Sweetwater Fire Chief: Department improves ISO score to a 'solid 3' after March audit

Sweetwater Fire Chief John Anderson told the Board of Commissioners on Monday that the department’s March audit upgraded the department to an ISO Class 3, a substantial improvement he said reflects years of equipment upgrades and staff training. "We have a solid 3, and that is a 17 increase," Anderson said, describing the change as a meaningful gain in insurance-service grading.

Anderson reviewed the department’s recent ISO history: he said the department was a Class 5 when he started in 2015, rose to a Class 4 that year with a score of 64.15, remained a Class 4 in 2019 with a score of 60.25 and, after this year’s audit, reached Class 3. He told commissioners those gains required extra work from firefighters and investment from city leaders. "Every one of them stepped up and did their part," Anderson said.

The chief explained ISO audits measure departmental readiness and influence homeowners and commercial insurance rates. He described the March score as placing Sweetwater among a small fraction of departments: "what only 8% of departments in the state and only 10% in the whole country have accomplished," according to his presentation to the board.

Commissioners and the mayor thanked the department for the achievement and invited personnel to stay for the meeting. No formal action was taken at the workshop; the praise and the audit results will be part of staff and budget planning as the city considers future fire and public-safety investments.

The next steps for the department include continuing training and sustaining equipment maintenance that officials said contributed to the improved score. Staff did not provide specific new capital requests during the update; any funding decisions would appear in future budget materials or the August workshop packet.