Public Protection Class (PPC) Ratings Changes

In the past, Loudoun County's Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings were for each volunteer fire department's first due area. As communities grew, the Public Protection Class (PPC) ratings had not kept up with the pace of improvements to firefighting infrastructure. In 2011, Loudoun County requested that ISO consider a countywide rating in consideration of the many improvements made to water supply systems, to include a significant investment of tanker fire apparatus, fire department training requirements and staffing of stations. ISO agreed to this study and as a result, issued new PPC ratings to the county. Loudoun's rural classification is 5/10 and the suburban classification is 3/10. This chart shows the range of previous ratings and the new rating as reported to the insurance industry on September 1, 2020. 

Public Protection Class (PPC) Ratings*

Classification Area
Previous (2013) New (2020)
Urban (Hydrant) 3 2
Rural (Non-Hydrant) 5 5
No Fire Station Within 5 Mile Drive 10 10

*Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing the greatest ability to suppress fire.