Richmond is now rated as one of the best communities for fire protection in the country, it has been announced.

City Hall received notice Monday of the rating from New Jersey-based Insurance Services Office Inc., which rates nearly 45,000 communities and whose information property insurance companies use to set insurance rates on homes and businesses.

ISO stated that the Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services has been reclassified as Class 1, the highest rating and one awarded to only 270 communities in the country, or less than 1 percent of all rated communities.

ISO upgraded the city’s rating based on four factors: The quality of the fire department; the competence and quality of the emergency communications dispatchers, the availability of hydrants and water for fighting fires and the community’s efforts to reduce fire risks.

ISO rates communities on a scale of 1 to 10, with Class 1 representing superior property fire protection, and Class 10 representing a failure to meet minimum requirements.