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The Telegraph.com recently published an article highlighting the improvements made by the Alton Fire Department in its ISO rating:
ALTON — Despite having a smaller number of firefighters on duty, the efforts led by the city’s fire chief are resulting in a better insurance rating for Alton this fall. This could lead to lower insurance premiums for residents and businesses.
Fire Chief Bernie Sebold announced that the city's Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating has been upgraded from a Class 4 to a Class 3, effective October 1st. He explained that the ISO rating plays a key role in how insurance companies set property insurance rates for homes and businesses. The evaluation considers factors such as the fire department's dispatching system, water supply, and overall operations.
Sebold encouraged local residents and business owners to reach out to their insurance providers to inform them of the change. "This could potentially result in lower insurance costs," he said. He also noted that when the rating dropped from Class 3 to 4, some residents saw their annual premiums increase by around $85 to $100, depending on their carrier.
ISO ratings range from Class 1 to Class 10, with Class 1 being the best. In Illinois, only 144 out of 2,408 fire departments have a Class 3 rating. There are just seven departments with a Class 1 rating and 56 with a Class 2. Nationally, out of 47,242 fire departments, only 1,998 are rated Class 3, with 61 at Class 1 and 592 at Class 2.
Chief Sebold highlighted two major changes that contributed to the improvement. First, the department increased officer training and conducted more multi-company drills. Second, East Alton now responds to all structure fires in Alton, and vice versa, ensuring a stronger response.
While the department had been conducting monthly drills for years, Sebold emphasized that the focus was shifted to meet ISO standards. "We increased the frequency and expanded the areas we train in," he said.
Another issue was manpower. With only 48 firefighters in the department, Sebold partnered with the East Alton Fire Department to ensure more personnel are available during emergencies.
He also mentioned that ISO typically evaluates cities every 10 years, but Alton hadn’t been reviewed in 12 years before the last assessment five years ago. That review led to the downgrade from Class 3 to 4. When he became chief in 2012, one of his main goals was to improve the rating. After working with ISO, the department submitted one year of updated data, and a re-evaluation was scheduled for May 2013.
Thanks Chris
June 25, 2025