FIRE PROOF

Insurance rates for commercial buildings could come down a notch in Torrance because the Fire Department has received one of the highest ratings from an independent agency that ranks departments around the country.

The Insurance Services Office, a nonprofit company, gave the department a No. 1 rating on a scale of 1 to 10. The last time the department was rated in 1985, it received a 3.

One of the major changes in the last 10 years is the city’s increased water supply, a key factor in grading fire departments. In 1987, the city nearly doubled its water storage capacity by adding 19 million gallons of storage facility at the Ben Haggot Reservoir, engineering Director Richard Burtt said. The city also is upgrading its old and deteriorating water mains.

The evaluators also looked at the department’s fire equipment, staff and at the city’s dispatch system.

Insurance rates could come down for some commercial buildings whose insurance companies use the Insurance Services Office to set premiums, said Don Thompson, an administrative chief with the Torrance Police Department. Home rates probably will not be affected because of the city’s relatively high rating in 1985.