January 10, 2003

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom - JOHN PRIME
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Shreveport Fire Department Retains Class One Rating

The Shreveport Fire Department and Mayor’s Office will hold a joint press conference today to announce that Shreveport once again has been awarded a prestigious Class One fire rating. . .

The award comes after nearly six months of intense review by the Louisiana Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL). This is the second consecutive time the Fire Department has achieved the Insurance Association’s highest rating. The first was in 1998.

Overall the Fire Department received a 90.30 score our of a possible 100. The following are major areas that were specifically evaluated and scored by PIAL:
Fire Communications: 10.00 out of 10.00
Engine Companies: 10.00 out of 10.00 Four (4) new engines were purchased through the 2001 city bond initiative.
Training: 9.00 out of 9.00
Water department scored 35.19 out of 40.00

Among the current 44 Class One fire departments in the nation, Louisiana can boast of five: Shreveport, Bossier City, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Fire District #6, and East Bank Consolidation Fire District (Jefferson Parish). What makes Shreveport feat so remarkable is the fact that there are one of only thirteen metropolitan fire departments (population more than 200,000) in the country, that provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that can call themselves Class One.

Savings for local businesses and homeowners are projected at more than $2 million annually. That savings calculation is based on a Class Two rating comparison. The rating is good for five years but PIAL can perform random audits at any time. ###