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Rockdale County Fire Rescue Receives Revised ISO Rating

Rockdale County Fire Rescue Chief Marian McDaniel, along with Fire Rescue’s compliance and accreditation manager Dr. Arkla Allen, announced at the July 23 Board of Commissioners meeting that Rockdale County’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating is now a 2/2X.

In February 2024, the Insurance Service Office conducted an on-site analysis of the county’s fire suppression program using a fire suppression rating scale. The ISO uses a Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating system that ranks on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best rating a county can receive for fire suppression. Data was collected from E-911, Rockdale Water Resources, and Fire Rescue.

“This is a significant achievement for Rockdale County! This rating could potentially reduce insurance premiums for commercial and residential property owners,” said Dr. Allen. “The ISO assesses 40,000 communities nationwide, and Rockdale County joins only 2,604 communities nationwide and 66 across Georgia that have obtained a class 2 ISO rating.”

“Prior to 2018, Rockdale County was a 4/9X. In 2018, we improved to a 3/3X. Now, in 2024, we have achieved a 2/2X. What are we saying? Rockdale County Fire Rescue excels beyond our standards and delivers service beyond your expectations,” added Chief McDaniel.

Rockdale County Fire Rescue continues to strive for a better rating in the future by developing committees and teams for after-action review of ISO findings, aiming to reach a 1 rating by 2029.

Fire Departments across the Nation are rated by the ISO to determine a PPC for individual Cities or Counties. This rating is published by the ISO and used by Insurance Companies to determine insurance rates. The ISO Schedule develops a PPC number on a relative scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the very best and 10 representing less than minimum recognized fire protection. Most U.S. Insurers of Homes and Business Property use the PPC in calculating premiums. In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC.
When the ISO evaluates a Fire Departments capabilities it uses a system called the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) which employs nationally accepted standards developed by such organizations as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International. The FSRS considers 3 main areas of a community’s fire suppression capabilities including Emergency Communications (911 Call Center), the Fire Department, and Water Supply. In addition, it includes a Community Risk Reduction section that recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education and fire investigation.

Key elements considered when evaluating a Fire Department include Response Capabilities (Deployment Analysis) which includes adequate staffing of Fire Service Personnel on Engine Crews and Ladder Companies, Fire Station Distribution (Location and Coverage), Appropriate Apparatus and Equipment, Training, Water Supplies, Organizational Structure, Communications and Building/Fire Prevention Codes and their enforcement.

The Fire Department’s improved PPC Classification is a reflection of Rockdale County’s commitment to providing quality Public Safety Services to the citizens of Rockdale.

Chairman OZ Nesbitt stated “We are proud of this achievement by RCFR. The Board of Commissioners joins the community in celebrating the Firefighters who made this possible and potentially increased insurance premium savings for our residents.”