Greer Fire Department Earns 'Gold Standard' Insurance Service Office Rating

From the City of Greer:

January 26, 2021

The rating is the highest rating awarded by the Insurance Service Office (ISO).

ISO rates 40,000 fire departments in the United States with fewer than 1% receiving a Class 1 rating. Greer is among just 29 of 531 fire departments in South Carolina to achieve the prestigious rating. The city previously held a Class 2 rating.

“This is the gold standard for every fire department in the country,” Greer Fire Chief Dorian Flowers said. “The ISO ratings process involves a periodic, detailed analysis of all fire department equipment and operations, the city's water system, and emergency 911 communications system. It takes a concerted effort by many individuals to attain the rating and I am both proud and appreciative of everyone who worked to make it possible.”

The ISO program provides an objective nationwide standard that helps fire departments in planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment, and training. By offering economic benefits for communities that invest in their firefighting services, the program provides an incentive for improving and maintaining public fire protection.

Virtually all insurance companies in the United States use ISO data combined with other factors to establish fire insurance premiums. Higher ISO ratings help secure lower fire insurance premiums for both residential and commercial customers.

“City of Greer residents and businesses should be extremely proud of the dedicated and hard-working members of our Fire Department,” Greer City Administrator Andy Merriman said. “They can rest comfortably knowing that they are in a community served by an exemplary fire department and may see reduced insurance premiums as a result.”

The new rating becomes effective May 1, 2021.

This press release was produced by the City of Greer. The views expressed here are the author’s own.