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CPSE and IAS Partner on Fire Prevention and Life Safety Department Accreditation Program
The International Accreditation Service (IAS), a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC), and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) have partnered to create an accreditation program for fire prevention and life safety departments. Based on the draft Accreditation Criteria for Fire Prevention and Life Safety Departments AC426, accreditation by IAS will convey formal recognition to fire prevention and life safety departments that have demonstrated technical competence to administer an effective system of code enforcement, fire prevention, life safety programs and other functions of fire marshals’ offices that benefit the communities they serve.
Randy Bruegman, Fire Chief, Fresno, California, President of the CPSE and former President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) said, “CPSE recognizes the importance of state and county fire marshal offices in promoting fire prevention and life safety. In partnership with ICC and IAS, CPSE is working on the development of an accreditation model for these agencies to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of fire marshal offices based upon national standards and best practices. Recognition on a national and international basis will help to promote the value and importance that fire prevention and life safety have on the welfare of citizens and firefighting personnel.” “Participation by CPSE in the development of this accreditation program brings greater credibility and strength to the program, which will benefit fire and life safety departments and the public they serve,” commented Chuck Ramani, President of IAS.
The accreditation program, which includes onsite review by an IAS assessment team, will evaluate departments against the performance requirements in ten primary categories including governance and administration, risk assessment, goals and objectives, finance, program activity, physical resources, human resources, training and competency, essential resources, and external systems relations. “The IAS Fire Prevention and Life Safety Department Accreditation Program will provide departments with an opportunity to critically assess their administrative, code enforcement, and quality management systems with the goal of improving the services they provide to communities,” Ramani said.
Alan W. Perdue, Emergency Services Director, Guilford County, North Carolina, IAFC Board International Director, Fire and Life Safety Section member, and a member of the ICC Joint Fire Service Review Committee said, “The establishment of an accreditation program for fire and life safety departments will provide an avenue to evaluate programs and processes to ensure they are efficient, effective, and responsive. It will be truly beneficial to have a process that can serve as a reliable indicator of the value and quality of the services that are provided as they are benchmarked against best practices. We feel that participation in voluntary accreditation will validate to the public and the various stakeholders we serve that our organization has a genuine interest in continuous self-evaluation and improvement.”
The accreditation program is currently in the alpha testing stage, with the first fire and life safety department going through the evaluation process. The draft accreditation criteria used to evaluate departments has been developed with input from the fire community, stakeholders, and the IAS Technical Advisory Council. Final approval of the draft criteria by the IAS Accreditation Committee is expected in late 2010. IAS is accepting applications for accreditation under the draft criteria and will work with applicants as the criteria evolve or further changes are proposed.
The CPSE is developing training materials and will be conducting workshops for departments interested in learning about the criteria for becoming accredited.
The Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to assisting the international fire and emergency services community in seeking excellence in service delivery and continuous quality improvement in the provision of services and leadership to the communities they serve. CPSE achieves its mission through its two commissions, the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and the Commission on Professional Credentialing.
The International Accreditation Service (IAS) is a nonprofit, internationally recognized, accreditation body and a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC), www.iccsafe.org. IAS accredits building departments, third-party building department service providers, special inspection agencies, product certification agencies, inspection programs for metal building manufacturers, fabricator inspection programs, testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies, training agencies, curriculum developers, and field evaluation bodies. IAS is signatory to several international mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs), which facilitates acceptance of its accreditation certificates around the world.
For more information, click on the Fire Prevention and Life Safety Department Accreditation AC 426 program page on the IAS website or call IAS at 1-866-427-4422.