By Debra Dolan | February 21, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST – Updated February 21 at 12:00 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The Wilmington Fire Department has improved on its score from the Insurance Services Offices (ISO), making it the highest rating the department has scored to date.
ISO ratings show how well-protected the community is by the fire department. Insurers use this rating to help set homeowners’ insurance rates. Typically, the higher the ISO rating, the lower the insurance rates.
The most recent score keeps the WFD positioned as a high Class 2 rated fire department.
“I am very pleased that we have increased our ISO score this rating period,” said Fire Chief C.V. “Buddy” Martinette. “I believe this reaffirms, as does our accreditation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence, that we continue to be a very efficient, effective, and high performing fire department.”
The best possible rating is a 1, with less than 1% of all fire departments surveyed receiving an ISO score of 1.
The score is calculated using the following criteria:
- fire department staffing levels
- training and proximity of the firehouse
- availability of water supply, including the prevalence of fire hydrants
- quality of emergency communications systems (911)
- and community outreach and risk reduction efforts.
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