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About the Bureau

Who we are and how we serve insurers, agents and Washington state residents.  

CEO Perspective

Engaging thought leadership on key insurance industry issues from our CEO. 

Meet the Team

Get to know the team behind WSRB’s trusted data and excellent customer service. 

Careers

Learn about the benefits of working at WSRB and apply for open positions.  

Underwriting Property

A guide to key risks in Washington state: fire, wildfire and earthquakes.

Help Center

Self-serve articles on how to use our products. Available 24/7. 

Commercial Property

Information on Loss Costs, policy rating and assessment tools.  

Industry Toolkit

Links to help you work smarter and serve your customers.  

Protection Classes

The evaluation process explained from start to finish.

WSRB Blog

News on emerging risks as well as our latest products. 

Library

In-depth content on essential insurance topics.

InsuranceEDGE

Weekly newsletter covering the P&C industry, curated by our experts. 

 
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For Community Officials

Water Purveyors, Building Code Officials, Emergency Dispatch Center Managers and other Public Officials

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Who we are

WSRB is an independent, not-for-profit, public service organization serving insurers, fire service professionals and insurance consumers in Washington state.

Our data helps insurers accurately and efficiently evaluate risk and gives their customers confidence that insurance rates for fire coverage are fair and non-discriminatory. Our evaluation criteria is reviewed and approved by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

What we do and why we do it 

WSRB regularly evaluates the fire-protection capabilities of each community in Washington state to determine the community’s Protection Class (PC). Many, though not all, insurance companies in Washington state use this data. A property’s PC is one input insurers use when calculating fire insurance premiums.

As part of our evaluations, we look at the fire department itself as well as the community’s water supply, emergency communications, and fire prevention activities.

Information on topics such as fire hydrant distribution and flow rates, emergency dispatching systems, and fire code and building code enforcement are all essential components of our evaluations.

We also evaluate each community’s enforcement of its building codes to determine the area’s Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS®) classification. Insurance companies use BCEGS data for insurance rating and underwriting purposes.

What we'll ask of you

Before we visit a community, we contact the fire chief to: schedule our evaluation, describe the information we will need from the fire department and other community departments and ask for contact information for those we need to talk to.

We collect information in various ways, including questionnaires, phone interviews and in-person meetings so that we can work efficiently and save you time.

You may receive a WSRB questionnaire from your fire chief or directly from us; if so, please complete it and email it to the WSRB Fire Protection Analyst with any requested support documentation.

We may call you if we need to update our records, and we may also stop by in-person while we are in town meeting with the fire chief. We’re happy to provide you with a checklist of the information we're looking for.

If you would like a checklist or have any questions about our process, contact the Fire Protection Analyst who is evaluating your community. Or, contact our Product Solutions team at 206-217-0101 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and ask to be connected to the Vice President of Public Protection.


Main Line: 206-217-9772
Product Solutions: 206-217-0101
Hours: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM

 

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