“It's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”
Saving lives and property. There isn’t much that’s more important and we’re glad what we do contributes to such vital work.
At WSRB, we grade fire districts’ ability to put out fires on behalf of our subscribing insurance companies. Our gradings are an objective measure of the people, equipment, training and infrastructure needed to put out fires and keep people safe. The grades range from 1 to 10 and the protection class 1 rating is the highest grade a fire district can earn.
We play a small part compared to the brave men and women in the fire service who answer the call 24 hours a day. These are the everyday heroes who run toward the flames when everyone else is running away. They are the firefighters willing to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to save others. Seattle Fire Department and the other fire districts across the state are full of these brave people who regularly earn and deserve our gratitude and respect.
I had the pleasure of meeting the Seattle Fire Department’s then-new Chief, Harold Scoggins, at a Seattle Rotary meeting in 2015. He’d recently moved from Southern California, where he served as Chief of the Glendale Fire Department and President of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association.
His career success is an indication of an ongoing commitment to excellence. After exchanging pleasantries with him, he confirmed that commitment when he confidently said to me, “We will earn a protection class 1 rating.”
Then he and his team made it happen.
Chief Scoggins led the Seattle Fire Department to become one of the finest in the nation, by investing in training, upgrading equipment and pursuing excellence across the department.
It is worth noting that in more than 100 years, no fire department in the state of Washington has ever earned a protection class 1 rating. Seattle achieved a protection class 2 rating in 2015, then earned a protection class 1 rating this year. Through Chief Scoggins’ leadership, the hardworking, talented and brave men and women of the Seattle Fire Department have achieved something truly special.
While WSRB performed the rating, this achievement belongs to Chief Scoggins, the Seattle Fire Department and several other city departments including Seattle Public Utilities and the Finance and Administration Department.
WSRB evaluated the City of Seattle based on four major criteria: fire department, water supply, emergency communications and fire safety control. These four areas are assessed and scored individually and then combined in the final calculation. The increased focus on improving these criteria under Chief Scoggins’ leadership is responsible for the protection class 1 rating.
Seattle Fire Department joins the approximately 460 other fire districts around the country with a Class 1 rating, placing SFD in the top one percent of fire departments in the nation after this latest evaluation. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell stated, “This outstanding evaluation leaves no doubt that Seattle Fire Department is a pioneering and nation-leading department committed to a higher standard of public safety.” I could not agree more and extend my sincerest congratulations to all who made this accomplishment possible.
As Vince Lombardi once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Chief Scoggins, his team and the City of Seattle have done just that, setting an example that can inspire each of us to be more and do more in service to others.
Here at WSRB, we will continue to chase perfection, catching excellence along the way. And we will continue to do our part to help save lives and property as we consistently reaffirm our vision and mission:
An innovative organization in relentless pursuit of a better way to provide our subscribers and customers with trusted information and services that enhance their decision-making and success.