Garden Valley Fire Protection District Achieves Significant ISO Rating Improvement
The Garden Valley Fire Protection District is proud to announce a substantial enhancement in our Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. Effective May 1, 2025, our fire district will be classified as PPC 04/4X, marking a notable improvement from the 6/6x rating previously.

Understanding ISO Ratings
ISO ratings are a crucial metric used by insurance companies to evaluate fire protection capabilities in communities across the United States. The rating system, which ranges from 1 (exemplary) to 10 (does not meet minimum criteria), assesses several key factors:
- Emergency Communications (10% of total classification)
- Fire Department Resources (50% of total classification)
- Water Supply Systems (40% of total classification)
- Community Risk Reduction Efforts
When you see a split rating like 4/4X, it's telling you two things. The first number (4) is for buildings within 5 road miles from staffed fire stations and a good water source, like a fire hydrant. The second number (4X) is for places that are within 5 road miles from a staffed fire station but not within 1000 feet of a reliable water source. Insurance companies use these scores to figure out how risky it is to insure a property and how much to charge for insurance. So, a better PPC rating could mean lower insurance costs for homeowners and businesses in that area.
These ratings are determined through a comprehensive evaluation process conducted by ISO, involving meetings with local officials, detailed questionnaires, and analysis of the community's fire suppression capabilities.
What This Means for Homeowners
The ISO rating significantly influences the insurance market in our area by directly impacting home insurance premiums. A lower ISO rating, which indicates better fire protection, generally leads to more favorable insurance rates for homeowners and businesses.
Andrea Dodson, owner of Brightway Insurance in Lotus, added the following:
"The efforts made by the Garden Valley Fire station have been instrumental in making the communities safer from wildfires and as a bonus have improved the Protection class rating. As long as your home is within 5 miles of a manned fire station you might see a dip in your premium. Since this change doesn't take effect until May, it is unknown how quickly it will get noticed by the carriers. Although insurance companies may use ISO ratings as a factor in setting premiums, ISO as an organization has nothing to do with insurance pricing. Insurers use and weigh ISO's ratings differently, and some don't use ISO ratings at all, instead opting for their own rating system.
Those that are over 5 miles from the manned fire stations in Garden Valley, Cool, or Georgetown will not see a difference in their insurance rating, though they do get the benefit of the mitigation efforts that have happened in the course of improving the rating. Manning the station on Highway 193 in Greenwood and the station on Highway 193 in Kelsey would make the biggest impact on the community by increasing response time in those areas substantially and expanding the 4/4x ISO rating much further into the community saving many homeowners' potentially thousands on their annual insurance bill. I understand this is on the mind of our community members, and the Fire Station is aware of the impact these changes could have. Manning these stations costs money, lots of it, the taxpayers will need to decide if it's worth spending their tax dollars on our LOCAL fire departments or giving their hard-earned money to the insurance carriers. Step one create a ballot initiative..."
Impact on Premiums
The correlation between ISO ratings and insurance premiums are clear:
- Areas with good ISO ratings typically see lower insurance premiums due to reduced fire-related claim risks.
- Communities with poor ISO ratings often face higher insurance premiums, reflecting the increased risk of fire damage.
For example, a study by the Insurance Services Office found that buildings with an ISO rating of 1 had an average insurance premium of $1,000 per year, while those with a rating of 10 faced premiums around $5,000 annually
The Garden Valley Fire Protection District remains dedicated to continuous improvement in our fire protection services.
We encourage community members to contact their insurance providers to inquire about potential premium adjustments based on this new ISO classification.