Introduction

 Much of the United States has marginal or inadequate fire protection, placing people and property at risk.

 Even in well-protected areas, growth often threatens the ability of fire departments to keep up with the demand for service.

 Fire departments are under constant pressure to expand or improve their service, and they face many obstacles in doing that job.

 ISO's PPC program helps communities keep up with the demand.

 The PPC program helps insurers market their products and serve their customers with fair, affordable prices.

 When growing communities work to maintain or improve their Public Protection Classifications, everyone benefits.

In March 2003, an electrical fire originating in a basement utility room destroyed this high-value home in a rapidly growing area of central New Jersey. The area had no hydrants, and the numerous responding fire departments had to rely on water from a nearby pond and an extensive tanker-shuttle operation to combat the fire. "I know from my personal and academic-research experience that good fire protection has a tremendous effect on the vitality and sense of well-being in a community. When a fire happens, those who need help can easily see the difference between an effective, well-organized, and smartly deployed firefighting resource and an inadequate or nonexistent one. "I've spent most of my adult life analyzing the key components of good fire protection, and I can tell you this — I can't imagine living in a world without ISO's Public Protection Classification program. It works because the financial incentives to improve classifications are unique and effective. It works because insurers and residents alike benefit from the informed choices of community leaders. And it works because saving lives and property continues to be the prime mission of local emergency responders." Dr. Harry E. Hickey Retired Professor, Fire Protection Engineering University of Maryland "USAA provides our members the best coverage at the best possible price. When we're underwriting a home, we must evaluate risk accurately, and it's important to grant the maximum available credit for improvements in the local fire department and water supply. "We strongly support the efforts of communities across the country to save lives and protect property. And the Public Protection Classification program helps communities in those efforts. The PPC program is a partnership between the insurance industry and communities, and USAA is proud to be associated with this effort." Steven A. George Senior Vice President of Property and Casualty Underwriting USAA

Public Protection in the 48 Contiguous States Communities graded PPC Class 9 (yellow) and 10 (orange) cover a huge portion of the country. Areas in white are outside the legal jurisdiction of any fire department. Even in well-protected communities (green), Classes 9 and 10 may apply to many individual homes and businesses, because they are more than 1,000 feet from an approved source of water or more than 5 road miles from a responding fire station. Cost of Fire Claims per $1,000 of Insured Property On average, per $1,000 of insured property, communities in the worst classification had fire losses more than twice as high as communities in the best classification. Based on premium and loss information that insurers reported to ISO. Excludes data from statistically rated cities. Out of almost 46,000 fire districts in the United States, only 43 have achieved a PPC of 1. Therefore, the data sample for Class 1 is not statistically credible.

Much of the United States has marginal or inadequate fire protection, placing people and property at risk.

Every 19 seconds, a fire department somewhere in the United States responds to a fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire departments fought almost 1.7 million fires in 2002, the latest year for which figures are available. And each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

The NFPA estimates that there are some 1.1 million firefighters in the United States. Those brave men and women serve valiantly every day, and all types of fire departments — career, volunteer, and combination — provide excellent public protection. But throughout the country, fire departments contend with strained budgets, inadequate equipment, insufficient water supplies, and a variety of other significant obstacles.

According to the Congressional Fire Services Institute, "The number one need in the American fire service is financial resources to provide staffing, purchase the needed equipment and access relevant training."

What do fire departments see as their most pressing challenges? In December 2002, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in cooperation with the NFPA, released a comprehensive study entitled A Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service. Based on a questionnaire answered by more than 8,400 fire departments, the study presents some alarming findings. Here's just a sample:

• An estimated 73,000 firefighters serve in communities that protect 50,000 people or more, yet have fewer than four career firefighters assigned to first-due engine companies. With that staffing level, the first arriving company cannot safely start an interior attack on a structure fire and must wait for additional responders.
• Almost 900 communities, mostly with populations under 100,000, have buildings of four stories or more, yet their fire departments lack the ladder/aerial apparatus needed to fight fires in such buildings. In many of those communities, the tall buildings are often schools, hospitals, and multifamily dwellings.
• Throughout the country, an estimated 45 percent of emergency responders on duty in a single shift lack portable radios.
• An estimated 36 percent of emergency responders on duty in a single shift lack self-contained breathing apparatus.
• An estimated 57,000 firefighters do not have their own personal protective clothing.
• An estimated 233,000 firefighters, mostly volunteers in small communities, are involved in fighting structure fires but lack formal training in those duties.
• An estimated 60 to 75 percent of all communities have too few fire stations to meet the accepted ISO response-distance guidelines.

ISO's own statistics show that large numbers of fire departments provide only marginal or inadequate protection against structure fires. Of almost 46,000 fire districts evaluated under the PPC program, some 14,000 (about 30 percent) have achieved only a Class 9 rating — the lowest recognized protection. More than 1,300 (or 3 percent) have the Class 10 rating — no recognized protection.

The map on this page shows that Class 9 and Class 10 communities cover vast geographic areas throughout the country.

And ISO statistics show that, on average, per $1,000 of insured property, communities with the worst PPC ratings have losses two or more times as high as communities with the best PPC ratings.

Although many of the Class 9 and Class 10 fire departments serve small and rural communities, they are responsible for protecting the lives of more than 20 million citizens and billions of dollars' worth of residential, business, and public properties.

When we think of a rural area, we may envision a quaint village, farms, and open space. But the hazards facing a fire department in such a community — and the property values at risk in a single large fire — may be comparable to those in any city. In one striking example, on May 1, 2002, fire destroyed the Third Coast Industries chemical plant in a rural area outside Houston, Texas.

According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the fire burned for more than 24 hours and consumed some 1.2 million gallons of combustible and flammable liquids. The fire also destroyed an adjacent building and a small business. In total, more than 100 people lost their jobs because of the incident.

The local volunteer fire department arrived at the scene within seven minutes of the first alarm, but they had insufficient water to fight the fire. The closest supply was more than a mile away, and firefighters had to shuttle water to protect nearby houses and business properties. The authorities decided to let the main fire burn, minimizing the runoff of water contaminated with dangerous chemicals.

The Third Coast facility had no hydrants, no manual or automatic suppression systems, and no smoke- or heat-detection equipment or alarms. The buildings were in an unincorporated area, with no laws or regulations requiring the company to comply with established fire codes.

And the fire at Third Coast Industries was by no means a unique occurrence. According to a 2003 NFPA study, communities with populations under 5,000 had the highest rate of fire incidents and the highest rate of civilian deaths in the United States. Those small communities also had the highest per capita property loss due to fire.

The possibility of a major fire exists almost everywhere. And the potential economic devastation caused by such a tragedy can weigh heavily indeed on any community and its citizens.

Next Section: Even in well-protected areas, growth often threatens the ability of fire departments to keep up with the demand for service.