Receives Class 1 ranking
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 7, 2017) — The Insurance Services Organization, which measures the effectiveness of fire protection services in cities nationwide, has dramatically improved Lexington’s ranking, moving it up to a Class 1 ranking, and giving it one of the highest scores in the country.
Lexington is one of only 241 fire departments in the country, and one of only eight in Kentucky, to attain the Class 1 status from the organization, scoring 99.34 points out of a possible 105.5. The organization ranks 46,200 fire departments in the U.S. including 813 in Kentucky. Only one half of one percent of departments nationwide are rated as Class 1 Fire Departments. Lexington was previously ranked as a Class 2.
“Full-time 9-1-1 personnel undergo extensive training, including a five-week academy, in order to become certified telecommunicators and annual in-service training thereafter,” said Robert Stack, director of the Division of E-91. “Over the past several years, Lexington has invested extensively in new technology and infrastructure that benefitted 9-1-1, including a public safety radio system that combined Fire, Police, Corrections and Emergency Management on a single radio system; a new 9-1-1 phone system funded with state and local dollars; and a new 9-1-1 Dispatch Center that helped this city combine two separate dispatch centers, resulting in more efficient operations.”
A number of factors contributed to Lexington’s improved ranking including:
- Fire Department response times exceeding national standards.
- Community service campaigns offering free smoke alarms and in-home safety inspection or CPR training.
- New facilities, including the Training Tower.
- The department’s decision to staff ambulances to serve dual roles as EMS and firefighting crews.
- Improvements in the water supply system.
- Improvements in fire equipment.
- Improvements in training and technology in E-911.
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