Teutopolis Fire Protection District Rating Improves

The Insurance Services Offices (ISO) recently notified the Teutopolis Fire Protection District its fire rating has improved from a Class 5 to a Class 4 in the Village and a Class 4X in the rural areas of the Fire District effective December 1, 2020. The actual review took place over the summer months and the Fire District was recently notified of the improved rating.

The classification by ISO is a program that assesses the fire protection efforts in more than 40,000 communities in the United States. There are currently 1,107 fire departments protecting 1,771 communities in the State of Illinois of which only 284 have a Class 4 rating. By classifying a community’s ability to suppress fires, ISO helps the community evaluate the public fire protection services. Class 1 represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO minimum criteria.

When rating a fire department, ISO analyzes the relevant data on three major components: fire suppression capabilities of the fire department, fire department emergency communications (dispatch center), and water supply (to include rural areas). In addition, ISO recognizes community efforts to reduce losses through fire prevention, public fire safety education, and fire investigation. There are only 6,921 fire departments in the U.S. that have achieved a Class 4 rating.

The Teutopolis Fire Protection District currently consists of 25 volunteer officers and firefighters. The evaluation scoring of the fire department, among items scored, looked at response times, manning, and firefighter certifications and training. This is a direct result of the dedication of the volunteers, and the support of the community.

This status could lower the cost of our resident’s homeowner insurance policy dependent on the insurance company and the insurance underwriter. Homeowners and businesses are encouraged to contact their respective insurance agent to advise them of the new fire insurance rating which may lower your fire insurance premiums.

If you have additional questions, you may contact Chief Tim McMahon at 217-203-0746.