In late 1999, a Glendale (Ariz.) Fire Department battalion chief named Jim Gibson went to the fire chief and asked him if we wanted to pursue a new process: accreditation. The fire chief had asked Jim to develop a strategic plan; I was a captain at the time and volunteered to help develop the plan.
Jim convinced the chief and used me as his “volunteer” to enter into a two-year process of researching accreditation, submitting for applicant status, conducting a self-assessment and finally subjecting our organization to the peer-review process.
Out of all that effort we received a recommendation for accredited status that outlined “specific and strategic recommendations” for continuous improvement made by the peer review team. In early 2002, we became an “accredited agency” from what was then the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, now the Center for Public Safety Excellence. During the process, I was promoted to battalion chief and then appointed acting fire chief when the former chief retired.
One of the first actions I took as acting chief was to approach my boss, the city manager, and ask if I could distribute the accreditation report to our city council. He approved, the document was sent and the results have been quite impressive. Below are a few examples of recommendations that were accomplished for the Glendale Fire Department from 2002 to 2007:
Recommendation: To add a new ladder company to service the north end of the city.
Result: We added a new Bronto ladder with 18 personnel.
Recommendation: Additional company(ies) to respond to calls for service.
Result: We added a new station in the north end of our city, complete with a new engine and 18 personnel.
Recommendation: Faster, more mobile units to respond to EMS calls.
Result: To date, we have added three units, staffed 12-hours per day (peak-time) using overtime to provide the personnel.
Recommendation: Pursue the construction of a new training facility as cited in the city’s 1999 bond election.
Result: Glendale recently opened a joint, regional training facility with the police department and the local community college, as well as three other bordering cities. This facility is on 56 acres, at a cost of $54 million. Glendale owns 74% of the facility; our partners own the remaining 26%.
If anyone doubts the benefit of hard work, I would like to help dispel this by referencing the results above. None of this would have been possible if we had not pursued the accreditation process. It resulted in a strategic plan that our council supported because of the process; a validated, internationally recognized program established and conducted by professionals whose credentials can’t be challenged.
Accreditation is a tough but achievable process that pays off in tremendous dividends for any fire chief and the department they serve. We are extremely proud that we recently received notice that we will be accredited again, from 2007–2012. I can’t wait to deliver the specific and strategic recommendations to our council again.
