The chief of the Pembroke Fire Department is saying an improved rating from the Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshal had nothing to do with him; instead it was the hard work of the people in his department. “They worked hard,” Chief Ryan Locklear said. “It weren’t me that made them go out there and do it.” The North Carolina Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey announced Thursday that the Pembroke Fire Department completed its routine inspection and received a Class 5 rating. The department had been rated 7 for at least 15 years, Locklear said. “I’d like to congratulate Chief Locklear for the department’s performance and for the hard work of all the department members,” Commissioner Causey said. “The citizens in the town of these districts should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”