ICYMI: Newton Fire Receives Class 1 Rating

April 26

NEWTON, MA - The Newton Fire Department has been rated a Class 1 agency, the highest possible ranking from the Insurance Service Organization.

Newton firefighters join an esteemed group from fewer than 200 departments across the country to achieve the top honors. The ISO grades more than 47,000 fire departments nationwide; just four in Massachusetts, including Newton, achieved Class 1 status.

"This is a proud day for the Newton Fire Department, becoming just the 4th fire department in the state to receive a Class 1 rating," Newton Fire Chief Bruce Proia said in a statement. "This is confirmation that the Mayor’s, the Executive Department’s, and the City Council’s investment in public safety is paying dividends."

The ISO grades on a point system, with fire department operations accounting for 50 percent of the rating. Fire flow or available water supply is 40 percent of the grade and dispatch operations constitutes the remaining 10 percent.

Response times, personnel, apparatus and equipment, fire stations, training hours, fire inspections, hydrant inspections and other tenets of a well-functioning department are measured.

The rating also benefits homeowners and businesses in the city, as it will likely result in a reduction of property insurance.

"This is great news for us, but also for the residents and business community of this city as well," Chief Proia said in a statement.