Glassy Mountain Fire Dept. improves ISO rating

LANDRUM, S.C. — The Glassy Mountain Fire Service Area was notified by the Insurance Services Office that the department’s Public Protection Classification would improve to a rating of 3/10 effective May 1, 2019. Glassy Mountain’s PPC has been a 4/10 since February 2014.

The ISO conducted a survey in October 2018, reviewing the department’s ability to provide prompt and effective fire protection to its 52 square mile service area. Items reviewed by the ISO staff include the ability to receive and dispatch firefighters, number of personnel responding to building fires, training of fire personnel, fire station locations, number of fire apparatus and maintenance of those units and the availability of water to suppress fires either through a public water system or water supplied by fire water tenders. 

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Residents that live within a five-road mile distance from a GMFD fire station would be covered by the 3 rating. (Those buildings outside of the five-mile coverage area — a total of five residences — are considered to have inadequate fire protection.          

The ISO staff collects information about municipal fire protection efforts in communities throughout the United States.  In each of those communities, ISO analyzes the relevant data and assigns a Public Protection Classification — a number from 1 to 10.  Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria. 

Virtually all U.S. insurers of homes and business property use ISO’s Public Protection Classifications in calculating premiums.  In general, the price of fire insurance in a community with a good PPC is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC, assuming all other factors are equal.

The Glassy Mountain Fire Service Area was established in 1987 to organize a volunteer fire department to provide fire/safety protection and a first response emergency unit within the community.  The Glassy Mountain Fire Service Area covers nearly 52 square miles with a population of approximately 3,000 residents in the area known as The Dark Corner in northern Greenville County which stretches from the east at the Spartanburg County line on Highway 14 to the west of Highway 25 and begins in the south near Highway 414 to the North Carolina state line.  The District operates five fire stations: Glassy Mountain (Headquarters), Beaver Dam, Oak Grove, Dividing Water and Cliffs with approximately 50 career and volunteer firefighters and first responders.

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