Improvement in the ISO Public Protection Classification for Smithfield

What does this mean to you? An improved ISO Public Protection Classification rating means lower homeowners insurance for every household in town.

The Smithfield Fire Department is asking the community to approve a Bond Referendum for the construction of a new fire station to service the route 7/route 116 area of the town.

With this bond referendum comes improvements to emergency response times, build-out of critical infrastructure to support public safety in the community, and lower homeowner and business insurance rates.

Please vote on Tuesday, November 6th to approve this important bond referendum.

Smithfield Fire Department releases PowerPoint presentation explaining the need for and funding of a new north-end fire station

The Smithfield Fire Department presented their first public presentation for the new fire station bond on Monday, October 1st. at the Smithfield Senior Center. Members of the public were presented with the research that was put together by the Fire department Study Implementation Task Force and their final recommendations concerning the need for a new fire station in the north-end of Smithfield.

Of significant importance, the following facts were emphasized.

Response times in the north-end of Smithfield for fire & rescue apparatus to respond range from 8 to 14 minutes. With the addition of a new fire station, response times will be reduced to 4 to 6 minutes, similar to response times in the remaining parts of town that have a fire station.

The Public Protection Classification (PPC) which is issued by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) for Smithfield is currently a PPC = 4. With the construction of a new fire station in the north-end of town, the PPC classification will become PPC=3. What does this mean? It means that homeowners and business across town will see a reduction in their property insurance rates.

While Greenville and Esmond/Georgiaville apparatus are answering alarms in the north-end of town, those areas are no longer protected. If an incident occurs in Greenville or Esmond while trucks are well north on route 116, then it takes 12 minutes to get back to the south end of town. The response time issue now flips to the south-end of town.
By adding the new fire station, south-end apparatus will not have to cover the north-end because apparatus will already be in place to respond.
The new fire station allows fire & rescue resources to be located throughout town in such a way that all parts of town maintain appropriate response times and appropriate available resources.

The new fire station will fill the gap in fire & emergency medical services in the Town of Smithfield.
This investment will provide appropriate public safety infrastructure for years to come.

To see the complete Powerpoint presentation, you may click on the link below.

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FD Study Task Force Public Presentation_Oct 2018 (.pdf)

A New Fire Station Benefits All of Smithfield

By Chief Robert W. Seltzer

Passage of a $4.5 million bond referendum on November 6^th will enable the Town of Smithfield to build a fire station in the Route 116/Route 7 north end of town. This investment not only provides much needed service to the area, but also offers benefits for the entire town.

For the duration of time that the Greenville and Esmond/Georgiaville fire & rescue apparatus are answering alarms in the north end of town, those areas are being left without fire & rescue service.

If an incident occurs in Greenville or Esmond/Georgiaville while crews are north on Route 116, it takes 12 minutes to get back to the south end of town. The increase in response time issue now flips from the north end of town to the south end of town.

By building a new fire station in the northern part of town, the south end apparatus will not have to cover both the northern and southern ends because apparatus will already be in place to respond.

The new fire station will allow fire & rescue resources to be located throughout the entire town so that all areas of town receive appropriate response times and available resources.

Response times in areas of Smithfield currently served by a fire station are 4 to 6 minutes. Response times in areas of Smithfield currently NOT served by a fire station are 8 to 14 minutes.
The new fire station will bring the 8 to 14 minute response times in the north end of town down to 4 to 6 minutes.
The new fire station will improve our insurance underwriter’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating also known as the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. This results in savings for homeowners and business insurance rates in every part of the Town of Smithfield.

Everyone in the Town of Smithfield deserves the same level of Emergency Services regardless of where they live or where their business is located!

RECOMMENDATION REPORT TO THE SMITHFIELD TOWN COUNCIL REGARDING FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE TOWN OF SMITHFIELD

BY: THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STUDY IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE

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SFD Study Task Force Committee Report (.pdf) 11.3 MB

New Fire Station Rendition

Fire Department Study Report Completed by Kramer & Associates

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Smithfield Fire Department Report Accepted Feb. 2, 2016

Insurance Services Office (ISO)

Public Protection Classification (PPC) – Summary Report

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ISO Report – Town of Smithfield

Fire & EMS Response Time Improvements by adding a New Fire Station

Reasons to build a sub-fire station in the Route 116/Route 7 corridor of town

In order to provide an acceptable level of fire protection, a fire station is needed in the northeast section of Smithfield. Depending on the specific location of an incident, response times typically range from 8-12 minutes in this district. These response times are a disservice to the taxpayers, unacceptable by any recognized standards, and may be exposing the fire department and the Town to significant liability. A fire station in the Route 7/Route 116/Route 295 area would improve fire and EMS protection by dramatically reducing response times on Route 7 to the North Smithfield & North Providence Town lines, the North-Central Airport/Limerock Road /upper Stillwater areas, and in both directions on Route 295.

The northeast section of the town has seen a significant increase in fire department responses. This is not a new trend. The need for a station in this area was recognized as early as the mid-seventies following the arrival of Bryant University and early commercial development in the area.

There is also an opportunity to improve the ISO rating for the Town of Smithfield. By adding service to the north-end of town, additional credit would be awarded towards our ISO rating which in turn will enable better insurance rates for properties within the town borders.

As noted in the Kramer report, the existing locations of fire stations in Smithfield are well positioned. Because Fire Stations tend to be built in populated areas they are usually well located when originally conceived, and growth in most communities tends to be concentric. However, the north-end of Smithfield has been less populated over the years and is now experiencing an increase in community growth as the other areas in town have limited growth potential. The potential for additional growth in the north-end of town has increased over the past few years as increased construction has taken place as well as a revision in the zoning rules to allow a more diverse use of land in the area.

Improvements to the Town of Smithfield ISO rating

The following correspondence was received from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) regarding improvements to our current Public Protection Classification (PPC) or sometimes referred to as a community’s ISO rating.

Further, the question regarding insurance cost savings with an improved PPC rating was asked of an insurance agent from which we received the following response.

Smithfield Fire Department New Fire Station Bond Costs and Proposed Building Layout

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Smithfield Fire Department New Fire Station Bond Costs and Proposed Building