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South Metro Fire Rescue achieves Prestigious ISO Class 1 Designation

South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) has achieved the best possible fire protection class rating issued by the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) -- an ISO 1 rating. The Class 1 rating is important to property owners who may now see a reduction in their insurance premiums.

The new rating combined with SMFR's international accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International is a prestigious designation that few fire protection districts in the nation have achieved. SMFR is the second in Colorado to achieve this honor, following Cunningham Fire Protection District, who South Metro unified with on January 1, 2018.

The ISO rating is evaluated approximately every five years, and SMFR's previous rating was a "Class 3". Moving to a "Class 1" places South Metro in the prestigious group of only 240 department throughout the country with an ISO rating of 1. There are 5 departments in Colorado that have received an ISO rating 1 - including Federal Heights, Cunningham, Westminster, Adams County, and now South Metro - and South Metro is the 1st department in the country with an ISO 1 in hauled water / non-hydrant areas.

"These designations of the ISO rating along with the accreditation represent SMFR's vision to be a best-in-class, all-hazards prevention, mitigation and response organization that supports a safe, healthy, and growing community," said Bob Baker, Fire Chief of SMFR. "We are committed to the highest level of professionalism while serving our current and future communities, and we are very honored to have achieved this ISO rating."

SMFR was recognized by ISO at a board meeting on January 3rd.

South Metro Fire Rescue and Cunningham Fire Protection District Merge
Read the full story (PDF).

Read the Fall Edition of SMFR's Newsletter, The Fireline

Fire-Adapted Communities

South Metro Fire Rescue is committed to nurturing Fire-Adapted Communities in which wildfires burn through ecosystems without injuring people or damaging structures. This vision requires all of us to reduce our risk from wildfires. Do you have questions about wildfire safety? Use the following links to learn more about these fires and how our agency responds to them. Wildfire Season in Colorado Everything You Need to Know

What to Do if a Wildfire Is Reported near Your Home

Lightning: Learn the Facts

by Einar Jensen, SMFR Risk Reduction Educator

Photo: Rachel Hurst

Lightning, a rapid discharge of electrical energy in the atmosphere, is among the most impressive weather phenomena on the planet. The winds within a thunderstorm or similar column of rapidly rising air causes particles of ice to crash into each other. During the crashes, smaller particles lose electrons while larger ones gain electrons, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As the cloud bottoms become charged negatively, the ground below becomes charged positively. When the difference between the negative charge in the cloud and the positive charge on the ground becomes large, the negative charge starts moving toward the ground. As it moves, it creates a conductive path. When the negative charge from the cloud contacts the positively charged ground, electrical current surges through the path, which creates a visible flash of lightning. Thunder is the sound of a shock wave created by the rapid heating and cooling of the air in the lightning channel.

Lightning strikes the Earth over 25 million times each year. Thirty people typically die in the US each year from lightning strikes, according to National Weather Service records. Tragically, this year’s first lightning fatality occurred in Colorado on May 7 when a woman riding a horse was struck.

Between 2011 and 2016, lightning caused 38 fires in South Metro Fire Rescue’s jurisdiction. Half of those fires were in buildings while the other 19 were wildfires of varying sizes.

Lightning bolts strike throughout the district, but in this period 44% of the strikes that ignited fires occurred in the Parker area. The second leading area with 16% is the 80108 zip code, which includes Castle Pines, Castle Pines Village and Happy Canyon.

The other zip codes in our district received the remaining 40% of lightning-ignited fires: 80121 (8%), 80112 (8%), 80125 (5%), 80124 (5%), and 80104, 80135, 80111, 80016 and 80113 each had a single fire caused by lightning.

In that same duration, lightning struck three people in our district. Two were touching metal when a bolt of lightning struck a building and one was hit while walking outside. None of the three was injured seriously.

Many lightning victims are caught outside during a storm because they were not aware of the predicted weather, they did not act quickly to get to a safe place, or they return outside too soon after a storm has passed. Those victims include athletes, roofers, landscapers, farmers, families and builders. The safest place during a thunderstorm is inside a building or hard-topped vehicle. When thunder roars, go indoors.

If you hear thunder, even a distant rumble, get to a safe place immediately. Lightning can travel several miles from the actual cloud. Thunder is the perfect clue to seek shelter before dangerous lightning begins.

Are You Ready for a Wildfire?

South Metro Fire Rescue takes every precaution to help protect you and your property from a wildfire, but we can’t do it alone. We need you to prepare, too. Successfully preparing for a wildfire requires you to take personal responsibility for protecting yourself, your family and your property at home and on vacation. Here are some tips you can follow:

Read your workplace and school emergency plans so you know how those organizations will protect your family members in emergencies;
Ensure family members know how to use gas, electric and water shut-off controls;
Plan and practice different escape routes from your neighborhood;
Assemble an emergency supply kit as recommended by the American Red Cross, FEMA or similar organizations;
Create an evacuation plan for your babysitter or children in case such an order occurs when you aren’t home;
Inventory your home so that insurance claims can occur faster

Photograph by Tim Tonge

Contact South Metro Fire Rescue’s Preparedness Division for information by emailing the department or 720-989-2271.