Center for Public Safety Excellence Appoves New Accreditation Model

CHANTILLY, Va.—The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), an international technical organization committed to leading the fire and emergency service industry to excellence, today announced the approval of the 10th Edition of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) model. Following a public comment period that closed in September 2019, the CPSE board of directors analyzed model revisions proposed by fire and emergency services experts and volunteers to ensure the accreditation model meets future needs.

The highly collaborative development process of the 10th Edition involved numerous opportunities for input and feedback. The initiative began in November 2018 when CPSE partners and stakeholder organizations met to conduct an initial analysis of the 9th Edition and brainstorm enhancement opportunities. From there, a team of more than 60 volunteers comprised of subject matter experts examined the model and provided recommendations to make the 10th Edition better aligned with current and projected needs of departments worldwide. CPSE additionally hosted a 9th Edition feedback session during their annual Excellence Conference and conducted in-person meetings with 18 consortiums to discuss needs for the new model.

Proposed revisions were included in a draft of the 10th Edition, which was surveyed through a public comment period with the fire and emergency services community. Key updates were outlined in a recorded webinar hosted by CPSE and included:  

• Minimization of redundancies and increased clarity of accreditation criteria
• Removal, revision, and addition of performance indicators and core competencies
• Addition of a new Category 11 dedicated to health and safety
• Addition of a new criterion for Category 9 that focuses on information technology

 “As part of CPSE’s commitment to progressive leadership and continuous improvement, the CFAI 10th Edition will serve as the new model for fire and emergency service accreditation,” said Allan Cain, CPSE CFO and president. “We are fortunate to be a part of this industry progression and anticipate many benefits of using this optimized model starting next year.”

“Our goal in developing the 10th Edition was to engage a wide and diverse group of stakeholders to ensure CPSE continues to lead the fire and emergency service to excellence,” shared Preet Bassi, CAE, CPSE CEO. “The feedback from our internal and external stakeholders and keen review of our volunteers has led to the most collaboratively developed version of the CFAI model.”

The CFAI model is used to guide fire and emergency services agencies around the world through accreditation with a focus on performance measurement, self-assessment, and quality improvement. Accreditation is awarded to agencies that meet performance indicators within the model. To achieve accreditation, agencies complete a thorough self-assessment and review of internal policies and performance data. After the information is submitted to CFAI, a team of peer assessors examines the documents and conducts an onsite assessment. The final step is a public hearing before the commission.

“Input from the fire and emergency services professionals who dedicated their time to this important project is valuable to the advancement of the industry,” said Karl Ristow, CFO, MIFireE, CPSE CFAI program director. “Their first-hand insight from the field is evident in this new model and will help departments build upon strengths and determine opportunities for improving emergency response in their communities.”

Materials and training related to the 10th Edition will be released throughout 2020. The 9th Edition will remain in effect for agencies appearing before CFAI until August 2021. Agencies that come before the commission starting in March 2022 will receive accreditation under the 10th Edition.

Additional information about the development of the 10th Edition is available at cpse.org/cfai10. Join the conversation on Twitter using #CFAI10.

About CPSE

The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is an international technical organization committed to leading the fire and emergency service industry to excellence through the continuous quality improvement process of accreditation, credentialing, and education. A not-for-profit 501(c) (3) corporation, CPSE provides training to assist departments and personnel with the tools necessary to excel in the delivery of fire and emergency services. Learn more at cpse.org.