Improving your WSRB protection class
A guide for Washington fire chiefs, commissioners and city and county officials. WSRB's evaluation reports list the standard behind every scored item, so a department can see exactly where its credit comes from.
How WSRB grades a community
WSRB grades cities and fire districts with its Community Protection Class Grading Schedule, approved by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Each of four areas gets a percent of credit, weighted like this:
| Area | Weight | What WSRB looks at |
|---|---|---|
| Fire department | 40% | Apparatus, station locations, staffing, training, testing, response |
| Water supply | 35% | The water system, hydrants, and hydrant inspection and testing |
| Fire safety control | 16% | Fire marshal, inspections, public education, fire investigation, building code enforcement |
| Emergency communications | 9% | The 9-1-1 dispatch center, its circuits, power and telecommunicator training |
The community class is 10 minus the total credit, plus a "divergence" penalty when the water supply and fire department are two or more classes apart. In one 2026 report, a district with 49% fire department credit and 58% water supply credit came to Class 6. Most Washington communities are Class 4 to 7.
Sources: WSRB, 2026 Protection Classification Report for Clallam County Fire District 2 (weights, formula, standards and the statewide chart), checked November 1, 2026.
Where departments gain credit
Staffing and volunteers
- WSRB's standard is six firefighters on duty for each required engine and ladder company.
- Three volunteer or call firefighters count as one on-duty firefighter, and volunteers can make up to half of the required staffing. Volunteers who work defined shifts at the station can count as on duty.
- Keep response records. Without them, credit can drop to one on-duty firefighter for every six volunteers.
- Two active volunteer officers can count as one on-duty officer, up to half the officers required.
- Losing volunteers or full-time staffing can cost a class. Orcas Island's 2024 downgrade was blamed in part on "not enough volunteer firefighters." Recruiting is protection: see how to recruit more volunteers and our free volunteer application forms.
Sources: WSRB 2026 report above; Islands' Sounder, July 18, 2024.
Training, with records
- Company training: 20 hours of structural firefighting training per firefighter per month, or 15 for certified Firefighter I and 10 for Firefighter II.
- Six half-day drills a year at a training center, including two at night and two with several companies.
- Officers 16 hours a year, drivers 8 hours a year (current EVIP certification counts), recruits 240 hours before they become active, and a yearly update of pre-fire plans for commercial buildings.
Tenders, water and the W class
- WSRB gives Tender Credit and Mobile Water Supply Credit where there are no hydrants. The Insurance Commissioner's 2026 review says tender credit is typically worth a 1 to 2 class improvement for a property, and that "many rural fire departments may not be receiving these credits despite having tender/tanker capabilities." Ask WSRB about them.
- Since 2026, homes 5 to 7 road miles from a station with water credit can get the community's class with a W, such as 5W, instead of a flat Class 9. Insurers choose whether to use it.
- Work with your water purveyor: hydrants inspected and operated every year, flow tested at least every five years, and marked for flow.
Sources: Washington Insurance Commissioner, report on protection classification scoring, May 28, 2026; WSRB, W classifications, January 16, 2026.
Automatic aid, apparatus and stations
- Automatic aid earns credit for a common dispatch center, joint quarterly drills, common procedures and common equipment, up to full credit within 5 road miles.
- Test every pump and all hose every year, and keep the records; WSRB asks for five years of pump, hose and ladder tests.
- Stations need backup power and two ways to receive alarms, and fuel must be available at long fires.
- A performance option based on response-time records from dispatch was added in 2019; ask your analyst whether it would help you.
Fire safety control and dispatch
- Fire safety control is worth 16%: a certified fire marshal, regular inspections, documented public education, investigation of all fires reported to the national fire incident system, and current building codes.
- Dispatch is worth 9%: supervised circuits, backup power with a 72-hour fuel supply, and trained telecommunicators. Departments rarely run dispatch, so share this with your 9-1-1 center.
Working with WSRB
- Prepare for an evaluation. At least 30 days ahead, send training records, rosters, vehicle and equipment lists, first- and second-alarm run cards, a response map, your automatic aid partners and contacts for water purveyors and building officials. Have five years of test records ready. See WSRB's evaluation checklist.
- Ask for advice. The WSRB analyst named on your results letter can recommend improvements, or contact WSRB at 206-217-9772 or [email protected].
- Facing a downgrade? WSRB says a fire chief can put a plan in place, and "We hold the PC change in abeyance while the community implements the plan."
- Use the report. Your evaluation report shows the credit for every item, which makes it a strong document for budget talks with commissioners and councils.
Sources: WSRB, public protection and 2026 report above, checked November 1, 2026.
The rating system is under review
In May 2026, the Insurance Commissioner's report to the Legislature found that WSRB's method lacks transparency, that rural and volunteer departments are "evaluated based on standards created for urban departments," and recommended moving toward ratings based on how departments actually perform. The rules on this page may change.
Source: Washington Insurance Commissioner, news release and report, June 1, 2026.
Tell your community
- WSRB lets departments copy its resident questions and answers onto their own websites. Post your class and how it applies by distance, and keep it current on your FireDepartment.net listing with update your listing.
- Point residents to what the protection class means for their insurance, and officials to fire protection, funding and insurance costs.
This page summarizes WSRB's published standards; WSRB's own reports and your analyst are the final word.