Panama City fire chief explains ISO class‑2 rating, staffing changes and station 'what‑if' scenarios

Chief Keith Collier gave the Panama City Commission a data‑focused briefing on Tuesday night explaining why the department is staffed and equipped as it is, how the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating shapes decisions, and what would happen to response times if stations were consolidated.

Collier told commissioners the department’s last ISO evaluation was in 2022 and “we received a class 2 rating.” He said that rating applies to Panama City proper and is shared with Panama City North under the current coverage arrangement, and that of about 40,000 fire departments evaluated nationwide only 1,729 hold a class 2 — placing Panama City in roughly the top 4 percent.

The rating, Collier said, is a points‑based system (0–105.5) made up of water supply, fire department capabilities, emergency communications and community risk reduction. “We have 2,077 hydrants located within Panama City proper and Panama City North,” he told the commission, and noted the department conducts more than 2,800 annual fire inspections and more than 25,000 hours of training per year. Collier acknowledged 79 hydrants are out of service — roughly 3.8% of the total — and said those outages are scattered and generally do not affect ISO test selections.

Commissioners pressed Collier on staffing, coverage and response times.…