By J.D. O’Gara

Starting this month, the Franklin Fire Department moves to an ISO Class I rating, a designation Fire Chief James McLaughlin received from Joseph Pasco, Northeast Manager of ISO (Insurance Services Office, Inc.), on April 6th, 2022.  The Franklin Fire Department will move to the ISO Class 1 rating effective July 1st, 2022.  The ISO Class 1 rating from the Public Protection Classification is the highest rating attainable.

This rating is very significant, as out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, Franklin is the 9th Fire Department in Massachusetts to receive it. It’s also the 15th Fire Department in New England, and 459th in the Nation to obtain this rating, out of over 45,000 fire departments rated nationally.  The Public Protection Classification goes from 1 to 10.  Class 1 represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet minimum criteria. 

“Really what the ISO does is evaluate risk in a community,” says Fire Chief James McLaughlin. “If there is a fire in a community (building) or residential dwelling, they want to know how ready the town is. Our water department worked hand in hand with us. For the audit, they had to produce a lot of records, flow tests, hydrants, data. We have 90% hydrants in the town of Franklin – they’re 40% of the grade. Do you have the proper staffing, do you have the proper training, do you have the proper equipment to effectively get to the fire and put that fire out.” The rating is based on strict criteria developed and assessed by the ISO Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).  Some of the factors graded include:

• -Emergency Communications

• -The Fire Department

• -Water Supply

• -Community Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Fire

Chief McLaughlin points out that although the Franklin Fire Department just received the ISO rating, “We we went through the process during COVID. I have to give kudos to my management team. Internally we did a lot of training, and when I look at the town, I bought two new engines, not a light investment, but Jamie Hellen listened to my rationale and allowed me to bring it in front of the Council. We got two new pumps, two new engines, we had a need for that in the town and got support from the Town Council.”

McLaughlin adds that there is a wealth of documentation required to achieve the ISO I rating. “Doing them is really what took us over the top. I attribute that to the people in the department. I can’t say enough about them.”

The rating, which provides data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry, should positively affect residents’ and businesses’ insurance premiums. Most U.S. insurers use the Public Protection Classification information as part of their decision making on offering coverage and the fees charged for the coverage of personal or commercial property insurance.  

“A residential or community property owner now, depending on who their insurer is, can see a decrease in premium,” says McLaughlin. While he nods to the financial benefit for property owners in Franklin, “for me it’s the readiness of the Fire Department to do their job when called upon – that’s what makes me happy as a Chief. We were a “3” when I got here in 2019. We got a lot of support from the Council, top notch equipment. You can have all the training in the world (but you need the equipment). We’re hitting on all cylinders. And when I say the Council approved it, it was 9-0, unanimous. That’s not happening in a lot of towns. We’re fortunate to have that support.”

The rating, says McLaughlin, “is also good for morale for the men and women of the department.” Right now, the roster at FFD is 56, with every firefighter also a paramedic. McLaughlin adds, “When they see there’s a community that supports their fire department, young men and women starting out (as firefighters) will be drawn to the town. It’s win-win for everyone.”

For more information on the ISO Mitigation Public Protection Classification visit their website:  https://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/.