Phillipsburg Fire Department Earns an Upgrade from ISO Class 3 to Class 2 Rating

PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - In January 2024, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) completed an evaluation of the structural fire suppression system delivery provided in Phillipsburg.

According to a Facebook post from The Town of Phillipsburg, improvements in the areas evaluated will upgrade Phillipsburg from the current Class 3 rating to a Class 2 rating, effective August 1, 2024.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

The Phillipsburg Fire Department is both pleased and honored by the announcement that, after a recent evaluation, we have been upgraded to an ISO Class 2 fire department. This represents a lot of hard work by the members of the fire department. It was a total team effort. We are humbled to be rated among the top volunteer fire departments in New Jersey and the nation. I would be remiss if I did not also pay tribute to Aqua New Jersey Water, the Water County Communications Center, and the Town of Phillipsburg for their part in making this possible,” said Phillipsburg Fire Chief Richard Hay in a statement to TAPinto.

“Many thanks to Chief [Richard] Hay, Aqua Water, and all those who made this possible,” Business Administrator Matt Hall shared with TAPinto. “This increase in ISO rating will benefit all property owners in the Town of Phillipsburg in the form of lower insurance rates and better fire protection.”

This means that out of 668 fire departments evaluated in the State of New Jersey, just 33 are rated Class 1 or Class 2. This now puts Phillipsburg in the top 5% in the state. Nationally, 37,983 fire departments were evaluated, with 2,538 rated Class 1 or Class 2, putting Phillipsburg in the top 7% nationwide.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

“It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication by your volunteers,” wrote the Warren Chemical Engine Company. “This places us in a very elite group of departments in the state and across the country.”

ISO evaluates fire department equipment, training, firefighter and officer certification levels, facilities, available personnel and response times, along with the water delivery system, Fire Inspections and the 911 Dispatch and Radio Communications System.

There is an established scoring system which gives each fire suppression delivery system a numeric score, with Class 1 being the fire protection available, down to Class 10, which is minimal fire protection.

ISO’s Public Protection Classification system plays a substantial role in insurance companies’ underwriting process, as nearly all insurance carriers in the county use the Public Protection Classification system to determine coverage, rates, and premium costs to customers.

In towns where the Public Protection Classification rating improves, insurance premiums may be reduced. Additionally, it provides fire departments and water providers with a valuable planning tool to help evaluate and budget for improvements in the services they provide to the public.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net