NEWINGTON, Conn. — The Newington Volunteer Fire Department is now ranked in the top 5% of fire departments nationwide, a rare achievement for a fully volunteer force.

The department was recently awarded a Class 2 rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), a prestigious score that puts them among the highest-rated departments in the country both volunteer and paid.

Newington Fire Chief Jeff Trommer explained how the ranking is calculated.

“Fifty points out of 100 is the fire department. Water supply, communication center is a percentage and community risk reduction is a percentage. They take all those numbers and go through five years of records for your station and give you a number,” Trommer said.

The ISO scale ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best. A Class 2 ranking is e

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