City of Sumter Improved to Class 1 Fire Protection in Latest Evaluation

SUMTER, SC (April 7, 2016) – Sumter’s Mayor Joe McElveen has announced that the city’s fire department has improved from a Class 2 to Class 1, the highest possible rating from the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO).

ISO, an insurance advisory organization that conducts Public Protection Classification™ (PPC™) evaluations, which ranks fire services across the nation, began their evaluation the Sumter Fire Department in April 2015 and have just released the City’s summary report.

“This is a testament to city’s commitment to put the public safety of our citizens as the highest priority,” Mayor Joe McElveen stated. “It also highlights the skill and dedication of our firefighters.”

Currently, out of 48,754 fire departments across the United States, only 178 have a Class 1 rating. “Once again, the Sumter community is helping to lead the way,” said McElveen.

Almost all U.S. insurers use the ISO PPC as the underwriting information in their decision making process on what coverage to offer and what prices to charge for personal and commercial property insurance. Effective June 1, 2016, this new rating will help business and industry within the city limits achieve the lowest insurance premiums available on the market.

McElveen praised other city departments in announcing the new rating today. “Only 50 percent of the community’s rating is based on the fire department’s capability to suppress a fire,” stated McElveen. “Forty percent depends on whether an adequate water supply is available in the City, so our public services department also played a important role in improving the rating. The remainder is attributed to our emergency communications system, and risk reduction programs through codes enforcement and public education.”

For more information on the ISO Class 1 rating and the Sumter Fire Department, visit www.sumterfiredepartment.com.