How Your Local Fire Department Affects Your Home Insurance

House fires are one of the biggest concerns for insurance companies, and they need to price their policies according to the risk that they are covering. This means that your premiums will be determined in large part by your fire department’s "ISO" in relation to your home, or Insurance Services Office. Essentially your nearest fire department is given a score from one to ten, with one being the best possible rating. Different insurers will determine values differently, but the following concerns will always be considered:

• The size of your Burlington, NC fire department’s staff, the quality of their training, and their distance from your home. This typically makes up about half of your ISO score.
• The availability of a water supply is another big concern. If you live right by a fire hydrant, you’ll have a better score than someone who lives relatively off the grid.
• Communications systems count for a significant portion, that is, how fast a 911 call gets to the department.
• Community outreach and fire prevention courses.
• If you’re more than five miles from the nearest station, you’re probably going to be scored a ten no matter what.

 Location is perhaps the biggest concern. Homes in Burlington, NC closer to public services are pretty much guaranteed a better ISO than homes farther away, even if the home nearer to the fire hydrant is otherwise less safe than the one on the outskirts of the city. In some cases, an insurance company might even list fire as an exclusion if you live too far away from the nearest fire station, but this only refers to a small minority of homes. If you want to find out your own ISO and get covered, give Don Allred Insurance a call. Don Allred Insurance can get you the protection that you need.