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Rangeley fire department’s ISO rating improves, potential insurance savings for property owners
Summary
The town’s fire department reported an improved ISO protection rating that could lower property insurance premiums; discussion focused on water-point improvements and dry-hydrant installation to further raise the score for outlying areas.
The Rangeley Select Board was briefed that the town’s fire protection classification, as measured by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), improved — a change the department said could produce savings for property owners beginning Jan. 1.
Sam (fire department chief) presented the ISO audit results and said the town’s overall protection score rose in multiple categories, driven in part by investments in community risk reduction, additional full‑time staffing and emergency communications upgrades. “We knocked it out of the park,” Sam told the board, saying the town’s score moved from the fifties into the low sixties on ISO’s scale for comparable communities.
Sam said the upgrade could result in “up to 20%” savings on some insurance policies and that the new score reflects sustained work on hydrant maintenance, flow testing and improved dispatch and training. He said the department’s addition of a second full‑time firefighter was a major driver in the improved rating because ISO evaluates 24/7 coverage capacity.
Board members and local stakeholders discussed next steps to extend benefits beyond the immediate station area. The board heard that ISO scores are calculated by drawing five‑mile circles around fire stations; scores outside that radius can be higher (worse) unless the town adds resources such as dry hydrants or additional stations. The chief and attendees noted several possible actions, including placing dry hydrants in strategic plantation locations and pursuing grant funding for forest-fire mitigation and dry‑hydrant installation.
The board asked the chief to prepare a package for outreach to plantation residents and to explore grant opportunities with county and state partners. The board also discussed holding a public presentation at the next quarterly meeting so residents can learn whether and how the ISO change might affect their insurance and what investments (for example, dry hydrants) locals might consider funding.
Ending: The chief will provide fuller documentation of the ISO report to the town manager and prepare materials for outreach; the board asked staff to include an ISO update on the next quarterly meeting agenda.
