The town of Brantley recognized the Brantley Volunteer Fire Department for earning a rating of 4 from the Insurance Services Office for the second time in a row.

At a banquet held at Michael’s Southern Foods, Mayor Bernie Sullivan presented volunteers with a proclamation and his deepest gratitude.

“We wanted to recognize them for their dedicated service while protecting the life and well-being of Brantley residents,” Sullivan said.

The ISO rates fire departments to establish fire insurance premiums for residential and commercial property in its area. The fire suppression ratings are done about every five years.

The ratings are based on emergency communications, water supply, community risk education and the fire department.

“The fire department makes up 50 percent, water supply 40 percent; and communications 10 percent,” said Brantley Fire Chief Harry Driggers.

Within the fire department, the ISO looks at the equipment; type and extent of training; number of people who participate in training; firefighter response to emergencies; and the maintenance and testing of the fire department’s equipment.

“It takes a lot of work,” Driggers said. “Of the 48,000 fire departments the ISO inspects, only 5,216 have an ISO rating of 4.”

The scale ranges from 1 to 10. A 1 rating would earn the lowest insurance rates available. Driggers said those with high ratings are usually the ones with a paid fire department and someone on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“For a volunteer fire department to have an ISO 4, it’s very difficult. Of those with a 4, less than one percent are volunteer. It takes work, dedication, time and effort,” said Driggers. “And the support of the Mayor.”