This article was originally published on the Arab American News website and can be found by clicking here.

DEARBORN — An organization that evaluates fire safety standards in communities across the U.S. gave high marks to the Dearborn Fire Department.

The ranking by the International Organization for Standardization is based on the department’s speed in response time, training, equipment, organization, staffing, station locations, work procedures, incident management systems and other causes.

“We’re proud to have achieved this ranking,” Chief Joseph Murray said. “We have always been confident of the ability of our professional firefighters to respond and effectively fight fires; we place a high value on training continuously and rigorously and we regularly invest in vehicles and equipment in Dearborn.”
He added that improvements within the department— like the integration of the Melvindale Fire Department in 2013, the building of the comprehensive Training Center and upgraded communication systems— lead to the city’s high ranking.

The ISO provides information to the insurance industry, using data to help determine insurance rates. It analyzes the data and assigns a Public Protection Classification from one, representing, superior fire protection, to 10, representing a fire program that doesn’t meet the organization’s standards.
Dearborn received a class 2 rating. Therefore, the department’s high ranking could positively impact property insurance rates for residents and businesses.

“While the true goal of achieving a high ranking is improved public safety, we also hope that residents and business owners in Dearborn and Melvindale see the added benefit of lower insurance rates,” Murray said.