McMinnville fire protection remains among the best in Tennessee.
In May 2008, the city’s fire department received a big boost on its insurance service (ISO) rating when it improved two points, going from 5 to 3. Its status was reaffirmed this month when another review resulted in an ISO rating of 3.
“We have maintained our ISO rating of 3,” said McMinnville Fire Chief Kendell Mayfield during Tuesday night’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting. “We are very proud of that. I don’t think we can get any lower than that, but that’s really good.”
How effective communities are when it comes to fighting fires is judged by an ISO rating. Departments are assigned a class from 1 to 10, with 1 representing exemplary public protection and 10, which is the worst rating, representing no fire protection.
An ISO rating is one of the tools insurance agencies use to determine insurance premiums. Because the city’s ISO classification stayed the same, premiums paid by residents of the city will not be affected by it.
According to Dominic Santanna, manager of the National Processing Center, the rating is very important to residents and can be used by the city to determine if improvements need to be made.
ISO is the leading supplier of data and analytics for the property/ casualty insurance industry, and Santanna thanked the city for its cooperation in conducting the necessary review in order to gather all the information needed to determine the city’s rating.
The city will not be reviewed again for several years.