What is an ISO Fire Score and How it Impacts a Community’s Appeal
By Cindy Pratte-Smith Realtor®, M.B.A.
This year to date, as I write this post, there have been over 8,500 California wildfires that have consumed more than four million acres, killed over 30 people, and destroyed 9,200 structures—many of which were family homes. California’s still on-going fire season has shattered the growing record of prior years, tragically fitting with 2020’s sense of looming apocalypse.
Because of this many fearful and frustrated Californians are seeking greener and safer pastures across state lines. Their unrelenting anxiety over dangerous air quality, rolling blackouts, multiple evacuations, and the threat to personal safety and economic viability cannot be overstated. Many disenfranchised Californians feel that the “California Dream” has become somewhat of a living nightmare. The drought-affected state seems unable to get its legs underneath it to address the exponentially growing threat of global warming and subsequent drought-parched landscape—ripe kindling for lightning strikes, human error, and power line accidents—resulting in fires driven out of control by high, hot winds.
As Californians consider relocation, a factor that should prominently come under consideration is their target community’s ISO Fire Score. The ISO, or Insurance Services Office is the leading supplier of data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry. The ISO fire score is a community safety ranking assigned to a city’s fire department. Half of the score’s weight reflects the local fire department’s performance, staffing, training, and the location of the fire house within the community. Forty percent of the ranking assesses the availability of emergency water supply and the remaining weighting evaluates an area’s emergency communications systems and fire prevention educational outreach. The ISO ranking system is, by design, stringent. For example, in cities where the nearest fire department is more than five driving miles away, the ISO score automatically is a ten, which is the worst score.
North Lake Tahoe, always a popular vacation, second home, and relocation target for especially Northern Californians has recently been recognized as earning an ISO Class 1 rating. Early last year the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District was officially awarded a Public Protection Classification 1, which is the highest ranking possible through the Insurance Services Office. Out of the 46,000 fire districts ranked across the country, less 1% (329 fire districts) have this top distinction. In fact, Nevada boasts three Class 1 fire districts: North Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, and the Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department.
A community with a low (good) ISO Fire score should top most relocation buyer’s list, but especially those that have seen first hand the destruction and despair that wild fires can thrust upon a community and its home and business owners. Finding out a community ISO score can be a little tricky as the reports are not usually publicly available, but by calling the local fire department and giving the zip code you should be able to attain the department’s ISO rating.
If you would like to explore North Lake Tahoe real estate investment opportunities currently available please call me at (775) 691-9442 to set up a consultation.
