In November of 2007, the City of Erlanger has received official notification from the Insurance Service Office (ISO) of an upgrade to the City's Public Fire Protection Classification grade.

The City of Erlanger and the Erlanger Fire/EMS department is pleased to announce that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) has recently upgraded the City of Erlanger’s fire services to an ISO Public Protection Class 2.

This rating shows commitments made by City officials, the Fire/EMS department personnel, ISO Project Manager Assistant Chief Todd Schulkers, Erlanger PSCC Dispatch Agency, Retired Fire Chief's Bill Martin and Tim Koenig, City Engineer James Viox, and the Northern Kentucky Water District. This rating comes because of the dedication made in Planning, Preparation, and Presentation made by the agencies and persons listed above.

The Erlanger Fire/EMS department was surveyed and inspected thoroughly by ISO in September 2007. Based on the survey, the Department’s class rating became a two (2) effective March 1, 2008. On ISO’s ten-point scale, with one (1) being the best and ten (10) being the worst, the Department’s rating has improved from a three (3) to a two (2).

This is an exemplary fire suppression rating and is the first time in the City’s history that it has received such an excellent ISO score. This rating places the department in the top 1 (one) percent of rated fire departments in the Nation. These results are clear; the City of Erlanger ranked among the top elite ranked fire departments in the state and the nation.

ISO is the leading supplier of statistical, underwriting, and actuarial information to the property/casualty insurance industry and is used by most insurers to calculate the premiums for residential, commercial, and industrial subscribers. ISO evaluates each community according to a uniform set of criteria as defined in nationally recognized standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American Water Works Association. Using this system, ISO reviews the fire suppression capabilities of a community and assigns a public protection classification number. Many fire insurance underwriters then voluntarily employ this 10-point scale as a major component when determining the premium paid by policyholders.

Savings on insurance premiums is dependent on the type of insurance, type of construction, mortgage, and other factors. It is difficult to quantify the impact of this rating improvement on fire insurance premium costs, however, individuals should consult their insurance company for specific information and report the upcoming City of Erlanger Fire Department’s ISO rating change to their agent.

We are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication to excellence our Officers, Firefighters, and Personnel exhibit on a day-to-day basis. The ISO Class 2 designation is verification of their professionalism and commitment. This award is quite extraordinary, when you consider that ISO only graded our department on our fire suppression capability. ISO did not factor in our many other lifesaving efforts such as EMS, Rescue, public education, confined space, trench, and technical rescue as well as hazardous materials response. The same group of highly trained and motivated personnel provide all of these services.

The ISO review is broken into three separately evaluated categories, which are totaled to reach the final score. They are as follows:

• Fire Department: This accounts for the largest part (50%) of the total classification, which focuses on items such as engine companies, ladder or service companies, distribution of fire stations and fire companies, equipment carried on apparatus, pumping capacity, reserve apparatus, department staffing and training.
• Water Supply System: This is the second major portion (40%) of the total classification highlighting the water supply a community uses for fire suppression, including water main sizes, hydrant size, type, and installation, as well as the inspection frequency and condition of fire hydrants.
• Fire Alarm and Communications Systems: This accounts for the community’s ability to handle and dispatch fire alarms and counts for 10% of the final grade.

Congratulations and thank you to all involved in achieving this excellent rating.