YFD’s New Rating Good for Business, Residents
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – An upgrade in the protection rating of the Youngstown Fire Department could help attract new business to the city and provide its residents with future discounts on insurance premiums, says Fire Chief John J. O’Neill Jr.
In a letter to Mayor John McNally and members of city council, the fire chief reports “that after almost 20 years of diligence, the city of Youngstown’s Public Protection Classification has been upgraded by the Insurance Services Office from a Class 3 to a Class 2, effective Nov. 1.”
The fire chief says the upgrade is “a true milestone” for his department and the city “because it is a distinguished rating held by only 1,060 fire departments among nearly 49,000 in the nation. We are among the top 2% of fire departments nationwide in fire protection of our community and reduction of property loss.”
O’Neill describes the Insurance Services Office as an independent, “reliable measure of fire protection capabilities” that many property insurance agencies use to determine insurance rates. ISO evaluations take place every five years.
“As our protection class was being evaluated,” his letter states, “we were able to show marked improvement in our water distribution and maintenance, 911 dispatch efficiency and technology, fire department response times, equipment condition, training records and inspection/fire education programs.”
The letter, dated Aug. 12, credits personnel in the city’s water, police, 911 dispatch and fire departments for working together to secure the new rating.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
