Evanston Fire Department Improves Ranking

The Evanston Fire Department has improved their Insurance Services Office Public Protection Classification rating from 3 to 2, something that may help reduce local fire insrance rates.

Only 62  out of the 2,500 rated communities in Illinois has an ISO rating of 2 or higher, according to a memo provided by the department. The rankings are given out based on three main criteria: the overall strength of the fire department including training and equipment, the community's water supply, and local fire alarm and communications systems.

At the Monday night City Council meeting, Evanston Fire Chief Greg Klaiber said that communities with a good Public Protection Classification ratings generally have lower insurance rates than communities with poor rankings.

"Fire Departments around the country who have had PPC rating improvements (similar to Evanston's) from three to two have seen a 6-10 percent reduction in insurance premiums for home and business owners," read the memo from the department.

Klaiber said the ranking improved because the department performed better in all areas since the last time it was evaluated.

He also went over the department's annual report, which indicates that the total call volume has increased 32 percent over the last 25 years.

The report says there were 8,917 total calls to the fire department in 2010, and $1.3 million in total losses from fires. It was the highest number of calls recorded in the data provided, which dates back to 1984.