Fort Worth has received the top rating from a national fire safety ratings organization – an honor that could lead to lower property insurance rates.
The Insurance Service Office, or ISO, ranked Fort Worth No. 1 out of a possible score of 10, with 1 being the best.
Many insurance companies use the ratings to help set property insurance rates. Generally the faster fire departments can respond to a fire, the less the companies have to pay in claims.
Fort Worth is only the second large city in Texas to earn the top rating. Houston is the other.
Dallas and Arlington are both rated No. 2.
"It's a big deal. We're now part of an elite club," said Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Lt. Kyle Faulkner. "It's just confirmation that the citizens have entrusted us with their tax dollars and we've been good stewards of their tax dollars."
The ISO rates fire departments on a number of things, including the minimum number of firefighters assigned to each truck – Fort Worth has four – how fast calls are dispatched, and how quickly they arrive.
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A large part of the rating also examines a city's water infrastructure – how much water is available for fire protection. Fort Worth's water system got a near perfect score.
"Generally we're expecting to see the city as a whole benefit from this," Faulkner said.
