Fire Department Accreditation and Self Assessment Overview Chris Riley, Fire Chief, City of Pueblo & President, CSFCA

Comprehensive fire and emergency service evaluation What is Accreditation? Comprehensive fire and emergency service evaluation Method of measuring a fire department’s performance Overseen by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) Founded in 1996 Governed by a five-member board General organizational operation by an 11 member commission Provide assurance to peers and the public that the organization has defined appropriate missions and objectives Professional growth for the department and personnel Mechanism for developing concurrent documents, including strategic and program action plans Through self-assessment, a systematic evaluation can be accomplished to determine what is happening within an organization. Program assessment is focused on whether or not the organization is meeting the goals that are commensurate with its responsibility. In today's world of government where the focus is on reinventing, reengineering, rethinking and quality management, we must continue to ask ourselves if there's value added to our customers in the actions we are taking within our organizations. The accreditation process assists fire service professionals in continually improving the quality and performance of their organizations by asking those critical questions to determine if the programs and services within the organizations are effective in meeting the needs of their communities.

“A non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of fire Who is the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) ? “A non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of fire and emergency service agencies through self-assessment, accreditation, professional credentialing, emergency management facilitation and other programs.” A body governed by a five-member board of directors Oversees financial aspects of organization Long term planning, policies and procedures Eleven (11) member commission (CFAI) Carries out policies and procedures On-going development of accreditation activities Peer assessment visits Determines accreditation status for agencies having gone through the self assessment and peer assessment processes

Provide brief explanation of each program offered by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) Commission on Fire Officer (CFO) brochures available here contact at CPSE office is: name and phone number Facilitation Technical Advisor Program

Provision of Services -- Quandary Do more with less Increased expenditures require expanded services Accountability for level and quality of service No nationally accepted set of performance criteria Local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) hard pressed for additional funding/resources Difficult to “sell” expanded services concept, if costs are considered prohibitive AHJ turning to proven methods of evaluation and assessment to determine priorities CFAI was established to develop a process of comprehensive assessment to allow an agency to determine an appropriate level of safe, effective performance as an organization

Why conduct evaluation of fire service programs? When you are trying to cope with change To provide for periodic evaluation to ensure safe operations When there is a change in leadership To raise the level of professionalism Mergers, consolidations, down-sizing, growth Continuous impacts on agency operations Work environment effectiveness (outcomes) and efficiency (costs) Continued evaluation by many people on-going “fingerprints on the knife” How many have changed jobs in the past 10 years? 5 years? Fire Chief, City/County Manager, Elected Officials Wouldn’t it have been nice to have a “turnover/takeover” document?

How good is your department? Develop discussion What does your community think about your department? Ask students from different size, area departments Determine if there are any real differences in the answers given and ask why Discuss, but do not argue

How do you measure it for credibility? Develop discussion by asking different students: Performance at emergencies Community involvement Fire loss Response time Goal Achievement Surveys --- I.S.O. grading

Can you prove it? Develop discussion Do you have substantive data that is available for anyone to see? Do you actually measure your activities, routine and emergency, to a standard? Do you rely on “Annual Reports” to make your case? Ask “why” or “why not” where appropriate

Management Quandary “Management in today’s fire service might be characterized as being a twenty-five year job, with a ten-year strategic plan, five-year tenure, and a one-year appropriation.” Self explanatory! The only thing for sure is death and taxes, everything else is suspect over time.

Benefits of Conducting a Self Assessment Process Promotes excellence within the agency Encourages quality improvement continuously Provides an evaluation of the agency and services Identifies areas of strengths and weaknesses Provides a means for agency growth Provide a system for international recognition Provides a mechanism for developing concurrent documents such as strategic plans, risk assessments, written standards of cover, desk top manual Read aloud to the class Comment where appropriate Use examples if possible Emphasize that these are “some” of the benefits

