After decades of hard work on the part of firefighters and city leaders, Washington Fire Chief Alan Poss announced Monday, the city's fire protection rating has been upgraded to one of the best in the nation.

The insurance industry uses the Insurance Services Office (ISO) fire protection rating to set rates for homeowners insurance, and for commercial and business insurance. After a June survey, Washington's fire protection rating was raised from a Class 4 to a Class 3, putting it in a class equal with most Atlanta suburbs, better than Thomson and far better than most other small cities.

"Less than one percent of the communities they surveyed had better fire protection than we do here," Poss said.

The improved rating also includes areas outside the city within five road miles of the firehouse. Ratings in those areas improved from a Class 9/10 to a Class 4/9.

The improved rating, said State Farm Insurance agent Scott Lewis, should mean a 6 or 7 percent reduction in homeowner's insurance costs, both in the city and in county neighborhoods like Jackson Heights and Upton Mills which are within five miles of the city.

The rating will take effect later this year, and the reduction in homeowner insurance rates will take effect at the first renewal of the insurance policy, Lewis said.

The not only lowers the cost of homeowners insurance, Payroll Development Authority Director David Jenkins said, it makes the city far more attractive to potential business and industry by lowering the cost of commercial and business insurance significantly.

"It lowers operating costs, and that's an incentive to attract new businesses and to help grow existing businesses," he said. "For a business with millions of dollars in inventory, it could lower costs by $20,000 or $30,000 a year. That's a pretty attractive non-cash incentive, and it puts us in a more competitive position to bring companies here and expand existing companies."

Jenkins said that he would be contacting economic development officials in Atlanta so they can pass the information on to prospective businesses and industries.

Chief Poss sees this improved rating as one of the high points of his 20 years as chief, but gives the credit to the fire fighters over the years. "I've had the privilege of working with the finest fire fighters over the years," he said. "They provide a public service that is so much broader than the fire suppression mission - search and rescue, EMS in support of the county's EMS, HazMat response, and fire prevention programs."

He also credits city leaders over the years who supported the fire department, water and sewer department leaders John Scott and Roy Mason, and Jerry Hackney, Wilkes County 911 Director. "Our solid water supply system and the great communications system we have in place really contributed a lot to the rating," Poss said.