Atlanta Fire Department earns superior ranking

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The Center for Public Safety Excellence gives the city of Atlanta high marks for its operations.

Two outside chiefs came into the city and took a top to bottom look at the department.

Chief Randall Slaughter says for the first time in 22 years, the department passed muster on the first review. Previously, the accrediting agency made the approval conditional on correcting some shortcomings.

It is a rare designation that the chief said shows citizens and property owners are protected.

Safety is just part of the good news, according to Slaughter. There is a second designation that insurance companies look at that is important to property owners' pocketbooks.

The Insurance Service Office gave the city a ranking of “1” (the highest) for fire suppression. Slaughter says when insurance premiums are calculated, the companies will factor the lowest rates for the category.