BATON ROUGE - The St. George Fire Protection District has earned a 'Class 1' rating that will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

A release concerning its upgraded status was issued Thursday (Dec. 31).

The release stated, in part: "Chief Gerard C. Tarleton has been notified by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana that the St. George Fire Protection District is rated to have improved from a Public Fire Protection Classification of Class 2 to Class 1, effective January 1, 2021. This is the highest fire department recognition awarded by PIAL, which rates fire departments in the State of Louisiana.

This distinction was awarded as a result of a recent rating survey conducted by PIAL, in which virtually all aspects of fire department readiness, operations, communications and water supply are evaluated and compared to the highest standards of the fire service.

Class 1 recognition is the standard which all fire departments ultimately strive to achieve.
As a result, fire insurance premiums for all residential and commercial properties in the St. George Fire Protection District may be lowered. The degree of which depends upon each fire insurance company. "

St. George Fire, funded solely through taxes and fees from citizens, serves over 100,000 people and covers a little over 83 square miles.