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Lake Elmos ISO public protection classification improves from 5 to 4; residents advised to check insurers
Summary
The Lake Elmo fire department and supporting utilities were re-evaluated by ISO; the citys public protection classification improved from class 5 to class 4 effective June 1. Officials said insurance impacts vary by carrier and residents should consult their insurer.
City staff told the Lake Elmo City Council on May 6 that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) completed a re-evaluation of the citys public protection classification (PPC) and assigned Lake Elmo a new class 4 rating, an improvement from class 5. The updated classification is effective June 1.
Staff explained that ISO evaluates multiple factors, including 911 dispatch performance, fire department staffing, training and apparatus, and water-supply capacity and hydrant testing. The city noted improvements in preplanning and fire inspections contributed positively; however, a consolidation of fire stations affected some deployment metrics in ISOs analysis because the evaluator looks at physical station locations and road miles when computing deployment points.
Officials said the ISO rating is one of several inputs insurers might use to set premiums and that usage varies by company. Staff recommended that homeowners contact their insurance providers to learn whether the updated PPC affects individual policy rates. City staff also said they plan to review ISO feedback for targeted areas of continued improvement, including training and documentation practices that ISO uses in its scoring methodology.
No council action was required; staff included the ISO report in the meeting packet and stood for questions.
