The Texas Department of Insurance announced that Houston was granted a fire protection classification of “1,” making it the largest city in the country to receive such a ranking. The designation means potential savings in premiums for property insurance customers in Houston.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) approved the Insurance Service Office’s (ISO) recommendation of a rating of Class 1, placing Houston with three other cities in Texas and only 43 communities in the U.S. with the highest fire protection classification awarded. The other Texas cities are Wylie, Frisco and Plano.
ISO classifies communities from 1 to 10 upon reviewing each community’s water distribution, fire department equipment and firefighting personnel and fire alarm facilities. The public protection classification (PPC) for Houston was previously a Class 2. ISO noted that the city had made tremendous improvements in adding hundreds of new fire hydrants, improving water mains, purchasing new firefighting equipment and adding more manpower to each fire truck.
PPC ratings are a clear indication of fire protection and are factored into residential and commercial property insurance rates.
The SFMO conducts arson investigations, fire safety inspections, issues licenses for companies and individuals working in the fire alarm, extinguisher, sprinkler and fireworks industries and approves ISO’s recommendations for public protection classifications.
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