The Norristown Fire Department has earned a Class 2 rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO)- the second highest possible rating for fire protection services in the country. This Public Protection Classification (PPC) program places the Norristown Fire Department in the top five percent of the approximately 40,000 fire departments nationwide, with less than 400 graded as a Class 1 and less than 2000 graded as a Class 2. The review was conducted by ISO staff and included site visits, records examination, and operational observations. It’s also considered an analysis of the structural fire suppression delivery system of the Norristown community. 4 major areas evaluated include:

• Emergency Communications

• Water Supply

• Fire Department assessment including fire service personnel, fleet, and training

• Community Risk Reduction

The scale of a PPC rating rangers from 1-10, with Class 1 being the highest rating. Improving the PPC from a Class 3 to a Class 2 should favorably affect commercial and residential property insurance rates for all property owners in the municipality by helping insurers identify communities that invest in their firefighting services. “I’m thrilled to receive this notification. It represents the foresight and commitment of the Council in prioritizing public the public safety of our residents and the team’s dedication to carrying out their vision. I appreciate Chief O’Donnell’s excellent leadership of demonstrably one of the finest firefighting operations in the nation,” said Municipal Administrator Crandall O. Jones. “This is the second time in six years that we improved our public protection classification, in 2016 we went from a Class 4 to a Class 3, the first improvement in over 40 years.

This latest accomplishment directly reflects the dedication, compassion and professionalism that every member of the Norristown Fire Department displays every single day in this community,” said Fire Chief Thomas O’Donnell.

Norristown Fire Department is a full-time department running approximately 1,300 emergency calls a year with 23 accredited, career firefighters and over a dozen volunteer firefighters.