Effective March 1, 2019, the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department (“BDVFD”) Public Protection Classification (“PPC”) fire rating was upgraded from a Class 3 to a Class 2 rating. Virtually all U.S. insurers of private and commercial property use the PPC fire rating from the Insurance Services Office’s (“ISO”) to calculate premiums.
Generally, the price of fire insurance in communities with a higher PPC rating is substantially lower than pricing in communities with poor PPC ratings. Property owners in the BDVFD fire service area may wish to contact their insurance providers on possible policy savings.
The ISO reviews each fire department’s comprehensive ability to prevent and extinguish fires in their community. Factors evaluated include fire prevention efforts, t
he 911 and dispatching system, response times, apparatus, staff training, and most significantly, the availability of water for fire suppression. This involves a combination of location and amount of storage, number of and location of hydrants, and service and maintenance of the public water distribution systems, etc.
This improved rating is the result of efforts since approximately 2014 between BDVFD, the St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services and the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (“MetCom”). MetCom is proud to be part of the collaborative effort which will better serve the community, assist our volunteer members at BDFVD as well as the professionals who are part of the St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services.
Contact Jason Adams, BDVFD PIO at 240.538.4664 for more information about ISO’s PPC program.
To learn more about the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, go to www.bdvfd.org.
