CFP News

Contrary to public perception, the major cause of death for firefighters is not fire—it’s cancer. From January 1, 2002, to March 31, 2017, cancer caused 61 percent of career firefighter line-of-duty deaths, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), with 70 percent in 2016 alone.

Because the risk for loss is so high, insurers use various tools to determine fire loss potential for properties they insure. Two of these tools are from Verisk/ISO: Public Protection Classification (PPC®) and FireLine®. Each program uniquely addresses various aspects of fire prevention and loss. Here are the very important differences between them.

The Henrico County Division of Fire, an internationally accredited fire department, earned the highest possible rating from ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC®) program, making it an ISO Class 1 community. Chief Anthony McDowell explains his strategy.

It’s been happening for years: firefighters and department staff are dealing less and less with actual fires and more and more with other emergency and nonemergency calls for service. The trend is no secret in the fire service.

Fortunately for our community partners, residents, and insurers who rely on our information, ISO's BCEGS® staff consists of more than 20 full-time team members who have extensive related experience.

Community Fire Protection News will profile a member of the ISO Community Hazard Mitigation team in each issue. For our first spotlight, meet David Hyland.

As part of ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC®) program, we locate, identify, and track the fire hydrants in the United States. This past February we reached a milestone— more than 9 million hydrants in the United States.

The initial “size-up” of a commercial property is critical for determining the fire department’s effectiveness in fighting a structure fire. An effective size-up starts with pre-incident planning activities.

Anaheim Fire & Rescue (AFR) has earned a very rare status. First, in March 2014, AFR received accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), a distinction less than 1 percent of 30,000 fire agencies internationally have received. Next, ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC®) program designated AFR’s fire district a Class 1, a rank only 287 cities nationally (30 in California) have earned.

When a fire department attains a high Public Protection Classification (PPC®), it’s a source of pride and accomplishment. It acknowledges that the fire department provides exemplary community fire protection. Many departments publicize the fact when they earn a Class 1, 2, or 3 rating. They understand that letting people know their community has exemplary fire protection can have a positive effect on residential and commercial insurance rates, community reputation, and quality of life.