Bradenton Police and Fire Departments Continue to Demonstrate Excellence

BRADENTON – Bradenton Public Safety services earned a few feathers for its cap recently, as both were reaccredited by the state, making Bradenton one of 42 Florida municipalities to have both departments accredited. The Bradenton Fire Department, which was ranked among the top 6 percent of departments nationally by the Insurance Services Office, was also highlighted in a trade publication for its success.

The Bradenton Fire Department recently earned a class rating of “3 out of 9” (the lower the first number, the better the score) from the Insurance Services Office, placing BFD in the top 6 percent of all fire departments nationwide. The score was an improvement from a still impressive 4 out of 9" last year.

As further testament to the BFD's success, the Safety & Risk Management Department of the Public Risk Underwriters of Florida Inc. recently highlighted the fire department staff and the late Chief Souders in an article for the Preferred News Fall issue.

The Bradenton Police Department was recently re-accredited by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement, an accreditation it has maintained since first attaining in 2003. The CFA unanimously voted to award re-accreditation status to the City of Bradenton Police Department during its fall conference on Sept. 27.

“We are proud to have both Bradenton Fire department and Police Department accredited since 2003 and re-accredited since,” Mayor Wayne Poston said. “At last count only 42 municipalities in the state have both accredited. Public safety is the main concern of the City of Bradenton and we continue to stay focused on getting better every year.”