The Insurance Services Office, which rates fire districts, has improved East Manatee's Public Protection Classification to a "3" from a "4." A "1" is the highest classification available. The ISO rating of a fire department is used to help determine property insurance premiums for owners within that jurisdiction.
"By increasing our staffing, building a training tower and adding a second ladder truck to our fleet over the last three years — all improvements we needed to do anyway — we were able to lower our ISO rating," East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst said in a press release.
It is building Station 7 on Covenant Way now. Construction of Station 8, located off State Road 70 near Panther Ridge, will be next.