Mountain Home Fire Department lands Class 2 ISO rating, a change that could affect insurance costs

The Mountain Home Fire Department will move from a Class 3 to a Class 2 ISO rating, a change expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027 and one that could help lower property insurance premiums for homes and businesses within the city limits.

Fire Chief Kris Quick announced the updated rating in a release this week. The improvement will not automatically appear on residents’ policies, however. Homeowners and business owners will need to contact their insurance agents to report the new rating and ask how it may affect coverage.

The ISO, or Insurance Services Office, is a private company owned by Verisk that evaluates fire protection in about 48,000 communities across the country on a scale of 1 to 10. Class 1 is the highest designation, while Class 10 indicates a community’s fire suppression does not meet the company’s minimum standards. Insurers use the ranking as one factor in setting property rates, so a lower number often translates into lower premiums.

The score is based on how well a department can respond to and extinguish a fire on the first alarm. Inspectors review the fire department’s staffing, training, equipment and station locations, along with the city’s water supply, hydrants and the 911 center that receives and dispatches emergency calls. Departments can also receive credit for fire prevention efforts and public education.

According to the release, whether the Class 2 rating results in savings depends on the insurer and the individual policy. Some companies rely heavily on ISO scores when pricing coverage, while others place less weight on them, which is why residents are being directed to their agents instead of being promised a specific discount.

Mountain Home has maintained a Class 3 rating since at least 2003, when then-Chief Ken Williams told the Mountain Home Kiwanis Club that the city was one of only nine in Arkansas with that designation, according to a Baxter Bulletin report at the time. Quick’s welcome message on the city’s website also says the department works every day to improve beyond that Class 3 level.

The Observer reported last year that the department serves about 12,825 residents in the city’s 13 square miles, along with roughly 7,000 more people across the 54 square miles of the Mountain Home Rural Fire District. The combination department operates with 29 career firefighters and 10 paid-per-call volunteers and handled 3,541 calls in 2025.

In June 2025, the department opened its new Sharp Family Station 2 at 2030 Highway 62 East during its 50th anniversary open house, replacing the former Station 2 on Sunset Drive. Station placement across a community is one of the factors ISO reviews.

The new rating applies only within the city. The Mountain Home Rural Fire District’s rating will remain unchanged, and the department will continue providing fire protection and emergency services there. The Observer reported last year that properties in the rural district located within five miles of a fire station are rated Class 4.

The release said the move from a Class 3 to a Class 2 reflects the department’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of Mountain Home residents. It also thanked firefighters for their daily work and the community for its ongoing support.