Polk County Fire Rescue Earns Improved Property Insurance Rating

Published: July 31, 2026

Bartow, Fla. (July 31, 2026) – Polk County residents and businesses could see a reduction in property insurance premiums after the Insurance Services Office rated Polk County Fire Rescue among the top 7% of fire departments evaluated nationwide.

PCFR recently received a Class 2 Public Protection Classification from the ISO. The achievement signifies a one-class improvement from last year’s rating.

Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Shawn Smith attributed this latest achievement to hard work by PCFR members from every level.

“This is an independent confirmation that the people of Polk County are served by one of the premier fire rescue organizations in America,” said Smith. “It reflects thousands of hours of training, unwavering professionalism, exceptional teamwork and the county’s commitment to investing in public safety.”

The ISO’s Public Protection Classification program assigns communities around the country scores ranging from Class 1 to Class 10, where Class 1 reflects superior fire protection and Class 10 indicates no minimum criteria met. Insurance companies use these scores to help set policy prices and underwrite properties.

The ISO rating is based on three criteria with 50% coming from fire department operational readiness, including equipment, staffing and training. Another 40% comes from water supply availability and 10% from dispatch emergency communications.

Polk County’s new Class 2 ISO rating goes into effect Nov. 1, 2026.

SEE ALL NEWS