Fire Chief says Green Island’s ISO rating improves to PPC 4, potentially lowering insurance costs

Fire Chief Saini reported that the village’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification improved from a PPC 5 to a PPC 4 following a recent department review. He explained the PPC score is compiled from categories including the fire department (50 points), water supply (40 points) and a new community risk reduction component. “We’ve been a 5 for over 15 years... So we moved up to a 4 from 5,” S2 said.

Saini highlighted strengths that boosted the rating: the department’s engine company performance, personnel availability (including recalls), incident management system usage and a pre-incident inspection program that places building plans and contact information on iPads in apparatus. He reported the village maintains 94 hydrants and is “well above average” on several ISO measures, but said equipment procurement is difficult — noting a recent fire truck cost about $600,000 and comparable models now list near $1.1 million with multiyear waitlists. Saini also said the department will begin formal flow testing once it obtains the required gauges and will keep records to support future ISO reviews.

The presentation included a short Q&A during which trustees confirmed the department collects and forwards run reports and pump/ladder testing results to state records. Saini described community risk reduction efforts such as smoke-detector giveaways and hands-only CPR instruction for 8th graders as contributing to the improved rating. No board action was taken; the report was informational.