By Prentiss Findlay
The Post and Courier
Copyright 2007 Post and Courier
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Results of the investigation of the Sofa Super Store blaze that killed nine firefighters on June 18 could lead to a “re-evaluation” of the Charleston Fire Department’s Insurance Services Office Class 1 ranking, which is used to calculate business and home fire insurance premiums, an ISO official said.
ISO Class 1 is the highest ranking possible for a fire department. About 50 departments nationwide have the rating. City fire trucks display the Class 1 designation, and firefighters wear an ISO 1 patch on their sleeves. At the first city news conference about the fire, Mayor Joe Riley noted that the Charleston Fire Department has a Class 1 rating.
Mike Waters, ISO vice president of risk decision services, said in an e-mail that one fire, even with tragic results, would not normally affect the ISO ranking assigned to a city. “However, to the extent facts emerge from the review of a single fire which suggests systemic deficiencies relative to ISO’s evaluation criteria, ISO would consult with municipal officials to determine whether a re-evaluation is warranted,” he said.
Four fire departments in the state have the Class 1 rating: Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Arcadia Lakes and Boiling Springs. Myrtle Beach achieved the rating after a two-year evaluation process, Fire Chief Alvin Payne said. “It was difficult. One of the biggest issues was having proper documentation for everything,” Payne said.
The ISO, an independent agency, awarded the Class 1 rating for Charleston based on an evaluation in 1997, followed by periodic updates from Charleston officials regarding the city’s fire alarm/communications system, the availability of water for firefighting and the operational readiness of the fire department, Waters said.
Riley said in a statement that the ISO routinely evaluates and re-evaluates relevant information in all of the communities they rate.
“As they have said, no single fire event will cause the loss of a rating. We are very proud of our ISO rating and, as we have done for many years, we will work proactively with the ISO to ensure that we keep and improve our ISO rating for the city,” he said.
Authorities have suggested that the cause of the fire might be pinned down in a matter of weeks, but investigation of some of the broader procedural issues that would relate to the ISO rating will likely not be completed for months.
The ISO serves insurance companies, fire departments, insurance regulators and others by providing information about risk. Its staff collects information about municipal fire-protection efforts in communities throughout the United States. In each of those communities, the ISO analyzes relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10.
Class 1 represents exemplary fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that a fire-suppression program does not meet the ISO’s minimum criteria, according to the ISO Web site.
Virtually all insurers of homes and business property use the ISO’s Public Protection Classification in calculating premiums. In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good rating is substantially lower than in a community with a poor rating, assuming all other factors are equal, the Web site states.
The vast majority of Charleston properties qualify for the Class 1 fire protection rating because they are within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant, Waters said. Properties that are more than 1,000 feet from a hydrant have the Class 9 rating, he said. There are a few Class 9 properties in the city, he said.
Kin Hill, Charleston Water System chief executive officer, said three hydrants are within 500 feet of the Sofa Super Store. Another hydrant is “right at 1,000 feet,” he said. More than 5,000 gallons per minute were pumped on the fire, he said.
“Properties within 1,000 feet can obviously be protected a little bit better. There are only a few, if any, gaps on that coverage. The vast majority of properties would be well within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant,” Hill said.
Post and Courier reporter Ron Menchaca contributed to this story
Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com
DETERMINING FIRE RATING
The Insurance Services Office evaluates a community’s fire suppression capability based on the following criteria:
--50 percent: The operational readiness of the fire department, including equipment, staffing and training.
--40 percent: The city water supply system for fighting fires.
--10 percent: The communication system for the public to report a fire.