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Manteca Fire now in top 3% of fire agencies nationally
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Manteca residents may see their fire insurance rates take a slight dip with an improved rating for the Manteca Fire Department’s response time and effectiveness in the coming months.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) upgraded Manteca to a Class 2 from a Class 3 rating.

There are some 46,000  fire departments that ISO rates in the United States. Class 1 ratings have been achieved by 305 departments while 1,482 departments have a Class 2 rating.  Manteca Fire now ranks among the top three percent of fire departments around the country.

Manteca Fire Chief Kyle Shipherd is recommending that property owners check with their insurance agents to determine if there will be any significant change to their insurance rates due to the improved rating of the fire department’s overall effectiveness.

Shipherd told the City Council Tuesday that the biggest benefactors will likely be those with commercial coverage such as businesses and distribution centers that have a bigger exposure and higher rates.

The chief added the improved rating will make it more appealing to do business in Manteca.

The ISO system is used to rate how well fire departments serve their area with a scale running from 1 to 10 with 1 being the coveted best level of service possible.  The ratings are used by most insurance companies to calculate residential, commercial and industrial fire insurance premiums.  The rankings are based on a wide range of criteria including, staffing, equipment, 911 dispatch, water supplies and training within a given department, he said. 

“This is a historical achievement for our department,” Shipherd said.  “It took hard work and support from our city council, city administration, firefighters, Public Works Department and support of the community to accomplish. We are very proud of this ranking.”


To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.