KID

TOPEKA – For the past several years, the premium on the fire insurance portion of Kansas consumers’ property insurance has declined in many areas, thanks in part to efforts to strengthen the ISO ratings of fire jurisdiction units throughout the state.

“Since 2011, when the Kansas Insurance Department approved a newly-revised Insurance Services Office (ISO) schedule, the classification ratings for Kansas have improved dramatically,” said Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance. “Kansas is now one of only 11 states with six or more Class I communities.  We appreciate the hard work of fire service organizations across the state in working on this initiative with the department and ISO.”

A community’s fire-protection rating comes from ISO, a national company. Most insurance companies of home and business properties in the United States use the ISO’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) system to help determine premiums, said John Boyd, the administrator for the department’s Firefighters Relief Fund.

The ISO, based on its information, assigns a classification from 1 to 10 for each fire jurisdiction. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 designates that the area’s fire-suppression program does not meet ISO’s minimum criteria.

“With the revised schedule approved by the department, more than 200 communities from the upper end of the ISO scale have moved toward the lower end,” Boyd said. “A lower ISO rating can equate to lower insurance premiums for consumers.”

The ISO’s system is just one of the factors insurance companies use in determining premiums.  Age of the structure, construction material, and loss history of a structure all affect the base rate for the community. An individual’s rate can be affected by property value, out-of-pocket (deductible) amount, multiple policies, security system use, credit ratings and other factors.

Outside of the consumer’s property, the classification ratings for each fire jurisdiction also depend on the following:

• Emergency communications systems, including facilities for the public to report fires, staffing, training, certification of the telecommunicators, and facilities for dispatching fire departments.
• The jurisdiction’s fire department, including equipment, staffing, training, and geographic deployment of the fire companies.
• 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.
• Community efforts to reduce the risk of fire, including fire prevention codes and enforcement, public fire safety education, and a fire investigation program.

“The ISO program provides an objective, nationwide standard that helps fire departments in planning and budgeting for facilities, equipment and training,” said Commissioner Selzer.

Kansas consumers can find out their property’s specific ISO rating by contacting the fire chief of their local fire district or their local homeowners insurance agent. They can get a snapshot of premiums under ISO ratings by using the Kansas Insurance Department’s online feature, located on the department’s website at https://www.ksinsurance.org/autohome/home/hrins.php .

For direct response questions, call the department’s Consumer Assistance Hotline, 800-432-2484, or go online to www.ksinsurance.org to use the website chat feature.

EPA

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in its ongoing celebration of children’s health month, is highlighting the Agency’s commitment to children’s health and research.

“Children’s health is a top priority at EPA, and we have made tremendous progress improving air and water quality and helping kids and families lead healthier lives,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “In recognition of National Children’s Health Month, EPA is highlighting the availability of its many programs dedicated to improving air quality, reducing lead exposure, and protecting the health and wellbeing of children.”

Children are uniquely vulnerable to the potential health effects of environmental hazards because their bodies are still growing and developing. Their daily interactions with the environment, such as crawling and playing close to the ground, may potentially increase their exposures to different environmental health impacts like dirt and dust.

Select EPA activities that address children’s healthy environments include:

INDOOR AIR QUALITY PROGRAMS 

EPA, through its national and regional indoor air quality (IAQ) programs, provides states, tribes, and school districts with training, technical assistance, and other resources to reduce health risks. Such risks are varied and include, radon, asthma triggers, mold improper ventilation, pests (Integrated Pest Management), PCBs, lead, and indoor particulate matter, among other indoor environmental health issues. Extra considerations are also made for emergency response and recovery situations, such as those health risks brought on by disasters like floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. For example, in Fiscal Year 2018, the State Indoor Radon Grant total allocation was $7,867,000 (radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the leading environmental cause of cancer mortality in the U.S).

ADDRESSING EXPOSURES IN SCHOOLS 

EPA’s $4.8 million Toxics Substance Control Act (TSCA) Compliance Categorical Grants will build environmental partnerships with states and tribes to strengthen their ability to address environmental and public health threats from toxic substances like asbestos, lead-based paint, and PCBs.

ADDRESSING POLYCHOLORINATED BIPHENYLS IN SCHOOLS 

EPA has developed guidance and outreach materials as part of Agency efforts to assess and reduce exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in schools. PCBs are class of synthetic organic chemicals that were widely used in building construction built between approximately 1950 and the late 1970s.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH RESEARCH 

Since 1998, EPA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) have partnered to investigate new frontiers in the field of children’s environmental health research by funding NIEHS/EPA Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers.

There are currently 13 active children’s centers. All 13 centers are engaged in the outreach and research translation for improving the health and well-being of children in various communities. Through their groundbreaking work, the Children’s Centers have pushed the boundaries of clinical, field, and laboratory-based research. The research has been disseminated through thousands of publications in peer-reviewed journals. The research findings lay a critical foundation for reducing health risks and improving quality of life for children. These centers compliment and expand on EPA’s in-house research related to children’s environmental health.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Learn more information about indoor air quality programs, at: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq.

Learn more about how about how EPA is reducing radon risk at: https://www.epa.gov/radon.

Learn more about how EPA is addressing asbestos exposures in schools at:  https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbestos-and-school-buildings.

Learn more about how EPA is addressing polychlorinated biphenyls in schools at: https://www.epa.gov/pcbs/polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbs-building-materials.
https://www.epa.gov/schools-healthy-buildings/renovations-and-polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbshy-school-environment.
https://www.epa.gov/pcbs/epa-regional-polychlorinated-biphenyl-pcb-programs.

Learn more about Children’s Health Research at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/niehsepa-childrens-environmental-health-and-disease-prevention-research-centers.

NIEHS/EPA Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers Impact Report: Protecting children’s health where they live, learn, and play: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-10/documents/niehs_epa_childrens_centers_impact_report_2017_0.pdf?pdf=Childrens-Center-Report