Paramus Fire Department Receives Prestigious Classification

PARAMUS, NJ — The Paramus Fire Department has received an upgrade to a Public Protection Classification Two rating by the Insurance Service Organization (ISO).

The department classification had been a classification rating of four.

The ISO evaluates more than 46,000 public fire service providers nationwide.

In New Jersey, out of approximately 676 career and volunteer fire departments, only 24 received the class two recognition and only two received class one status.

The ISO classification project was headed by Paramus Fire Chief, and police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, and Chief Fire Prevention Officer Kevin Sheehan.

"A community's investment in fire mitigation is a proven and reliable predictor of future fire losses," said police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg. "Insurance companies use PPC information to help establish fair premiums for fire insurance, which generally offers lower premiums in communities with better protection. Many communities use the PPC as a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of their fire-protection services. The PPC program is also a tool that helps communities plan for, budget and justify improvements."

Improving Paramus’s ISO Fire rating was one of the department’s goals for 2018. Maintaining it until the next evaluation in about five years is a priority.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com