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Comment by Avery Dale on December 21, 2008 at 10:29am

I hate dealing with ISO. The last time we where tested we did fairly well on our part. However, our county water system goes cheap on pipes so the water flow between hydrants sucked and one of our mutual aid departments had some quirks, making our score lower. I don't understand why we are penalized for something we can't control. We have begged for help from the county water system but no $$ means no help and we can't control how other departments are organized. Its bad enough knowing your score is low for something that's not your fault, but dealing with a ticked off community over increased insurance rates is worse. If you don't deal with ISO be very, very glad.

Comment by Gordon "Gopher" Runer on December 21, 2008 at 1:17am

It seems as if EVERYTHING relies on it!

Comment by lutan1 on December 20, 2008 at 5:27pm

and the examiner that tested our hydrant flow didn't even know how to figure the pressure and residual. She used the wrong coefficients and as a result we were given a poor score.
What a load of crap! Especially when it appears that so much relies on the rating....

Comment by Oldman on December 20, 2008 at 4:35pm

lutan1,

Be glad you don't. ISO is a joke. ISO grades small rural departments with the criteria of how the big cities respond and operate. Couple that with the fact that depending on who is doing the survey, depends on whether a department gets credit in a particular category. We were surveyed 7 years ago, and the examiner that tested our hydrant flow didn't even know how to figure the pressure and residual. She used the wrong coefficients and as a result we were given a poor score. This was brought to light last year when we were to be surveyed again. The consultant couldn't believe that no one else had caught it. ISO also tells you that using automatic aid gives you extra points on the initial alarm response. However, the examiner this time would not allow this to be used even though we have written agreements. Our communications center was given a lower score even though not 6 months prior, had received full credit for the neighboring department for which they dispatch. It's not consistent.

Dealing with ISO is an eye opener. and one I wouldn't want to repeat any time soon.

Comment by lutan1 on December 20, 2008 at 3:12pm

Thanks krys- we have nothing like it here in Australia...

Comment by krys on December 20, 2008 at 7:32am

it's probably the single most important thing your department will go thru. iso will inspect your department's ability to handle structure fires in your district. The results are a rating system that affects your departments funding as well as your community's insurance rates.

they look at everything... structure fire reports, fire trainings and how often you train with mutual aid, how often you train at night, and what the trainings consist of, the attendance at your trainings and fires (including mutual aid), your apparatus and all the equipment on it as well as mutual aid's apparatus reports, scba tests, apparatus pump tests, ladder tests, hydrant tests, if you have a cascade, they want the air quality reports, the percentage of calls that are structure fires, preplans for all commercial structures. they also look at your dispatch and their ability to function, the entire water supply, fire flows.... the list goes on. all of the records need to be organized and viewable for the latest 3 years.

during the inspection they ask questions regarding the response, who shows up, who's in command, what apparatus and equipment are utilized and how.

they schedule these things every 10-15 years normally, however, if you're in an area that is growing and more commercial structures go up, they will come back sooner.

download this: http://www.geocities.com/isoslayer1/infopage.html

it'll give you a good heads up on what's needed.

Comment by lutan1 on December 20, 2008 at 6:55am

I'veheard of the ISO stuff but no nothing about it.

What's it about? What's the significance for the FD or the community?

Comment by Gordon "Gopher" Runer on December 20, 2008 at 3:37am

Good luck! You will do just fine. Let us know how it goes. Might see you around up there over Christmas. Once again good luck.

Gopher