Cherokee County’s fire insurance rating is going up a notch, elevating Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services to the top tiers of fire departments nationwide, Chief Tim Prather announced.
Prather told a recent work session of the county Board of Commissioners that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) has raised the county’s fire rating from Public Protection Class 3/3Y to Class 2/2Y, effective Dec. 1.
Property owners served by the county will see a change from ISO Class 3 to Class 2, while residents of Canton – whose fire services are being consolidated with the county’s – will see a change from Class 4 to Class 2. Prather recommended that property owners check with their insurance agents to see if the change affects their insurance rates.
ISO reviews fire departments once every three years for classifications ranging from Class 1, the best achievable, to Class 10, the least, Prather said. Of the roughly 46,000 fire departments in the U.S., about 242 have Class 1 status and 1,325, Class 2.
The fire chief credited the efforts of his entire department, saying, “It took each and every one of us working together and doing our part to reach this accomplishment.”
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