Panama City fire chief outlines ISO Class 2 rating, staffing and station coverage; flags Panama City North response gap

Chief Collier told the Panama City Commission at a July virtual workshop that Panama City’s fire department holds an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 2 rating and that the department is working to maintain and improve that score while facing staffing and station-location challenges that affect response times in parts of the city.

The department’s ISO score was 81.26 out of 105 in the 2022 evaluation, Collier said, and the city’s last full evaluation earned a Class 2 rating in 2017 and again in 2022. “We received a class 2 rating,” Collier said, adding that Panama City is in the top 4% of U.S. departments because only 1,729 of roughly 40,000 evaluated departments have a Class 2. He noted Panama City North shares the same classification under an “2x” designation while it lacks local stations and personnel.

The ISO rating matters because it influences insurers’ assessments, Collier said; commissioners and residents asked about how the rating affects premiums. Collier said insurers apply their own formulas and the department cannot calculate an exact homeowner premium change. Commissioner Granger and others suggested comparing similarly sized nearby developments, including Margaritaville and Sweetbay, to estimate local impacts.

On specifics, Collier said the department conducted more than 2,800 annual business inspections, ran over 25,000 training hours a year and has more than 2,077 hydrants in Panama City and Panama City North. “We have over 2,077 hydrants located within Panama City proper and Panama City North,” he said. He also said 79 hydrants are out of service (about 3.8%) and that most outages are scattered and tied to construction, so ISO evaluation planning can focus on functioning hydrants.

Staffing and deployment: Collier told the commission the department currently staffs five stations with credit for six apparatus; engine companies total six, and reserves and ladder coverage factor into ISO scoring. For fiscal 2025 daily staffing the department reported 25 personnel per shift with a 22-person minimum; Collier said the fiscal 2026 tentative budget would lower daily staffing to 24 with a 20-person minimum. He said initial-fire response on a fully staffed day brings 10 to 13 personnel to a structure fire but that number can drop to about 10 when the department is at minimum staffing.

Response-time performance and coverage: Collier reported average response times of 5 minutes, 8 seconds for fire calls and 4 minutes, 28 seconds for EMS calls for first-unit arrival. Full initial alarm response averages 7 minutes, 8 seconds against the 9 minutes, 20 seconds benchmark tracked in ISO scoring. He said roughly 40% of calls overlap, meaning multiple units are working different incidents at the same time, which can affect response times.

Panama City North: Collier said response times to Panama City North are substantially longer because of distance and traffic, with averages between about 14 minutes, 28 seconds and 23 minutes, 8 seconds. He noted NFPA guidance treats areas with fewer than 500 people per square mile as rural and sets a 14-minute first-unit target for those locales; he said Panama City North is currently considered rural for NFPA/ISO purposes but warned the area’s growth could trigger a separate suburban/subdivision rating in future ISO evaluations.

Station-location analytics and “what-if” scenarios: The chief showed maps and analytics that model the effect of closing or consolidating stations. He said changes to dispatch CAD boundaries and to which station is primary for a zone can recover small ISO points without physically moving stations, and that the department is working with Bay County to update CAD data. In hypothetical runs Collier showed that removing Station 3 or Station 5 would increase response times in particular neighborhoods and leave some critical infrastructure — including industrial facilities in Millville and port-area sites — farther from initial responders. Commissioner Lucas emphasized those “what-if” slides were explanatory; Collier and staff clarified they are not proposing station closures now.

Equipment and special teams: Collier described capabilities and limits: Station 6 is leased to the county and is not manned by city personnel; the department does not staff the fireboat 24/7 but can deploy certified operators when available; Ladder 2 has transmission problems and is out of service; reserve ladder service is not kept because of cost and limited ISO credit. He also highlighted the department’s technical teams: Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) type-2, a newly certified swift-water type-3 asset, and dive and peer-support teams. Several teams were obtained or equipped via federal grants, including a port-security grant for a water-capable fireboat.

Capital and budget: Collier said the department’s capital improvement requests total roughly $12 million in unfunded needs, with rebuilds and renovations prioritized for several stations (including Station 4 and Station 5) and equipment. He described Station 4 as a priority rebuild (estimated $2.5–$3.5 million) and said prior plans for a Sweetbay station were abandoned in favor of another site that would better meet coverage needs. Commissioners and the chief discussed options including automatic-aid expansions with neighboring municipalities, phased staffing changes, and potential funding mechanisms such as targeted assessments or impact fees.

Next steps and public feedback: Collier said the department is in accreditation and strategic-planning work and that public and stakeholder surveys rated quick response, fire and medical response, and disaster response highest among community expectations. He said planned hydroflow testing and updated hydrant flow records will be completed before the next ISO evaluation (scheduled for 2027) and that station-response boundary updates are being coordinated with Bay County dispatch.

Why it matters: The department’s ISO rating, deployment model and capital needs affect residents’ emergency response times, the city’s readiness for storms and large incidents, and — through insurers’ decisions — possible insurance costs. Commissioners asked staff to return with budget tradeoffs and partnership options during upcoming budget workshops.

Sources: Presentation and analytics slides and discussion with Chief Collier during the Panama City Commission virtual workshop (topic introduction and finish in transcript).