Although a recent survey revealed the importance of the Insurance Services Office's Public Protection Classification program to fire chiefs, State Farm Property/Casualty Insurance Group has announced that it will no longer use the popular rating system.

State Farm has developed its own zip code — based rating system, the Subzone Rating Factor, which draws on the company's prior claim experience for many types of insured losses including fire, wind, hail, water damage, theft and liability. State Farm estimates that 70% of claims paid under the homeowner's program are non-fire losses, so the new rating system will emphasize an all-hazards approach to property loss.

As of Jan. 15, the plan had been introduced in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont and Wisconsin.

An independent survey revealed that 90% of U.S. fire chiefs say that the Insurance Services Office's Public Protection Classification program is “very important” in helping their departments “save lives and property,” according to a recent independent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. International.

In addition, 92% of fire officials surveyed said they considered the impact on their public protection classification as somewhat or very important when “planning for, budgeting, or justifying improvements or changes” in their communities' public fire protection.