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The official letter is in and the Dewey Fire Department is celebrating.

Chief Chad Schueler said they got a 3 classification on their insurance rating. He said this is a big accomplishment for the fire department and the citizens of Dewey.

For citizens living in the Dewey Fire District, this means that on Sunday, March 1st, 2020, you should see a decrease in the rate you pay yearly on your homeowners insurance.

Chief Schueler said the insurance rating is based on water supply, response time to fire calls, and the equipment they have to put out fires. The Dewey Fire Department went from a 5 classification to a 3 classification on a 1 to 10 scale. 1 is the best rating a department can receive.

Reflecting back to August 1st, 2018, Chief Schueler said there was a split in the staff and there was some doubt in the community that the current staff could improve the ISO rating. He said the guys that remained used that as fuel to make Dewey Fire one of the best fire departments in northeast Oklahoma.

Preping the paperwork took about 120 hours. Chief Schueler said Assistant Fire Chief Cody Meade also assisted him in getting that straightened out. And apart from the paperwork, he said it was bigger than the administrative side of it.

The guys that fight the fires and endure the training were also praised. Chief Schueler thanked the volunteer firefighters that have sacrificed their time to get better and help Dewey Fire achieve the 3 classification. He said they knew that it would be difficult, but as a team, they knew they had a chance.

You can see the audit and the credits earned below: