Crime & Safety

Burlington Fire Department's Good Rating Means Cheaper Insurance for Homeowners

Burlington earned a Class Three rating in the Insurance Services Office evaluation that is undertaken every five years.

Burlington Fire Department Chief Steven Yetman was at the Monday night Board of Selectmen meeting to discuss the department's recent evaluation and what the score means for residents. 

The results of the department's Insurance Services Office (ISO) report were recently released. The evaluation takes place every five years. 

The ISO comes in and rates the town’s fire and water supply service, Town Administrator John Petrin explained. The group comes up with a rating that then partially determines what home insurance companies charge households on their home insurance rates. 

The Burlington Fire Department and water supply service achieved a rating of three during this evaluation. 

Petrin said that only one community in Massachusetts achieved a class one rating and only 11 achieved a class two rating, putting Burlington in the top 16 percent. Nationally 47,000 fire departments and water supply services are rated and Burlington came out in the top 5.7 percent nationally.

"I want to commend the Fire Department and Public Works Department for their work in this area," Petrin said. "We improved by 4 percentage points over the rating five years ago. We are doing a great job providing services through the fire department and water service." 

"This translates into money savings for the average homeowner," he added. "Commendations to Chief Yetman and [Department of Public Works Supervisor] John Sanchez and to the town."

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Yetman said Burlington first earned a class three rating in 2009 and this year scored higher within that class. 

"Now we are a better class three," he said. 

Find out what's happening in Burlingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 


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