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Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready met with the Bartlesville Fire Department last week.

Bill Hollander, the BFD's Public Information Officer, said the rare visit lasted for 30 to 45 minutes. He said this was the first State Insurance Commissioner he has seen pay a visit to Bartlesville Fire in his tenure with the department of 34-years.

During their conversation with Commissioner Mulready, Hollander said they discussed ways the Bartlesville Fire Department can be one of the top fire departments in Oklahoma. He said their ISO rating went from a four to a two recently.

Home owners in the Bartlesville area should have received a small refund check from their home owner's insurance company because of the lowering in the Bartlesville Fire Department's ISO rating. Hollander said businesses in the city are also impacted greatly by a better ISO score. He said businesses typically look at the score to see if their investment is going to be safe.

Hollander said the Bartlesville Fire Department is proud to have been bumped up to an ISO score of two. He said they are doing everything that they can to bring their ISO rating down to a score of one, which is the best score a department can receive.

50-percent of the ISO score is based off of training a fire department goes through in a year, equipment locations and other elements. Hollander said 40-percent of the score is determined based on the department's (as well as the City of Bartlesville's) water supply system. He said the final 10-percent of the score is based on communications with the dispatch center.

To help them improve their ISO rating, Hollander said the BFD has asked for a new Platform truck to be included in the City of Bartlesville's next series of bond issues. He said it is a pricey vehicle, but a vehicle the Bartlesville Fire Department needs that will put them at the top with an ISO score of one.

A 47-year-old Snorkel fire truck would be replaced if the new Platform fire truck the BFD is interested in is approved by the Bartlesville City Council. Currently, the fire department has to pump water into the Snorkel truck from another fire truck, which takes time, resources and manpower away from the department that could be used to put out a fire.