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Politics & Government

NSFD Receives High Safety Ranking by National Organization

Chief Whitaker says this high rating can help keep insurance rates lower for homeowners.

A national rating group has once again recognized the North Shore Fire Dept. as being at the top of their game.

The Insurance Services Office, a group that measures various data as it relates to property, casualty and financial risk for the national insurance industry, ranked the NSFD as a Class 2 designation.

The measurement is on a scale from 1 – 10, with 10 being the worst. No fire department in the state scored above a Class 2 rating in the ISO’s annual ‘Public Protection Classification Rating’ system.

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“This is an outsider’s analysis and they say we’re providing service that is in the top tier of those providing fire protection services in the State of Wisconsin,” said NSFD Chief Robert Whitaker. “(The classification) also means that the tax dollar investment (made by residents) is being properly used.”

Overall, the high rank means the NSFD, an intergovernmental cooperative protecting seven North Shore communities since 1995, is among the country’s leaders when it comes to having the ability, training and equipment to protect the residents, businesses and property of Fox Point, Bayside and surrounding communities in the cooperative.

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The NSFD has acquired the Class 2 ranking every year since 1997, said Whitaker, adding that the best ranking any of the seven communities currently protected by the NFSD had separately was a Class 4.

The ranking measures a myriad of data and factors, including response time from the initial emergency call, access to and adequate water supply, communications and dispatch abilities and equipment, firefighting and safety equipment and much more.

In addition to offering residents piece of mind, the ISO ranking also has a monetary benefit given that the group is tied to the insurance industry, said Whitaker.

“(The consistent Class 2 ranking) means that homeowners’ insurance rates for fire insurance should remain the same as they had previously,” he explained, adding that insurance companies could, of course, raise rates based on other factors.

Whitaker said he’s very proud of the continued high ranking for the NSFD and that the department will keep working to ensure the best fire protection possible.

“We’re constantly looking at different recommendations ISO and other groups make and then we evaluate what we want and need based on them. Unfortunately, we can’t always afford everything we want,” he said. “But once we evaluate the recommendations of what we want (for training and new equipment), we look at our budget and find that meeting point.”

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