Criteria for Distribution of Companies

To reduce property damage from a fire, firefighters need to get to the scene quickly. Therefore, ISO evaluates the distribution of fire stations in each community.

Item 560 of the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) provides the criteria:

560. DISTRIBUTION OF COMPANIES (DC):
The built-upon area of the city should have a first-due engine company within 1-1/2 miles and a ladder-service company within 2-1/2 miles.

ISO establishes "standard response districts" around each existing fire station. The standard response district for an engine company is a polygon defined by streets leading from the fire station out to a distance of 1.5 road miles. For a ladder-service company, the standard response district is a polygon defined by streets out to a distance of 2.5 road miles.

For each fire station, we count the fire hydrants within the standard response district. When fire hydrants are not available, we measure the total linear road miles in the standard response district.

We then identify contiguous built-upon areas in the community that do not have a fire station within the specified distance. If such an area has at least 50 percent of the number of fire hydrants (or, in areas without hydrants, 50 percent of the linear road miles) found in the standard response district, we consider that the area may need a fire station.

For more information . . .
. . . on any topic related to the PPCTM program or the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, click Talk to ISO Mitigation, or call the ISO mitigation specialists at 1-800-444-4554.