Leander Fire Department could save residents on homeowner's insurance

Leander homeowners could soon save $100 in property insurance annually following efforts to improve the city's public protection classification (PPC).

The Leander Fire Department took steps to improve the city's PPC rating, which is determined by data management group ISO and forwarded to the Texas Department of Insurance to help set prices on homeowner's insurance. According to the ISO website, a Class 1 represents superior fire protection while a Class 10 fails to meet the analytic company's minimum standards.

Leander improved on a 1–10 scale from a Class 6 in 1999 to a Class 3, Fire Chief Bill Gardner said. That means a home valued at $120,000 will cost $100 less to insure, he said, resulting more than $1 million in overall savings by residents.

"Now they see the savings in their pocket books, and that's where we needed to be," Gardner said during the Sept. 20 Leander City Council meeting.

That places Leander among 229 other Texas cities and 3,000 nationally with a Class 3 or better rating. And the city is not far from reaching a Class 2 designation, which would add up to another $60 savings per home annually, Gardner said.

Gardner credits overall improvements throughout the fire department, including better service and water delivery. The ranking will improve once drought conditions improve, he said, and the city is able to reduce water conservation efforts. Leander also will benefit from upgrading its 11-year-old fire engine, he said, which the city allotted into its fiscal year 2013 budget.

The revised PPC rating has been forwarded to the state fire marshal's office, Gardner said, and is expected to be reviewed and revised by March 1, 2013.