Maintaining enough water for fire protection and public safety while meeting the everyday needs of our citizens, is a major priority of Lee’s Summit Water Utilities’ mission to provide the community with reliable water services. Water plays a key role in fire protection. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an effective municipal water supply and distribution system is extremely important in preventing large loss fires and enhancing fire protection.
Implication on Operations
Providing water for fire protection includes the annual testing and maintenance of more than 5,000 hydrants in our system so we can be sure those hydrants are ready and in working order when or if a fire should occur. Fire hydrants are located throughout our distribution system to ensure quick and easy access in case of a fire. It also means maintaining enough pressure in our system and enough storage in our reserves to protect Lee’s Summit in the event of large fires, through periods of dry weather or in the event of a natural disaster.
Lee’s Summit Fire Department’s Higher ISO Rating
The Water Utilities’ commitment to fire protection positively impacted the recent increase in the Lee’s Summit Fire Department’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. The independent committee evaluated our water system’s ability to provide fire protection for our community, giving the system a nearly perfect score of 38.6 out of 40. This contributed to the overall rating increase to a Class 2/2X from a Class 3, which may ultimately have the effect of lowering insurance premiums in Lee's Summit.
We’re proud to work with the men and women of Lee’s Summit Fire Department to provide an essential public safety service to our community.