Sometime within the next two weeks, representatives from the Insurance Services Office (I.S.O.) will begin a process of re-evaluating fire defenses within the Village and Township of Oxford.
I.S.O. is an independent nationwide statistical and rating organization contracted to the majority of fire insurance carriers throughout the country.
The insurance carriers use the information collected by I.S.O. to determine a community’s insurance rating structure. Ratings are based on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the best and 10 the worst or meaning no fire protection available.
At present, Oxford Village and portions of Oxford Township having a fire station within five miles and fire hydrants within 1000 feet receive a Class 7 rating.
Those areas within five miles of a station and not having a hydrant system available receive a Class 9.
Over the next several months, the I.S.O. representatives will be examining certain commercial and industrial properties throughout the community to update information relative to building size and the extent of fire protection systems that may be in place in these establishments.
After gathering this information, the Fire Department will be evaluated, as well as the water systems of the Village and the Township.
This data will then be used to calculate and apply a new fire protection rating classification to both areas.
The Oxford Fire Department has implemented fire station and equipment upgrades over the past five years, in anticipation that these improvements will have a positive impact during this re-evaluation process.
? Oxford Fire Chief Jack LeRoy