Upper Darby Fire Department Becomes One of Few to Achieve New and Improved ISO Rating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

November 21, 2022
Contact: socialmedia@upperdarby.org

Upper Darby Fire Department Becomes One of Few to Achieve New and Improved ISO Rating

UPPER DARBY, PA: Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer and Mayor Barbarann Keffer are pleased to announce that the  Upper Darby Fire Department recently received a new and improved rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO). Once every five years or so, fire departments throughout the country all receive an evaluation and a score from the ISO and are graded on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best possible score. Upper Darby earned a rating of “2”, a score held by approximately 1700 other fire departments in the nation, and an improvement from the previous score of “3” which the department has held since 2014.

“This is an amazing achievement for our Fire Department and our community as well,” said Mayor Keffer.  “We’re seeing evidence of all the work we’ve done to revitalize and reform Upper Darby. I’d like to thank our firefighters and Chief Sawyer for all that they’ve done to achieve this outstanding new rating.” 

The official name for this rating is the Public Protection Classification or PPC, but it’s informally called a fire score. The PPC score is a rating of how efficiently your fire department serves your local community.  A low ISO score will inspire the community to trust in the services provided by the fire department should they ever need them. Lower scores can also decrease home insurance rates in the community.  A good ISO score indicates that a fire is not likely to severely damage or even decimate a building because the fire department is well trained, staffed and has suitable resources. Upper Darby’s PPC score is effective February 1, 2023. 

UDFD has made great improvements over the last two years, as they worked through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our firefighters continue to receive the most updated fire rescue training which contributed to the improved ISO score in 2022. UDFD also received increased scores for their water supply systems which is judged on the process of inspections for fire hydrants, the locations of hydrants, and their flow capabilities. Scores also increased for the department's equipment quality, response times to structure fires, and staffing. 

“I’m happy to see our dedication to fire safety in Upper Darby being recognized with this rating increase,” said Fire Chief Derrick Sawyer. “Our Upper Darby Fire Department is one of few who provide such highly skilled services to their residents. We are looking forward to achieving a “1” rating in the coming years.”  

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