Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) changed the minimum requirements a community must meet to qualify for Public Protection Classification (PPC™). These changes have effectively caused Clay County to move from one uniform Public Protection Classification for the whole County to four distinct classes: Class 4, properties located both within five travel miles of a fire station and 1,000’ of a fire hydrant, Class 4x, properties located within five travel miles of a fire station, but outside of 1,000’ of a fire hydrant, Class 10w, properties located more than 5 miles but less than 7 miles of a fire station with a creditable water source within 1,000',  and Class 10, properties located outside of 5 miles travel distance from a fire station.

This has understandably confused our residents, some of whom are now experiencing substantial premium increases for homeowner’s insurance. To aid their understanding of this critical issue, the Department has prepared the following information for distribution to residents as needed. For detailed questions, please call (904) 284-7703 or email fire.inspector@claycountygov.com.

Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) provides data, underwriting, and risk management (focusing on community fire protection efforts and Building Code Effectiveness Evaluation) to property-casualty insurers and other clients.

Before a community can receive an ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC™), the community must have at least these minimum facilities and practices:

• Organization: The community must have a fire department organized permanently under applicable state or local laws. The organization must include one person responsible for the department's operation, usually the "chief."
• Membership: Must have sufficient membership to ensure the response of at least four members to structure fires.
• Training: The fire department must conduct training for active members at least twice every two months.
• Alarm notification: Alarm facilities and arrangements must be such that there is no delay in receiving alarms and dispatching firefighters and apparatus.
• Apparatus: The department must have at least one piece of apparatus meeting the general criteria of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1901, Automotive Fire Apparatus.
• Housing: The department must house apparatus to protect from the weather.
• Coverage: The maximum allowable travel distance from the Fire Station to the incident location is 5 miles.

ISO Provides community fire-protection underwriting information through the Public Protection Classification (PPC™) Service.  It gauges the capacity of the local fire department to respond to fire incidents.

To do this, ISO collects information on a community's public fire protection and analyzes the data using the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS).

It then assigns a Public Protection Classification from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area's fire suppression program doesn't meet ISO's minimum criteria.

By classifying a community's ability to suppress fires, ISO provides crucial insurance rating information to insurance companies that use this information to determine rates. ISO currently has extensive knowledge of more than 47,000 fire-response jurisdictions.

Measures the significant elements of a community's fire suppression system. Here's how it works:

• Fire alarms: Ten percent of the overall grading. Based on how well the fire department receives fire alarms and dispatches its fire-fighting resources.
• Engine companies: Fifty percent of the overall grading is based on the number and distribution of engine companies, firefighter response to emergencies, training of those members, and maintenance/testing of equipment.
• Water supply: Forty percent of the grading is based on the community's water supply and distribution of fire hydrants. It focuses on whether the community has sufficient water supply for fire suppression beyond maximum daily consumption.

Virtually all U.S. insurers of homes and business property use ISO’s PPC in calculating premiums. In general, the lower the location’s PPC, the lower the price of fire insurance.

Public Protection Classifications for Clay County:

Clay County residents can expect to receive one of the following Public Protection Classifications:

Class 4: Properties located within five travel miles of a fire station and 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant.

Class 4X: Properties located within five travel miles of a fire station but outside of 1,000’ of a fire hydrant.

Class 10W: Properties located more than five but less than seven travel miles from a fire station, with a creditable water source within 1,000’.

(Note: Owners of properties within this category must request this credit from their property insurer.)

Class 10: Properties located outside of 5-mile travel distance from a fire station.  This does not meet ISO's minimum facility coverage requirement.

Clay County Fire Station Location Maps

Please click on the station below to view the location map.

The Clay County Public Safety Department provides fire response and emergency medical services to unincorporated Clay County and the municipalities of Green Cove Springs, Penney Farms, and Keystone Heights. It staffs 12 Fire Stations located throughout the County. The Department operates 12 Engines (Advanced Life Support or ALS), 1 Ladder, 9 ALS Rescue Units, 7 Water Tenders, and 9 Brush/Woods Units. Annually, the Department responded to more than 18,500 calls for service.

For questions, please get in touch with us at:

2519 State Road 16 West
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043

904-284-7703
Toll Free: 877- 252-9362

fire.inspector@claycountygov.com