The St. Joseph Department of Public Safety has done a lot of fire training in the last few years, and now it’s paid off. Speaking to city commissioners this week, St. Joseph Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Jeremy Connell said the city has gotten an improved Insurance Services Office rating for its firefighting capabilities. That’s after the department decided to pursue a higher classification.
“We really ramped up our training hours and we really ramped up or improved the process for documenting those training hours,” Connell said. “So, you can see how that trends goes and that’s something we’re really proud of on our part.”
Connell said the city worked to expand hydrant access, improve planning, and grow automatic aid agreements with other communities. There was also that focus on training.
“We sent 16 officers to fire officer training. We sent 17 officers to fire instructor training, and eight of those went on to become certified fire instructors.”
ISO ratings go from class one to class ten, with one being the best. Connell told commissioners the city in 2009 was a class 5, which is about average. In 2017, the city was ranked class 4. For 2022, it was bumped up to class 2. He said that could improve insurance rates. Connell added the new goal for the department is to get a dedicated fire training facility, something not often found in a smaller community.
