City of Santa Cruz Fire Protection Rating Amongst Top in the Nation

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February 2012

The City of Santa Cruz is proud to announce that its fire suppression system has been rated within the top 1% safest of all U.S. municipal governments, according to a recent Public Protection Classification study. Now rated as a 2 on the Public Protection Classification ISO scale, both city residents and businesses may be eligible for lower rates on fire protection insurance.

The City received the improved ISO rating based upon its proactive steps to consolidate dispatch, enhance water hydrant flow, update building codes and expand its fire inspection program.  Additionally, the City expanded firefighter trainings and operations ability and brought new fire trucks online to improve service delivery, which factored into the score.  

"This high rating reflects the hard work of the Water Department, Fire Department, and our partners at Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 to keep our community protected from fires," said Mark Ramos, Deputy Fire Chief. "We are very proud of this achievement."

The Public Protection Classification is issued by ISO Properties after analyzing the structural fire suppression system in the City of Santa Cruz. Insurance agencies independently give each property a rating based on location, using the Public Protection Classification as one factor in their decisions.

The analysis considered the fire department (50% of overall score), water supply system (40%) and fire alarm and communication system (10%). The fire department portion of the score includes engine companies, reserve pumpers, pump capacity, ladder-service companies, reserve ladder-service companies, distribution, company personnel and training. The water supply system portion of the score includes supply system, hydrants, and inspection and condition of hydrants. The fire alarm and communication system portion of the score includes telephone service, operators and dispatch circuits.



Author:Santa Cruz Fire Department Press Release