ORLANDO, Fla. -- The F.E. Warren Fire Department and Emergency Services achieved their third International Accreditation Status at a hearing in front of 13 Commissioners from the Fire Accreditation International in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 28, 2024.
Commission on Fire Accreditation International Accredited Status is awarded after a process of agency self-assessment spanned over 5 years and verified through an international peer review from assessors around the world.
The award is given to the selected team providing services to the best of their abilities in accordance with established laws and standards. The team earned their first accreditation status in 2014, the second in 2019, and the third this current year.
As the only fire department in Air Force Global Strike Command and the state of Wyoming to be awarded International Accredited Status, the F.E. Warren Fire Department team is said to exemplify a well-organized and strategic-minded organization, and are properly staffed, equipped and trained, according to the F.E. Warren Fire Department Fire Chief, Joshua Sarters.
“The Commission on Fire Accreditation International Accredited Status shows our community, the base and local area, that our Fire & Emergency Services Department continually self-assesses, constantly looks for opportunities of improvement, and is completely candid and accountable through the application of a true third-party verification and validation process,” said Sarters.
On the day the award was given, the team’s accreditation manager, Sarters and the Assistant Fire Chief Joshua Steen, attended the hearing.
A five year data-collection process is given to a peer review team to identify the team’s strengths and weaknesses. It documents improvements made, communicates a defined mission, and promotes the creation of procedural documents.
“At the end of this five-year extensive data collection and self-improvement process, the CFAI sends a peer review team assembled from all different types and sizes of fire departments. These peer assessors provide a thorough look to confirm that we are providing excellent service the way we say we are,” said Sarters. “The peer review team then provides recommendations and improvements based on findings in the visit and ultimately, they determine whether we are placed before the Commission for accreditation consideration.”
The team submits an annual compliance report for 11 categories represented within the Fire Department: governance and administration, assessment and planning, goals and objectives, financial resources, community risk reduction programs, physical resources, human resources, training and competency, essential resources, external system relationships, and health and safety.
The department then uses a Self-Assessment Model, which conducts a process involving conducting a community risk assessment, developing standards of cover, establishing a community-driven strategic plan, and assessing all segments of the fire department.
The Commissioners asked Sarters a series of questions relating to how the F.E. Warren Fire Department was addressing or correcting the recommendations presented by the peer review team in a formal setting held on a national broadcast. Following the questioning, the 13 Commissioners voted yes, determining the agency would receive the Accredited Status for another 5 years, 2024 through 2029.
“We are the only fire department in Air Force Global Strike Command and the state of Wyoming to be awarded International Accredited Status, and one out of only 370 fire departments in the world,” said Sarters.