D-M Fire Department’s new accreditation provides safer future for the base and community

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Frankie D. Moore
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The 355th Civil Engineering Squadron Fire Emergency Services here received Accredited Agency status from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International March 22, 2017.

Accreditation for both civilian and Department of Defense fire departments consists of a comprehensive self-assessment and quality improvement model that allows organizations to examine past, current and future service levels and internal performance and compare them to current research and industry best practices.

“The process for the accreditation took over two years to complete and everyone at the fire station here has been involved in the process,” said Gary McDowell, 355th CES Fire Emergency Services assistant chief. “We are the third DOD entity in the state to be accredited and one of 61 DOD agencies worldwide that are now accredited.”

The Fire Emergency services met the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program.

“Earning this accreditation demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community,” said McDowell.

The accreditation will allow D-M’s Fire Emergency Services to capture data more efficiently to better educate the community in order to prevent fires from happening. Providing the community with more efficient services is a main goal in the accreditation, but they won’t be the only ones benefiting from this new status.

“The Air Force as a whole has embraced this process through the CFAI, so members that decide to make this a career will be able to provide of further assistance to other bases that they go to, especially if that station hasn’t gone through the accreditation process yet,” said Master Sgt. Jesse Roen, 355th CES Emergency Fire Station 1 assistant fire chief. “I believe that receiving Agency Accreditation status for fire departments apart of the DOD will be the movement of the future.”

D-M’s Fire Emergency Services, along with the other accredited agencies in the state, have started an Arizona Consortium in order to spread the word about getting an Agency Accreditation status and aid those departments that are going through the process of getting one.

The D-M Emergency Fire Services has shown their commitment to providing their community with the best possible services by finding ways to improve and become more efficient in the future.