Insurance Services Office (ISO) give fire departments a 1-10 rating regarding their ability to meet standards when performing their responsibilities through the Public Protection Classification (PPC®) program. The purpose of an ISO is to help communities evaluate their public fire-protection services in order to be held to high countrywide standards. These standards include a fire department’s planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment, and training. An ISO directly affect how prepared the department is to help the community. A lower rating means that a fire department is performing to higher standards, while a higher rating means that the department is not performing the minimum standards. More specifically, a class 1 rating represents an exemplary fire suppression program. The La Crosse Fire Department currently has an ISO class 2 rating and is working to achieve a class 1. A lower score impacts the community because it will translate to a lower homeowner’s insurance premium. This means that your home is at lower risk for serious fire damage and offers lower rates due to having a well-prepared fire department.

Accreditation involves self-evaluation from internal stakeholders, collection and analysis of performance data, and input from external stakeholders in an effort to constantly and consistently improve safety, stands, credibility, and communication. The purpose of accreditation is to demonstrate that your department follows all stated standards and core competencies to best serve our community. The La Crosse Fire Department has been Internationally Accredited since 2014. This makes La Crosse one of 300 fire departments in the United States that have achieved an accredited status. Accreditation also directly impacts the community as obtaining input from citizens provides the department with a well-rounded strategic plan to achieve our goals. Currently, 13% of the United States population is protected by an accredited agency. (https://cpse.org/accreditation/accredited-agencies/).