Richmond Hill, Ga., a flourishing coastal town located just south of Savannah, recently received an Insurance Service Organization rating of three for its excellence in fire-protection services for the city. The rating is an improvement over its 2014 rating of four, and will equate to an average annual savings of $181 per year on a $125,000 brick home.

“The hard work and dedication of our firemen, as well as support from our Mayor and City Council, played a major role in this accomplishment. We have modernized our emergency fleet and equipment, upgraded our training and inspection programs, and updated our recordkeeping, radio and reporting systems,” said Chief Ralph Catlett. “This lower class rating puts the Richmond Hill Fire Department in the top 4 percent of ISO rated departments in Georgia.”

Based on an objective standard, ISO evaluates public fire-protection services in communities nationwide and rates them on a scale of one to 10. A rating of one signifies superiority in fire protection and a score of 10 indicates that the program does not meet ISO’s quality standards. This rating is then used by fire insurance companies to set premiums for residential and commercial properties in each city; the lower the rating is, the lower the insurance rates are for the community.

According to Catlett, only 69 fire departments in Georgia have a class 3 rating, with only 5 percent of national fire departments rated class 3 or better. The rating can be utilized for future planning and budgeting for fire facilities, water systems, equipment and response services.

“I am very proud of our fire department personnel for their hard work and dedication and am excited about the benefits this brings to our citizens,” said Richmond Hill Mayor Harold Fowler. “While our new classification may lead to reduced property insurance rates, it is the City’s ability to respond and potentially save lives that is of the utmost importance.”

Over the past two years, Richmond Hill has enhanced its Fire Department by using SPLOST funds and the general fund to remodel Station One and purchase 24 new air paks and other up-to-date firefighting equipment. The Fire Department has also purchased a new engine, hired new personnel, and modernized its records and reporting system with updated computer software, allowing the department to maintain records vital to the ISO evaluation.