Wintergreen ISO Score Update

Updated December 19th, 2016: ISO rating goes from Class 3 to Class 2. Details here.

May 11th, 2014 - Months ago the Wintergreen Fire Department announced to its constituents that we were being audited by the Insurance Safety Office (ISO). ISO is a private risk assessment company which establishes strict quality benchmarks and metrics from which your insurance company bases their premium.

Our department had not been audited for 10 years. ISO scores range from 10 to 1, with 1 being the best. There are currently very few Class 1 departments in Virginia. Going into the audit, our score was a 4. According to the ISO website, if we were to slip backwards just one point, it would cost the average homeowner 5% of their insurance premium. If we were able to improve a point, it would save 2%. 2% isn't a huge number, but it still represents roughly $55,000 in save premium for our owners.

When the audit began late last year, we vowed to keep the results transparent by posting the results on our website. We are ecstatic about our new score of ISO Class 3. Of the 776 departments scored in Virginia, only 19 have a score of 3 or higher. One example of another Class 3 department is Fairfax County. We're currently ranked among the top 3% of all Virginia Departments.

It will take approximately one year for all insurance companies to "discover" our new rating. If you would to help jump-start the process you may email our rating letter to your agent.

None of this would be possible without your support. We sincerely thank all owners who continue to support us.-Chief Curtis Sheets