The fire protection services of the City of Arlington, as rated by the Washington Survey & Rating Bureau (WSRB), has improved to Class 4 from a Class 5, Fire Chief Dave Kraski announced at the January 6, 2020 City Council meeting. The new rating will take effect April 1, 2020.
WSRB evaluates communities’ fire protection abilities every five years, reviewing facilities, equipment, training, staffing, water supply, and more. By classifying communities’ ability to suppress fires, WSRB helps the communities evaluate their public fire protection services. The program provides an objective, statewide standard that helps fire departments in planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment, and training. By securing lower fire insurance premiums for communities with better public protection, the WSRB program provides incentives and rewards for communities that choose to improve their firefighting services.
Mayor Barb Tolbert said, “We are pleased to be able to announce the improvement in our WSRB ratings. The improvement in the rating is due to the increase in the quality and efficiency of our fire department which will save residents and businesses money on their insurance premiums.”
Stated Arlington Fire Chief Dave Kraski, “I am excited and proud to announce we have successfully raised our WSRB rating for the first time in over 30 years.”
The classification by the WSRB assesses the fire protection efforts in a particular community. WSRB collects information on municipal fire protection efforts in communities throughout Washington and analyzes the relevant data using a rating schedule. WSRB then assigns a rating from one to 10, where Class 1 represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet WSRB’s minimum criteria. WSRB is the only organization of its kind authorized to submit its ratings to the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner for use by insurance companies in setting insurance premiums.
WSRB is a leading source of information, products, and services about property and liability risk for Washington state. WSRB provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting, claims, and related information and analyses to insurers, reinsurers, agents, insurance regulators, and other government agencies.
Residents and businesses within Arlington city limits can reach out to their insurance companies starting in April to explore the potential savings on their insurance premiums.