Chief Matt Cowan: Shoreline Fire assessment advanced to Class 2

Chief Matt Cowan, Shoreline Fire

From Fire Chief Matt Cowan

Everyone, I am pleased to share some great news. The Washington State Rating Bureau (WSRB) just determined that we have improved from a Class 3 to Class 2!

The WSRB is an independent organization that assesses fire departments around the State on their overall performance for insurance companies. 

They evaluate four major areas of fire department operations such as:

1. Water Supply:  Evaluates the capacity, distribution and maintenance of water systems and fire hydrants.
2. Fire Department: Evaluates the fire department, including fire stations, apparatus, equipment, personnel and their training. 
3. Emergency Communications: Evaluates the emergency communication system used to dispatch the fire department. 
4. Fire Safety Control: Evaluates the fire code enforcement and fire safety education activities in the community.

 

There are many sub-categories under these areas with a percentage score of compliance for each.  Overall there are 65 different, specific, elements being evaluated.

The rankings for fire departments range from Class 1 (the best) to a Class 10 (minimal fire protection).  

Through the hard work of our personnel, especially over the past five years, we have made improvements in many of the areas that allowed us to improve to a Community Protection Class 2. 

We join the 15 other fire departments in the State at Class 2 (the chart has not been updated to reflect Seattle rising from a 2 to a 1 earlier this year). 

This puts us in the top 2.4% of fire departments in the State and will be in effect for all three cities that Shoreline Fire protects; Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore. 

This also may positively affect your insurance rates. Homeowners may or may not see a drop in pricing depending on their carrier, but commercial property owners will almost definitely realize a savings. So please contact your agents to determine if you can save some money. Thanks for your support!  

 

Chief Matt Cowan

Shoreline Fire