A recent upgrade to the Spokane Valley Fire Department’s fire protection rating likely will mean reduced insurance premiums for property owners in the cities within its coverage area, officials say. 

Melanie Rose, the department’s community affairs officer, says the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau reassessed the department’s rating last fall, and the department learned in December that its rating had improved. The new rating went into effect April 1.

The department’s coverage area, Spokane County Fire District 1, spans 75 square miles, and includes the cities of Spokane Valley, Millwood, and Liberty Lake, as well as unincorporated areas, including the communities of Otis Orchards, Pasadena Park, and others.

 “The WSRB evaluates cities and their fire departments across the state, assigning them a risk rating between 1 and 10,” says Rose. “A 1 indicates exemplary fire protection capabilities, while a 10 would indicate insufficient capabilities.” 

Based on that assessment, the Spokane Valley Fire Department has now achieved a Protection Class 2 fire insurance rating in cities, up from its previous rating of Class 3.

She says the new rating will only affect the three cities within the district, with property owners within unincorporated areas still falling under the Class 3 rating.

According to Rose, many insurance companies use the WSRB designation to assess insurance premium rates for homeowners and commercial properties. 

Rose says property owners within the Spokane Valley, Millwood, and Liberty Lake areas are encouraged to contact their insurance agents, and ask about lower fire insurance premiums. 

Rose describes the rating review process as rigorous, with the WSRB judging the department in four categories: the fire department itself, water supply, emergency communications, and fire safety control. 

She says some categories are easier for the department to make improvements in, while others require shared efforts between the department and other entities. 

“Improving water supply is something we work on year-round, in partnership with our water purveyors,” she says. “Emergency communications refers to our 911 system, which we work with the county to continually maintain and improve.” 

Rose says the department is now one of only five in the state to have achieved a Class 2 ranking, the others being Seattle, Bellevue, Federal Way, and Olympia. There are a total of 411 fire departments in the state, but none so far has achieved a Class 1 rating, she says. 

“We’ve been at a Class 3 for probably the past 10 years or more,” she says. “That’s why it’s so exciting to see how we’ve improved.” 

Earlier this week, Spokane Valley Fire Department Chief Bryan Collins met with the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce’s government action committee to help educate businesses about the new rating and what it means for the community. 

 “Our last rating was back in 2006, and we included a goal for improving that in our 2013 strategic plan,” he says. “It’s a difficult process to change that rating, but the board committed a lot of resources toward seeing it through, and we consider it a big accomplishment.”

While the department will continue to work toward further improvements, Collins says the new rating could have significant impact for property and business owners in the Valley. 

“The impact to businesses may be significant, particularly for those that work with high-risk manufacturing processes,” he says. “With this new rating, they stand to see a decrease in insurance premiums, although it will vary according to who they’re insured with.” 

Collins says the department is beginning to hear feedback from property owners who are seeing reductions as a result of the new rating. 

“I spoke to a Liberty Lake homeowner earlier who’d asked for a re-rate, and said he saw a 15 percent decrease in his insurance premium,” he says. “I would expect businesses will see decreases even higher than that.” 

Collins says the rating also could play a part in increasing the area’s attractiveness to West Side businesses that are considering relocating to the eastern side of the state. 

“Sometimes, those decisions come down to numbers, and if they feel they can save on insurance costs here versus elsewhere, it could encourage them to choose our area over another,” he says. “It just gives us that extra competitive edge in attracting more businesses.”