim Fire & Rescue (AFR) has earned a very rare status. First, in March 2014, AFR received accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), a distinction less than 1 percent of 30,000 fire agencies internationally have received. Next, ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC®) program designated AFR’s fire district a Class 1, a rank only 287 cities nationally (30 in California) have earned.

ISO offers fire departments PPC artwork for Classes 1, 2, and 3

By Brad Bain
February 27, 2018

When a fire department attains a high Public Protection Classification (PPC®), it’s a source of pride and accomplishment. It acknowledges that the fire department provides exemplary community fire protection. Many departments publicize the fact when they earn a Class 1, 2, or 3 rating. They understand that letting people know their community has exemplary fire protection can have a positive effect on residential and commercial insurance rates, community reputation, and quality of life.

Firefighter Family Tragedy and Loss

By Jeremy Hurd
February 27, 2018

When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, you will hear fantastic, limitless dreams. They want to be professional athletes, the President of the United States, a doctor, a teacher, a police officer, an astronaut, a zoo keeper, a veterinarian, and maybe even a firefighter. Regardless of what they dream of being, they are focused on the positives of that job and the endless possibilities lying before them.

ISO Community Hazard Mitigation outreach: A review of 2017

By Tom Weber
February 27, 2018

ISO is a Verisk business, and we at ISO Community Hazard Mitigation believe very strongly in delivering Verisk’s core values: Serve. Add Value. Innovate. One of the most significant ways in which we do that is to partner with communities throughout the United States to help make them safer.

What “One Verisk” means to the fire service community we serve

By Robert L. Andrews
February 27, 2018

The fire service has long worked with ISO Community Hazard Mitigation—and with our Public Protection Classification (PPC®) and Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS®) programs. But ISO is part of a larger company called Verisk, a leading data analytics provider to customers in insurance, natural resources, and financial services.

You Make the Call

February 26, 2018

Last year, 2017, proved to be a very active year for ISO Community Hazard Mitigation. ISO field analysts conducted 185 presentations in 41 states. Large and small audiences—totaling more than 4,500 participants in all—attended the presentations.

Have a suggestion?

We welcome your feedback.
If you have questions or would like to suggest a topic, call us at 1-800-444-4554, option 2.

ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule

Our Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) is free to chiefs and other fire officials. It's a manual containing the criteria Verisk uses in reviewing the fire prevention and fire suppression capabilities of individual communities or fire protection areas. To recieve a copy of the FSRS, contact our National Processing Center at 1-800-444-4554 and select Option 2.

H2O and Verisk

Water supply and distribution systems are important factors in determining a community’s ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC®). We provide complimentary educational training and seminars to water providers and associations throughout the country. Contact Hugh Gibson, national water resources manager, at hugh.gibson@verisk.com for more information.

Other Verisk websites