The other 50 percent of the ISO equation--water availability and communication--is considered a measure of how well the city handles the needs of its growing population.
The maximum score any community can have is 100; Class One communities have a score between 90 and 100, according to Dasgupta.
Top of the Pack
A Class Two department for years, "Cambridge has been always looking to upgrade," Reardon says. " Chief [Kevin] Fitzgerald has made it a priority to try to work on what was needed. They did that very well."
In the early spring, a team of ISO inspectors began to search through records at the Cambridge Fire Department. They observed training exercises and actual fireground operations. They talked with firefighters, dispatchers and chiefs.
Then, this July, the good news. Cambridge had made the cut. It had scored above a 90.
In a word, says Reardon, the distinction is "incredible."
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