Report Calls for Transparency, Modernization of Washington Fire Scoring Bureau

Lack of transparency in property protection classifications from a state rating bureau is one of the biggest concerns from people involved with fighting fires in Washington, a new report from the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner shows.

The OIC’s report on property protection classification standards recommends performance-based modernization and transparency for the Washington Survey & Rating Bureau, among other changes to the state’s independent fire protection rating bureau.

The Legislature requested a report on the WSRB’s rating methodologies and the potential for modernizing them. The OIC delivered the report to the Legislature on May 28.

Related: Wildfire Risk Scoring Transparency Bill Passes Washington Senate

The WSRB collects data about fire departments, municipal water supplies and emergency communications in Washington to generate protection class ratings. The bureau assigns ratings from 1 to 10. Insurance companies buy rating scores to determine if they will cover individual properties and use the scores for setting premiums.

Report consultants surveyed fire service professionals across the state and found that the lack of transparency was the most pressing concern. One problem mentioned was the difficulty in understanding how classifications are calculated and how investments of public funds could change rating scores.

The report’s findings include:

• WSRB’s methodology doesn’t reflect how fire departments perform during actual fire responses.
• Its fixed distance thresholds create “cliff” effects where minor geographic variations produce major classification swings.
• Rural and volunteer departments are evaluated based on standards created for urban departments staffed full-time by career firefighters.

The report proposes a structured pilot framework for fire protection capability ratings focusing on performance-based metrics.

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Washington