Howard County Fire and Rescue Improves Public Protection Classification Score

Howard County announced that the County’s Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) has achieved the coveted Public Protection Classification (PPC) grade of 2/4/10 (metro/rural/more than five road miles from a fire station) by the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO).

The most recent analysis of the County’s structural fire suppression delivery system is an improvement on HCDFRS’s 2015 PPC grade of 3/5/10.

A community’s investment in fire mitigation is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses. By making impactful investments in our Department of Fire and Rescue Services, my administration continues to take the necessary steps to ensure we are providing our residents and businesses with the best fire protection and response to guarantee their safety and wellbeing. – Calvin Ball, County Executive

The ISO collects and evaluates information from communities across the United States on their structure fire suppression capabilities. Its PPC program evaluates communities according to a uniform set of criteria, incorporating nationally recognized standards established by the National Fire Protection Association and the American Water Works Association. Communities are assigned a PPC grade of one to 10, with one representing an exemplary fire suppression program and 10 indicating that the area’s program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. A community’s PPC grade depends on:

  • Needed Fire Flows – which are representative building locations used to determine the theoretical amount of water necessary for fire suppression purposes;
  • Emergency Communications – including emergency reporting, telecommunicators and dispatching systems;
  • Fire Department – including equipment, staffing, training, geographic distribution of fire companies, operational considerations and community risk reduction; and
  • Water Supply – including inspection and flow testing of hydrants, alternative water supply operations and a careful evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the amount needed to suppress fires up to 3,500 gallons per minute.

See more on this significant achievement on the Howard County website.