In the world of fire safety ratings, 9 is nothing to brag about, but 10 is off the scale. Literally.

Handed out by a private firm in the employ of the insurance industry, these ratings - important because they determine how much you pay for fire insurance - are based on a number of criteria, including the competence of local firefighters and the quality of their equipment. Suwannee County's firefighters are just fine. It's their equipment that's not up to par, it turns out. And because of it, we're in danger of slipping from a 9 to a 10, according to a preliminary report released at Tuesday's county commission meeting. (Not to worry if you're within the city limits: Live Oak's rating is a solid 4.)

It's a long drop from a 9 to a 10. According to the Insurance Services Office, or ISO, the firm that confers the ratings, a 10 basically means "unrated." When you're a 10, you might not be able to buy fire insurance at any price. And that should set you to thinking about dangers and threats beyond those posed to mere property.

It's important that the Suwannee County Commission take seriously the problems pointed out to it Tuesday. We're not asking for miracles. County residents can't expect an ISO rating of 4, such as city dwellers enjoy, any time soon. Suwannee County covers almost 700 square miles, and SCFR is stretched too thin as it is. Still, it's important that we not go backward.

Many of the deficiencies noted at Tuesday's meeting can be remedied with relative ease, Public Safety Director Charlie Conner told commissioners. In some cases it's just a matter of affixing the right ladder to the right truck. Some fire engine bays will have to be heated, so pumps don't freeze in winter. Station Two in McAlpin is in danger of being derecognized because it's not properly enclosed. Money for construction had already been budgeted, however, and work is set to begin next month.

Still, not everyone was convinced. The county has poured considerable funds into SCFR in recent years, and Commissioner Billy Maxwell wondered whether more outlays were necessary.

"You can't go much higher" than a 9, Maxwell told an ISO official at Tuesday's meeting, in response to the threat of losing that rating.

Maxwell's comment misses the mark, in our view.

We know how tight the budget is. We know that every penny counts. But providing for the basic safety of its citizens is Job One for local government. Meeting minimum state requirements, as Maxwell noted we do, isn't always enough.

The county commission has done the right thing in the past on this issue. We expect that trend to continue.