City of Russell

RUSSELL — In the spring of 2016, the Insurance Services Office conducted a site visit of the City of Russell for the purpose of assigning a Public Protection Classification rating for fire protection.

A numeric public protection classification score is given to each community following an extensive audit to include emergency communications (10 percent), water supply system (40 percent) and fire department (50 percent). This score is based on a 1-10 scale where a ‘1’ is the best fire protection possible and a ’10’ means no fire protection is available.

Since May 1, 2005, the City of Russell has enjoyed a very respectable ISO rating of 4.
The City of Russell Fire Department was upgraded this year to a Public Protection Classification of 3, putting the city in the top 10 percent of the nation in terms of fire protection systems and capabilities.

The ISO rating upgrade would not have been possible without the commitment and support of the City Council and a sustained cooperative effort by our Fire Department led by Fire Chief Shane Preston, our Public Works Department led by Rich Krause, and our 911 Communications Center led by Deanise Howard according to Russell City Manager Jon Quinday.
Each year the Russell City Fire Department responds to more than 200 emergency incidents, participates in more than 1,000 man hours of training, conducts inspection and incident preplans on more than 300 commercial buildings, and conducts 10 public education events.
Russell’s water distribution department maintains over 60 miles of water lines and 350 fire hydrants in the City, while the 911 Communication Center is operated 24-hours a day and receives more than 1,000 emergency calls per year.

A community’s public protection classification score depends on our emergency communications systems; our fire department, including equipment, staffing and training; the water supply system, including the inspection and flow testing of hydrants and a careful evaluation of the amount of available water compared with the amount needed to suppress fires; our community efforts to reduce the risk of fire, including fire prevention codes and enforcement, public fire safety education, and fire investigation programs.

“I am very proud of our team for their hard work and dedication. While our new classification may lead to reduced property insurance rates, it is the City’s ability to respond and potentially save lives that is of the utmost importance,” said Quinday.