Accreditation

2023 Re-accreditation Presentation  Pictured Left to Right:  Captain Steven Owen, Accreditation Captain Blaine Howell, Deputy Fire Chief Colin Hurst, Fire Chief Roger Robinson, CFAI Commission Chair Steve Dirksen, Mayor Tanya Martin, Former City Manager Mark Johnson, Commissioner Eddie Hall, and Vice Mayor Tracey Cooper.

ACCREDITATION DEFINED

An all-hazard, quality improvement model based on risk analysis and self-assessment that promotes the establishment of community-adopted performance targets for fire and emergency service agencies.

Accreditation

In March 2013, the department achieved accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), becoming the third in Tennessee and the second in Blount County to achieve this distinct honor. The department achieved re-accreditation in March 2018 and again in 2023. Currently, there are 320 accredited agencies internationally and six in the state of Tennessee. Thirteen percent of the U.S. population is protected by accredited agencies. 

The accreditation process has forced us to become a better department, it's forced us to truly become data-driven, it's forced us to do things in a way that we can now document how we're doing it and why we do it.  We have truly become a better department because of it.

Being an accredited agency shows the community that we are constantly looking to improve and we are good stewards of their resources.