FORT DRUM, NY – The Fort Drum Fire and Emergency Services (FES) Division achieved international accreditation status March 22 after completing a rigorous months-long process through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI).
This is the third time Fort Drum FES has successfully met the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program since 2009. Only 10 fire departments across the Army have achieved accredited status.
“Today’s unanimous vote of confidence by the CFAI Commission is a testament to the outstanding commitment of the members of our fire community and their dedication to preserving and protecting our community,” said Mike Thomas, deputy director of Fort Drum Directorate of Emergency Services.
The process and awarding of accreditation is an internationally recognized achievement, which provides transparent and accountability through third-party verification and validation. The Fort Drum Fire and Emergency Services Division is one of only about 250 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc.
“Fort Drum was the second Army Fire and Emergency Services Division to achieve accredited status, which makes us the longest serving accredited Army Fire and Emergency Services Division,” said Fort Drum Fire Chief Jason Brunet. “To all of our firefighters, thank you for your dedication to excellence and the vital role you play in our continued success.”
The CFAI accreditation process provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally. Then it works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment of more than 240 performance indicators and core competencies.
Brunet said that the achievement of accredited status demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community.
“We have also been able to use the CFAI’s process as a proactive mechanism to plan for the future of this agency and locate areas where we can improve on the quality of the services we provide,” he added.