The City of Andalusia will need to look at building a second fire station in the future if it is to maintain its recently-improved ISO rating, Fire Chief Russell McGlamory told the Andalusia City Council this past week.

The Insurance Services Office (ISO) monitors fire departments’ abilities to respond to emergencies, as well as infrastructure, water departments and many other agencies that factor into an area’s overall safety. ISO then rates the overall safety of an area on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the safest and 10 the most unsafe. High ISO scores can increase home insurance rates in the community.

In May, Andalusia’s ISO rating improved from Class 4 to Class 3, the best it’s ever earned.

“We are very, very proud of that rating,” McGlamory said. “The number of departments with a Class 3 rating is small. But with expansion and more and more things, there will come a time when we will have to have a second station to maintain that rating.”

McGlamory said that aside from an additional physical location, the biggest requirement for the station would be additional manpower.

“We can spread the trucks out,” he said. “The issue is having someone to respond quickly.”

He also pointed out the cost for equipment is rapidly rising. The newest truck, purchased in 2019, cost $458,000.

“That truck is now twice that,” he said.

He also said the city could qualify for grant funding to replace its ladder truck, because the 1984 model is the only ladder truck in the county and the department provides mutual aid for fire departments in Opp, Sanford and Hopewell.

The council met in an extended workshop session to set goals for the current quadrennium, and asked department heads to discuss anticipated needs.