The McKinney Fire Department maintained its ISO Class 1 Public Protection Classification, which has a bearing on property insurance costs for local residents and businesses, according to an April 4 news release from the department.

The details

The Insurance Services Office, an insurance analytics company, evaluates communities throughout the U.S. for quality and effectiveness of fire protection.

An ISO rating is a score from 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest rating and indication that the community has "superior property fire protection," according to the Texas Department of Insurance's website. The rating is determined by a combination of factors, the release stated, including:

• The fire department’s staffing, training and emergency response capabilities
• The water supply system
• The fire alarm and communications system

Only 498 fire departments nationwide hold ISO Class 1 status, with 74 of those located in Texas, the release stated.

The rating could result in lower property insurance costs for residents and business owners, according to the release.

Zooming in

The McKinney Fire Department employs over 200 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, which respond to emergencies from 10 fire stations across the city, according to the city’s website.

The department’s ISO rating is evaluated every five years. The department also received ISO Class 1 status in 2014, the release stated.

“The ISO 1 Classification puts McKinney in an elite group of fire departments,” McKinney Fire Chief Paul Dow said in the release. “It takes hard work to attain and then maintain the certification, but it is important to show our commitment to providing the highest level of protection and emergency services to the community.”

Learn more

For more information about the McKinney Fire Department, visit www.mckinneyfire.org.