RATING

“The results are that our Public Protection Classification (PPC) went from a 3/9 to a 3/3x effective March 1, 2019,” Ballew said.

The ISO’S Public Protection Classification review includes site visits, records examination and observations as officials evaluate fire department operations, water supply, emergency communications, and community risk reduction.

ISO officials analyze the data and then assign a PPC classification from 1 to 10. Class 1 generally represents superior property fire protection, and Class 10 indicates that the area’s fire-suppression program doesn’t meet ISO’S minimum criteria.

Ballew says the new rating is the best he’s seen during his time on the job.

“This is the best grade we’ve ever seen in my tenure, 50-plus years as a firefighter,” Ballew said. “We lacked just a small amount of points in getting a 2.”

The better PPC rating means the city could be looking at lower fire insurance premiums in the future.

Ballew said the City Council support has gone a long way in helping the department improve its rating.

“We appreciate the council and everything they’ve done for us because without y’all, we couldn’t achieve this,” Ballew said.

From A1