OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County has launched a new online Fire Protection Rating Letter Portal, making it easier for residents, property owners, and insurance professionals to obtain official fire protection classification letters — and it could even lower your insurance rate.
The self-service tool allows users in unincorporated Osceola County to generate an official Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification Rating Letter automatically, eliminating the need to contact the Fire Marshal’s Office or wait for staff assistance.
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Here’s how it works: you type in a property address, the system automatically evaluates the property’s fire protection information and then generates a letter for you right away.
The ISO is an organization that provides risk assessments to insurance companies. It uses a grading system to evaluate community fire protection, which insurers then use to determine the cost of coverage. Residents need the letter to show their insurer how their fire protection is graded when getting a rate.
“Once they get that, then they can send that to their insurance company, and then they issue out the premium based off of that fire classification,” Division Chief of Professional Standards for Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS John Murphy explained.
The letters include the property’s fire protection rating, the distance to the nearest responding station, and what equipment is stationed there.
Before the portal launched, Fire Marshal staff had to manually research each property and prepare letters one by one. Now, the process takes just minutes.
The portal was developed through a collaboration between Osceola County GIS Services, the IT Department, and Fire Rescue & EMS. It uses a centralized GIS database to ensure consistent, accurate, and reliable fire protection information for every request. By automating the process, the county is providing faster service while allowing Fire Marshal staff to dedicate more time to core public safety responsibilities.
“I think the most important part of this is really streamlining it for the residents. Beyond anything else, anything that we can do to streamline for our residents and provide a better service, that’s the goal,” Murphy said.
With seven new fire stations added to the county in the last three years, some residents may find their fire protection assessment has changed — potentially making them eligible for a lower insurance premium.
“If you’re a property owner in unincorporated Osceola County, I would suggest that you go in and check out the portal, and see what your insurance rate is, and check with your insurance company, see if you can get a better rate,” Murphy said.
Residents, property owners, and insurance representatives can access the Fire Protection Rating Letter Portal by visiting Osceola.org and searching for “Fire Protection Rating Letter” or by clicking here.