Public Protection Classification Program: Difference between revisions

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{{lead too short|date=April 2015}}

The '''Public Protection Classification''' (PPC) program, is a tool developed by the [[Insurance Services Office]] (ISO) for property and casualty insurers to properly asses their risk by rating [[fire protection]] services throughout the [[United States]].<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications">{{cite web | url=http://www.isomitigation.com/downloads/ISOPPC.pdf?referral=OKDOI | title=ISO Public Protection Classifications | publisher=Insurance Services Office, Inc. | accessdate=5 March 2015}}</ref>

The '''Public Protection Classification''' (PPC) program, is a tool developed by the [[Insurance Services Office]] (ISO) for property and casualty [[insurers]] to properly assesassess their risk by rating [[fire protection]] services throughout the [[United States]].<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications">{{cite web | url=http://www.isomitigation.com/downloads/ISOPPC.pdf?referral=OKDOI | title=ISO Public Protection Classifications | publisher=Insurance Services Office, Inc. | accessdate=5 March 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611153251/http://www.isomitigation.com/downloads/ISOPPC.pdf?referral=OKDOI | archive-date=11 June 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Class Determination==

==Class Determinationdetermination==

ISO collects data for more than 47,000 communities and fire districts throughout the country.<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications" /> The data is then analyzed using a proprietary Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classification">{{cite web | url=http://www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighter-safety/iso-public-protection-classification | title=ISO Public Protection Classification | publisher=Firefighter Nation | date=1 January 2015 | accessdate=5 March 2015 | author=Robert L. Andrews}}</ref> The Schedule then assigns a PPC score between 1 and 10 to the department, with ''Class 1'' representing "superior property fire protection" and ''Class 10'' indicating that an area doesn't meet the minimum criteria set by the ISO. On July 1, 2013, the revised FSRS was released, adding an emphasis on a community's effort to limit loss before an incident occurs.

In developing a PPC, the following major categories are evaluated:

*'''[[Emergency communication system|Emergency Communications]]:''' Fire alarm and communication systems, including telephone systems, telephone lines, staffing and dispatching systems.<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications" />

*'''[[Fire department|Fire Department]]:''' The fire department, including equipment, staffing, training and geographic distraction of fire companies.<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications" />

*'''Water Supply:''' The water supply system, including the condition and maintenance of [[Fire hydrant|hydrants]] and the amount of available water compared with the amount need to suppress fires.<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classifications" />

Added 2013 criteria:<ref name="ISO Public Protection Classification" />

*'''[[Fire prevention|Fire Prevention]]:''' programs that contain plan review; certificate of occupancy inspections; compliance follow-up; inspection of fire protection equipment; and fire prevention regulations related to fire lanes on area roads, hazardous material routes, fireworks, barbecue grills, and wildland-urban[[wildland–urban interface]] areas.

*'''Public Fire Safety Education Programs:''' [[fire safety]] education training and programs for schools, private homes and buildings with large loss potential or hazardous conditions and a juvenile fire setter intervention program.

==Minimum Requirementsrequirements==

{{refimprove section|date=March 2015}}

To receive a PPC, a fire department must meet minimum infrastructure, staffing and equipment requirements. If a department doesdoesn't meet at least one of the following requirements, then they are assigned a ''Class 10'' rating.

;Organization

;===Organization===

*Formal fire department organized under state or local laws.

*Must have one person responsible for the operation of the department (example: [[Fire chief|Chief]]).

*Service area must have definite boundaries.

*For departments that service multiple communities, a written contract must be present.

;===Membership===

*The department must respond at least four [[Firefighter|firefighters]] to [[Structure fire|structure fires.]] The chief may account for one of those required positions.

*The department must respond at least four firefighters to structure fires. The chief may account for one of those required positions.

;Training

;===Training===

*The department must conduct at least two hours of training every two months for active firefighters.

;===Alarm Notificationnotification===

*There must be no delay in receiving alarms and dispatching firefighters/apparatus.

;===Housing===

*[[Firefighting apparatus|Apparatus]] must have adequate housing, as to protect it from weather.

*Apparatus must have adequate housing, as to protect it from weather.

==References==

{{reflist}}