Chnages to ISO

[fao110]

just wondering when ISO will make a decision on the changes they have considering?

[MemphisE34a]

just wondering when ISO will make a decision on the changes they have considering?

2 weeks......

[BoxAlarm187]

just wondering when ISO will make a decision on the changes they have considering?

I spoke to an ISO rep about something else last month, and actually asked him about that. He laughed, citing the lines of bureaucracy that things have to go through, and said he couldn't even guess when the new FSRS will be released.

[Jonnee]

Us older guys may be retired by then.

[RFDGloWorm]

just wondering when ISO will make a decision on the changes they have considering?

What changes?

[fao110]

i was just wondering
the changes may mean updating our five year plan
thanks for the replys

[RFDACM02]

Some of the changes that have been floated about have significant implications regarding staffing. One such thought is to closely mirror NFPA 1710/1720 and if your FD cannot meet this standard, your rating will drop to a 9.

Personally I think this is the only way to ensure proper staffing levels will ever be attained. Short of a financial responsibility to provide adequate staffing, the politicians will not support the requisite budget numbers. FD Staffing is probably one of the best ways for insurance companies to ensure lower losses. It would seem a natural fit for ISO to want to ensure staffing was at a level capable of safely and efficiently addressing the fire problem.

[tree68]

Short of a financial responsibility to provide adequate staffing, the politicians will not support the requisite budget numbers.

Such a requirement may force consolidations - particularly in smaller adjoining communities where each town/village/city can only afford to staff one or two apparatus.

And that'll be the kicker - "can afford." Many small communities have understaffed fire departments because the tax base isn't there to support the people and apparatus necessary to have that magic 15 person response. They consider themselves luck to have any career staffing.

That does not speak to larger communities that can afford it, but don't, which is another issue entirely.

[LVFD301]

What changes?

http://www.isomitigation.com/fsrs/

[RFDACM02]

Such a requirement may force consolidations - particularly in smaller adjoining communities where each town/village/city can only afford to staff one or two apparatus.

And that'll be the kicker - "can afford." Many small communities have understaffed fire departments because the tax base isn't there to support the people and apparatus necessary to have that magic 15 person response. They consider themselves luck to have any career staffing.

I think that's their point. "Hey look if you can't afford to properly staff your FD, fine, but realize that due to the increase in losses, your rates are going to be higher. So instead of making the community meet the requirement, you can drop back to an ISO 8 (from the above link) and individual residents and businesses can pay increased insurance premiums."

In the end, the community should look at the potential "out of pocket" expenses and try and increase the staffing as often proves to be cheaper than the increase paid across the board.

[GTRider245]

Nothing in the possible changes mention anything about a career staffed fire department. Plenty of departments out there show up with more fully volunteer crews than thier fully career neighbors do.

[RFDACM02]

Nothing in the possible changes mention anything about a career staffed fire department. Plenty of departments out there show up with more fully volunteer crews than thier fully career neighbors do.

I do not think the intent is looking at in house staffing regardless of pay, but instead looking at boots on the fireground. How you do it is your issue.

[rm1524]

I do not think the intent is looking at in house staffing regardless of pay, but instead looking at boots on the fireground. How you do it is your issue.

Not when they say that it takes 3 or 4 volunteers to equal one paid guy. What a crock.

[rm1524]

One of my gripes with ISO is that their evaluators do not judge the same and in some cases not even close to the same.

Department in our area borrowed a lot of lose equipment from their neighbors with the owners stickers still on it and got full credit for it. Our evaluator pulls everything off the truck and looks at each piece and wants to make sure its ours. Only thing I can say is level the playing field.

The other evaluator is at their place a little over a day, our evaluator is at our place a week. They have 4 stations and we have 6 stations should not be that big of a difference in the length of the evaluation.

[BoxAlarm187]

Not when they say that it takes 3 or 4 volunteers to equal one paid guy. What a crock.

As long as you have documented, in house staffing, it's a one-to-one ratio. It's one reason that we require all members to sign in and out when they're at the station.

As for the 3:1 ratio, with a lot of volunteer departments having varying staffing levels, it's not surprising that they have to take an average. Yes, it does screw a volunteer department that can normally bring 17 people to the scene (not a random number, using NFPA 1710 as an example since we're taking about equivalency), but there are many that can't.