ISO Rating

The Hillside Fire Department (HFD) holds a class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO). ISO rates fire departments/districts on a 10-point scale, with Class 1 being the best possible rating and class 10 being the worst. Throughout the years the HFD has always continued to strive to get a better rating. In 1999 we were a 5, in 2003 we increased to a 4. In 2014 moved to a 2 rating, and in 2017 ultimately a Class 1 rating.

ISO is a standardized, national rating system that evaluates and assigns a number on its scale regarding the condition of the community's fire protection systems. More than 50,000 fire departments are graded by ISO, and currently there are only 411 in the United says that have earned a Class 1 rating.

ISO ratings provide guidance to insurance underwriters related to property risks associated with fire protection services. In addition to validating the quality of the department, this rating goes directly to the property insurance premiums insurers charge residential and commercial customers. ISO’s analysis considers suppression capabilities (staffing, equipment and station locations), fire prevention and code enforcement, training, emergency communications, building codes and the quality of the water distribution system.