The Franklin Fire Department was just awarded a Class 1 fire protection rating with the Insurance Services Office, according to Eric Stuckey, Franklin city administrator. Stuckey added that Franklin is only one of 97 fire departments in the country to earn that Class 1 honor. The ISO is an organization that tracks property and casualty insurance risk and also evaluates and rates a community’s ability to handle fires.
The ISO review includes three separately evaluated categories, which are totaled to reach the final score:
- Fire Department: (50%) Focuses on items such as engine, ladder or service companies, distribution of fire stations and fire companies, equipment carried on apparatus, pumping capacity, reserve apparatus, department staffing and training and community risk reduction.
- Water Supply System: (40%) Assesses the water supply a community uses for fire suppression, including hydrant size, type, and installation, as well as the inspection frequency and condition of fire hydrants.
- Fire Alarm and Communications Systems: (10%) Assesses the community’s ability to handle and dispatch fire alarms.
A presentation will take place Tues, Oct 13th at 1pm at Franklin Fire Station 6 (1061 Cool Springs Blvd) recognizing the City of Franklin’s top fire protection services rating. ISO representative Marc Alley will lead the event. City officials, including Mayor Ken Moore, City Administrator Eric Stuckey and Fire Chief Rocky Garzarek will help explain how businesses and homeowners will benefit from the improved rating.
Established nearly 200 years ago in 1820, Franklin’s Fire Department is an all-career, Advanced Life Support department that has more than 160 personnel and was previously in Class 2 with the ISO. Franklin FD has seven fire stations throughout the city with another under construction, Westhaven’s Fire Station 8. Fire Station 7 in southeast Franklin is planned for fiscal year 2016-2017. Rocky Garzarek is Franklin’s fire chief.
This new rating means that the Franklin community is better equipped to fight fires, which in turn, means that your insurance premiums can actually go down. The thought is that the better equipped a community is to fight fires, the less likely it is that homes and businesses in the area will sustain major fire damage.
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