A new Property Protection Classification for Brighton Area Fire Authority communities could result in lower insurance rates for residents.

The new classification for the BAFA communities is a Class 3 for properties within 1,000 feet of an approved water supply system. That includes the entire City of Brighton and portions of Brighton Township and Genoa Township served by municipal water systems. The remaining areas in Brighton Township and Genoa Township that are more than 1,000 feet from a municipal fire hydrant have been assigned a PPC of Class 4.

Both new Property Protection Classifications are an improvement from the previous rating of Class 5. Communities whose PPC improves may get lower insurance prices. BAFA says depending on a property insurance carrier’s use of the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating system in setting insurance premiums, residents may see a reduction of property insurance rates. BAFA suggests residents contact their insurance agent or carrier to confirm that they are using the most recent PPC from the ISO.

In addition to potentially lower insurance prices, PPC also provides the fire department with a valuable benchmark and can be a helpful tool when planning, budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements. BAFA’s improved PPC makes them a part of the small percentage of fire departments that have Class 3 and 4 ratings. Of the 46,042 U.S. fire departments that have been rated by ISO, only 25% have a Class 4 rating or better and only 10% have a Class 3 rating or better.

ISO determines ratings by conducting an evaluation based on a department’s structure fire suppression capabilities. After a site visit, review of facilities and apparatus, review of community water systems, 911 Communications capabilities and extensive data analysis by the ISO, a PPC rating that ranges from 1 to 10 is assigned to the department.