LAFCRD Public Protection Class Information; Effective March 1, 2023

Every three to five years, the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District participates in an evaluation of the Public Protection Classification (PPC) for the District through ISO Mitigation. During this evaluation, expert ISO staff visit the community to observe and evaluate features of the fire protection systems. We are proud to report that the District has maintained current ISO ratings for our community. The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District (District) maintains a rating classification from ISO as follows:

PPC 3 - Parcels and structures within five (5) road miles of a District fire station.

PPC 10 - Applies to all parcels and structures that are located more than five (5) road miles from a District fire station.

The rating scale created by ISO notes the best possible classification as a “1’, with “10” being the highest hazard risk rating.

The District’s long-term goal is to improve our overall ISO rating to a 2 (two), which would be the best possible rating for our community. Achieving this goal will require decreasing response times by adding additional fire stations and apparatus, improving our training rating with a training facility, bolstering our Life Safety Division’s public education programs, and improving upon our water sources. While we cannot control where FGUA installs water hydrants, adding more water tenders to our fleet will help increase our water source rating. 

ISO is an independent organization that provides communities and businesses with various rating and evaluation services throughout the United States. The purpose of an ISO public protection survey is to gather information to determine a Public Protection Classification (PPC®), which insurers use for underwriting and to calculate premiums for fire insurance. 

A community’s PPC depends on:

emergency communications systems, including facilities for the public to report fires, staffing, training, certification of telecommunicators, and facilities for dispatching fire departments

the fire department, including equipment, staffing, training, and geographic deployment of fire companies

the water supply system, including the inspection and flow testing of hydrants and a careful evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the amount needed to suppress fires

community efforts to reduce the risk of fire, including fire prevention codes and enforcement, public fire safety education, and fire investigation programs

ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC®) information plays an important part in the decisions insurers make affecting the underwriting and pricing of property insurance. In fact, most U.S. insurance companies — including the largest ones — use PPC information to offer coverages and establish deductibles for individual homes and businesses. Assuming all other factors are equal, the price of property insurance in a community with a good PPC is lower than in a community with a poor PPC.

Additional information on our ISO rating is located in the Life Safety section of our website, located here: https://www.lehighfd.com/lifesafety/page/iso-rating