TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Department has earned a Class 1 rating from the Insurance Service Office (ISO).
The for-profit organization collected data and analyzed it over several weeks before determining the rating. Among the criteria evaluated were the fire department's training, dispatch system, equipment and water supply.
ISO (PPC) rating is between 10 and 1.
The ratings are used by most U.S. insurers to determine premiums. Based on the highest rating, homeowner and business insurance rates could lower.
"The average homeowner by going to a one is about a 1 percent savings in premium and for commercial business, it's up to 3 percent savings," said Glen Mulready, Oklahoma's Insurance Commissioner.
While residents might not see any price difference until a year or two from now, City of Tulsa officials said this is a big accomplishment.
"We have more firefighters to put on your scene whether it's a car wreck, EMS call or fire call, but in addition to that they can take care of the job quicker, mitigate the incident and get back in service so they can take another assignment," explained Fire Chief Ray Driskell.
He said the fire department was a Class 3 for many years, then it lowered to Class 2. For the first time, the department can boast of its highest rating.
In Oklahoma, only three other fire departments share a Class 1 rating, including Oklahoma City and Lawton.
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