On August 5, 2024, the Snoqualmie Fire Department obtained Re-accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) by meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program.
The Snoqualmie Fire Department is one of only 319 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE). Only 13% of the U.S. population is protected by an accredited agency, including Snoqualmie.
Mayor Katherine Ross commented, “The Snoqualmie Fire Department’s achievement of Accredited Agency status demonstrates its commitment to providing the highest quality of service to our community.”
The Snoqualmie Fire Department first received Accredited Agency Status in 2019, and over the course of the last year completed the extensive re-accreditation process to solidify its status for the next 5 years.
Since its first accreditation in 2019, the Snoqualmie Fire Department has worked to complete CFAI recommendations, which included increased community engagement; re-evaluation of fire and life safety inspections and processes; increased department training; fully updating policies and procedures; and conducting personnel evaluations and goal setting for volunteer staff members.
The new accreditation provided recommendations to evaluate the department’s increased call volumes and the effect on unit responses; evaluate increases to wildland programs and prevention; and update the fire department’s strategic plan – which is in progress, to be completed in December 2024.
Snoqualmie is one of only nine fire departments in the State of Washington that have achieved CFAI Accredited Agency status, including the Bellevue Fire Department and Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority.
“We have been able to use the Commission on Fire Accreditation International’s accreditation process as a proactive mechanism to plan for the future of the department and identify areas where we can improve the services we provide,” said Snoqualmie Fire Chief Mike Bailey. “It is a huge accomplishment for our department, and recognizes the hard work put into the process from our department members as well as city staff.”
About the Commission on Fire Accreditation International
CFAI is dedicated to assisting the fire and emergency service agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities. The CFAI process provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally, and then works with a team of peers from other agencies to verify and validate their completed self-assessment.
Photo (L to R): SFD Lt. Matt West, Snoqualmie Mayor Katherine Ross, SFD Chief Mike Bailey, CFAI Commission Chair Steve Kirksen, SFD Cpt. Jake Fouts, Snoqualmie City Councilmember Cara Chirstensen, SFD Firefighter Bert Wolfe after receiving re-accredited agency status in Atlanta, GA on August 5, 2024.