Walker County maintained a 3/3Y ISO rating following a rigorous review of fire services in the unincorporated areas of the county and city of Chickamauga.

The 3/3Y classification by the Insurance Service Office will continue to benefit homeowners and business owners. Insurance companies use ISO ratings in their calculations to determine insurance rates in a community.

"3 is a really good rating," said Fire Chief Blake Hodge. "There are roughly 1,400 to 1,500 communities that are evaluated that hit this benchmark, with one being the best rating and ten being non-protected."

The ISO evaluation looked at all aspects of the fire department, including equipment, manpower, training, number of stations and response times. ISO also evaluated area water authorities, 911 communications, public education, fire prevention efforts, code enforcement and inspections, among other areas.

"When they arrive to do the evaluation, they look back at the previous year," said Chief Hodge. "There is a lot of data extraction. You have to prove what you have done, and that you have done it the right way, that you are meeting the standards, such as response times, training, needed fire flows in a community, there's a lot that goes into it and there is a lot of data that is compiled to come to the final outcome."

ISO rates communities one on a scale of 1 to 10. A lower number means fire service in a given area is better equipped to put out a fire and save a home or business. The ISO 3 rating, which is good for four years, places Walker County in the Top 12% in the nation for fire protection, ahead of more than 37,800 other cities and counties.

The ISO 3/3Y classification for Walker County and the city of Chickamauga is good for four to five years. The city of Chickamauga benefits from the county's ISO rating because it contracts with Walker County to provide fire protection services within their city limits.