e Ankeny Fire Department has received an upgraded public protection classification, a rating that could help Ankeny home and business owners receive lower insurance premiums. The Ankeny Fire Department moved from a Class 3/3A rating to a Class 2/2A. The rating is determined by the Insurance Services Office Inc. and indicates how prepared a department is in the case of fire and how quickly it would be able to put out a fire. The higher rating qualifies Ankeny as a safer community. The new rating takes effect July 1. The Insurance Services Office rates nearly 40,000 fire departments in the U.S. As of 2020, fewer than 5% of those fire departments were rated Class 2; fewer than 1% were rated Class 1, the highest rating. Ankeny home and business owners’ insurance premiums could be reduced if they contract with an insurance company that uses the rating scale as part of its underwriting.