Insurance Rating

Gainesville Fire-Rescue - ISO Rating 2

The City of Gainesville is among the top 2% of communities in the nation for fire protection by receiving an ISO Class rating of 2, an exceptionally prestigious rating. This rating entitles residential and commercial property owners within the City of Gainesville (or within five miles of a fire station and 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant) to receive the maximum credit on their insurance premiums. Class 1 and Class 2 rating receives the same, highest level of credit.

Texas was previously under a state grading system called Key Rate. The Key Rate system was abolished and replaced by the ISO/PPC system in 1997. At that time, the city’s classification or “PPC” was 6. In 1998, the city was reclassified to a 5 and was reclassified to a 4 in 1999. In 2015, Gainesville Fire Rescue improved from a Class 4 to a Class 2.

ISO’s Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), evaluates four primary categories of fire suppression — fire department, emergency communications, water supply, and community risk reduction. ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification – a number from 1 to 10. Class 1 represents exemplary fire protection, and a Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, Texas communities stack up in the following way: “Larger cities, which tend to have the best fire protection, generally are rated 1 or 2. A few are rated 3. Small towns tend to cluster in the 4-to-7 range. A number of previously un-inspected areas that returned ISO questionnaires about their firefighting capabilities are rated 7 or 9.” For a small community, the fact that we rate among the best and largest cities in the State of Texas is an exceptional accomplishment.

By classifying communities’ ability to suppress fires, ISO helps the communities evaluate their public fire-protection services. The program provides an objective, nationwide standard that helps fire departments in planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment, and training. In addition, by securing lower fire insurance premiums for communities with better public protection, the PPC program provides incentives and rewards for communities that choose to improve their firefighting services.

Property owners should contact their insurance companies to determine if the rating impacts individual premium rates.