City of Manassas, VA . . . The Insurance Services Office (ISO) has given the City of Manassas an ISO Rating of 3, with one being the very best you can receive on a scale of 1 to 10. Over the last year, the City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department and Utilities Department have been working on an application to improve the City’s ISO rating that was last reviewed in 2011 as a 4 out of 10.

The ISO is an organization that assesses property risk and scores fire departments and communities across the United States. The Public Protection Classification, or PPC, is a program developed by the ISO that measures how well a city is equipped to fight fires. After a rigorous review, the fire department is scored and given an ISO rating that reflects their performance. For many years the “ISO Rating” has had a large impact on fire departments and insurance rates for communities.

The PPC is an essential tool for cities to gage how to improve fire services for their citizens. The review process offers an independent look into department procedures and preparedness. Insurance companies look closely at these ratings and use the number when setting insurance premiums for residents and businesses. The better the PPC, the lower the rate. Equally as important, an ISO rating is used by companies to compare different cities when evaluating corporate headquarter relocation bids.

When calculating a PPC score, the ISO looks at four key areas. These include emergency communication systems, the community’s fire department best practices and procedures, the water supply, and community risk reduction.

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