Fire Department - Class 1 Rating

The Department

The Key West Fire Department is a full-service fire rescue dedicated to promoting and protecting the well-being of residents and guests of our vibrant island city.

The Mission

We strive every day to provide the best medical service, fire suppression response, and fire prevention enforcement we can, both on land and on the water, to enhance the quality of life and safety here in Key West, and we don't stop there.  Further services include responding to hazardous materials, educating the public about fire safety, disaster management, and beyond.

The Vision

The Key West Fire Department is dedicated to continuous yearly improvement through rigorous training and evaluation.  Our unwavering commitment has earned us the prestigious Class 1 rating, a distinction held by fewer than 300 Fire Department out of 47,000 fire departments across the United States.  Our goal is not only to uphold this exceptional rating but also to surpass the expectations it entails.

ISO Rating:

  • Key West Fire Department is rated “as Class 1”  
  • The ISO sets fire department standards that provide operational effectiveness benchmarks and a Public Protection Classification rating for more than 45,000 fire districts nationwide.  Less than 1% of the fire departments nationwide are rated as Class 1.

The Key West Fire Department is a CLASS 1 Fire Department.

What that means to you is lower insurance costs. 

  • The ISO (Insurance Services Office), a company, assesses and assigns ratings to fire departments based on their capabilities in combating fires within a community.  This rating serves as an indicator of the likelihood of a house catching fire.  Referred to as the "ISO fire score," homeowner's insurance companies utilize it.  The score takes into account several factors, such as the number of trucks and their equipment, minimum staffing requirements, communication systems including radios, dispatch and response times, training protocols, and the availability of water supply, hydrants, and adequate water pressure (55 lbs) from the Florida Keys Aqueduct.

May 19, 2022

Key West firefighters successfully quelled a car fire at the corner of South Street and White.  No one was injured, but the vehicle was severely damaged.

Car Fire 2022
Smokin CarCar on Fire

May 19, 2022

Key West Fire Department's Firefighters 2022 Academy

Fourteen Key West High School students graduated from the Key West Fire Department's Firefighters Academy in May of 2022.  Proud families, Key West Fire Department members, and City officials were on hand during the ceremony to acknowledge these students' hard work and dedication who have invested two years of training for their future careers as first responders.

These students earned certifications in Firefighter I, Emergency Medical Responder, and Hazmat Awareness.

Lt Tim Anson, who leads the academy, praised the group for its tenacity to finish the academy, noting that they would do their grueling physical training in the early hours before heading off to a full day of high school.

City Manager Patti McLauchlin thanked the students for their community spirit and presented each graduate with a City challenge coin.

The two-year fire academy trains future firefighters while they're attending their final two years of high school and provides them, upon completion, the equivalent training of a Certified Firefighter I, which puts them halfway through the training required to become a Key West Firefighter.

2022 Fire Academy student graduates