So what exactly is an ISO rating, and what does this new rating mean? ISO stands for Insurance Services Office, and what they do is evaluate and assess fire protection in municipalities and counties throughout the United States. In each community, ISO analyzes data on fire protection (generally from what is known as a Fire Suppression Rating Schedule or FSRS) and assigns the community a Public Protection Classification number. These numbers are like a grading system, and range from Class 1 (most desirable) to Class 10 (least desirable).
The rating system is divided into three different areas. The three areas include: Fire Department, Water Supply, and Emergency Communications, making this a community level achievement. The Fire Department section accounts for 50% of that final scoring. As you can see in the pie chart, the Fire Department section is broken down further into Training, Personnel, and equipment sections.