City of Sonoma Maintains ISO Class 1 Fire Rating
The Sonoma Valley Fire District (SVFD) has earned two significant recognitions for its fire prevention, planning, and community risk reduction programs. Following a recent re-survey by the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the City of Sonoma has maintained its Class 1 Public Protection Classification, the highest rating attainable. The remainder of the District currently holds a Class 2 rating, with the final ISO determination for those areas still pending. The entire Sonoma Valley Fire District also continues to be recognized on the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Risk Reduction Community (FRRC) List.
Together, these designations place Sonoma Valley among a small group of communities statewide that meet rigorous standards for fire protection capability and proactive wildfire risk reduction.
The ISO Public Protection Classification (PPC) program evaluates a community’s fire suppression capabilities on a scale of 1 to 10, with Class 1 representing the highest level of fire protection. The classification reflects the combined performance of the fire department, the water supply system serving fire operations, emergency communications, and community risk reduction efforts, including fire prevention, public education, and code enforcement.
Within the City of Sonoma, SVFD has maintained its Class 1 rating, a status held by only a small percentage of fire departments evaluated nationwide. The Class 1 rating reflects the District’s operations, training, equipment, staffing, dispatch capabilities, water supply infrastructure, and prevention programs serving the City.
The remainder of the Sonoma Valley Fire District, which includes the unincorporated communities served by SVFD outside the City limits, currently holds a Class 2 rating. ISO’s final determination on the rating for those areas following the recent re-survey is still pending. SVFD will share the outcome with the community once the final classification is received.
According to Steve Akre, Fire Chief of the Sonoma Valley Fire District, “Maintaining the City of Sonoma’s Class 1 rating is the result of consistent work across every part of this organization, our firefighters, our dispatchers, our partners in water supply, and our prevention bureau. We are equally proud of the Class 2 service we deliver throughout the rest of the District, and we look forward to ISO’s final determination on those areas. This recognition reflects what our community expects from us every day: a fully prepared response when it matters most.”
Fire Risk Reduction Community List
The Fire Risk Reduction Community designation applies to the Sonoma Valley Fire District in its entirety. The FRRC List is established by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection under Public Resources Code section 4290.1. Communities on the list have demonstrated that they meet best practices for local fire planning, including risk assessment, defensible space enforcement, building standards, evacuation planning, and community engagement.
Inclusion on the FRRC List is also recognized under the California Department of Insurance’s Safer from Wildfires regulations as a mandatory mitigation factor that insurers must consider when establishing rates and offering coverage in wildfire-exposed communities. This designation benefits every property owner within the District, whether inside the City limits or in the surrounding unincorporated area.
The Fire Risk Reduction Community designation covers every property within the Sonoma Valley Fire District. It tells residents and property owners that the work being done here, defensible space inspections, code enforcement, vegetation management partnerships, and public education, meets the state’s planning standards across the entire service area. For homeowners, that designation can translate directly into how their insurance carrier evaluates this community.
Property owners with questions about defensible space, fire code requirements, or how to document these designations for their insurance provider should visit sonomavalleyfire.org or contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at (707) 996-2102.
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