ISO collects and evaluates information from communities in the United States on their structure fire suppression capabilities. ISO analyzes the data using the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS™) and then assigns a Public Protection Classification (PPC™) number to the community. The surveys are conducted whenever it appears that there is a possibility of a classification change. As such, the PPC program provides important, up-to-date information about fire protection services throughout the country.
On December 12, 2017 ISO announced the results of its review of the fire suppression features being provided for/by Spartanburg Fire Department. The resulting classification is a Class 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. The City Fire Department is one of only 17 departments in South Carolina to earn a Class 1 rating, placing the city in the top one percent in the state and top one percent nationwide for fire suppression services.
A community's investment in fire mitigation is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses. Statistical data on insurance losses bears out the relationship between excellent fire protection – as measured by the PPC program – and low fire losses. So, insurance companies use PPC information for marketing, underwriting, and to help establish fair premiums for homeowners and commercial fire insurance. 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, assuming all other factors are equal. Because of Spartanburg Fire Department's excellent ISO rating, city residents enjoy a savings of up to 50 percent on their homeowners insurance over outlying areas in Spartanburg County.
