Ambridge Fire Chief Dave Drewnowski By Larissa Dudkiewicz
Ambridge property owners could see their insurance premiums lower thanks to a new rating for the borough fire department.
The Ambridge Fire Department recently had an Insurance Service Office (ISO) inspection that lowered the borough’s rating from 6 to a new score of 3.
Ambridge Fire Chief Dave Drewnowski said the ISO rating impacts residential, commercial and industrial insurance premiums, with “10” being the worst and “1” being the best.
Ambridge property owners could see their insurance premiums lower thanks to a new rating for the borough fire department.
The Ambridge Fire Department recently had an Insurance Service Office (ISO) inspection that lowered the borough’s rating from 6 to a new score of 3.
Ambridge Fire Chief Dave Drewnowski said the ISO rating impacts residential, commercial and industrial insurance premiums, with “10” being the worst and “1” being the best.
“The city of Pittsburgh is a '2.' For Ambridge to move from a 6 to 3, that’s fantastic,” he said.
Drewnowski said Ambridge has always been a class 6 since the 1980s, when he started as a fireman.
About 48,000 fire departments are evaluated over the course of the year. Inspectors base 50 percent of the rating on fire department operations, including staffing, training, company risk reduction, equipment and response times.
Water supply, including fire hydrant sizes, location and flow tests, contribute to 40 percent of the rating.
Drewnowski said only 60 fire departments nationwide are classified as No. 1 and about 2,400 nationwide are class 3.
Drewnowski credits the department’s training, hard work and dedication. He said the department has three full-time firefighters covering a 24-hour shift, seven days a week, which surprised the surveyor considering how fast the fire response times were.
“They’re dedicated. We’ve got a good class of firemen and the borough of Ambridge ought to be proud,” Drewnowski said.
The effective date for the new rating is Aug. 1. Homeowners can inform their insurance companies for a potential reduction in the amount they pay on fire insurance.
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Drewnowski said Ambridge has always been a class 6 since the 1980s, when he started as a fireman.
About 48,000 fire departments are evaluated over the course of the year. Inspectors base 50 percent of the rating on fire department operations, including staffing, training, company risk reduction, equipment and response times.
Water supply, including fire hydrant sizes, location and flow tests, contribute to 40 percent of the rating.
Drewnowski said only 60 fire departments nationwide are classified as No. 1 and about 2,400 nationwide are class 3.
Drewnowski credits the department’s training, hard work and dedication. He said the department has three full-time firefighters covering a 24-hour shift, seven days a week, which surprised the surveyor considering how fast the fire response times were.
“They’re dedicated. We’ve got a good class of firemen and the borough of Ambridge ought to be proud,” Drewnowski said.
The effective date for the new rating is Aug. 1. Homeowners can inform their insurance companies for a potential reduction in the amount they pay on fire insurance.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Like Ambridge Connection on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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