Other accreditation examples JCAHO CALEA APCO Universities Park Service

What is the Process for Accreditation? Four main stages: Applicant Receive Fire & Emergency Service Self Assessment Manual and supporting documents 18 mos to complete the self assessment Registered Access to CFAI network Receives CFAI newsletter Discounts on CFAI publications Accreditation Candidate After agency has completed the self assessment CFAI will assign the peer assessment team Agency conducts Peer site visit Accredited After the Commission grants accreditation On the 5th anniversary, Agency submits the application for re-accreditation

Steps to Accreditation Agency completes Self-Assessment document On-site peer assessment is conducted Assessment team submits final report to agency and CFAI with recommendation CFAI hears report from team leader with agency representative present CFAI awards or defers Accreditation

Self Assessment - Categories Self-conducted performance evaluations of the following 10 categories: Governance and Administration Assessment and Planning Goals and Objectives Financial Resources Programs Physical Resources Human Resources Training and Competency Essential Resources External Systems Relationships Included within each category are criteria that include a measure or an index upon which a judgment or a division can be based. Criteria in the accreditation model define major areas within each category. Within each criterion there are performance indicators that define the desired level of ability to demonstrate a particular task as specified in the accreditation process. The model also includes a comprehensive research and information collection guide that includes checklists, exhibits, benchmarks, references and activities broken down by category. In addition, several appendices necessary for the accreditation process have been developed to address topics including defining the elements of response time, creating standards of response coverage and developing master or strategic plans.

Self Assessment – Performance Indicators Each Category includes a number of criterion (45 total) and performance indicators (total of 244) Some criterion may not be applicable if your agency does not provide the service, i.e., Marine and Shipboard Firefighting Performance indicators define the areas where an agency can demonstrate they are addressing criterion Some performance indicators are designated as Core Competencies (77 of the 244 performance indicators

Self Assessment – Core Competencies Core Competency An area where an agency must respond when undergoing the actual accreditation process Considered fire protection basic practices All 77 Core Competencies must be responded to and approved by the Peer Assessor team to be Accredited

Self Assessment – Performance Indicator Responses Consists of four parts Description What an agency has done to meet the intent of the Performance Indicators or Criterion Appraisal How well the agency thinks that current activities meet the needs of the item Plan Future plans in responding to the intent of the item and noted improvements Reference A list citing the supporting exhibit(s) used

Self Assessment - Exhibits Back up responses to Performance Indicators with proof - exhibits Exhibits Any document from a variety of media that Chronicles a requirement E.g., A contract that details the scope of work contracted for to correct a deficient water supply due to main size Demonstrates compliance to a requirement E.g., Inspection and test results of hydrants along the replaced section of fire main Standard Operating Procedures You must be doing what you say you are doing!!

Steps for Writing Responses Assign staff members to review the Categories, Criteria, and Performance Indicators to get a feel for the overall system. Use internal expertise to respond to specific areas. Assign a person to review the Research and Information Collection Guide for the entire Category. Assign specific Performance Indicators to staff members with knowledge or expertise in that area.

Steps for Writing Responses Have staff WRITE what they have learned about your department’s level of activity. Exhibits that have been found, observation, pertinent facts, and other details. Evaluate and analyze this information. Identify rates of change, direction of change, nature of change, reasons for change, and amounts of change. Interpret the data as information. Prepare a plan statement about what to do with what you know.

Purpose of Peer Review: Peer Assessment Purpose of Peer Review: To verify information provided by the agency’s Self-Assessment team in the documentation To formulate well-rounded team findings, opinions, and recommendations regarding the credibility of an agency to meet its mission Agency is responsible to prove compliance with requirements for Accreditation Assessment team validates the proof provided

The “Big Four” (or, how to begin) Risk Assessment Goals & Objectives Standard of Cover Strategic Plan

A comprehensive risk assessment must be conducted Include all fire and non-fire risks Publish risk assessment results How does your agency list hazards in your community? Does your agency pre-plan actions if an emergency occurs in hazardous areas or occupancies? Does your agency have different levels of hazard? If so, how does your agency categorize the different levels of hazard? Are the hazards all over your community or only in selected areas? What does your agency consider a high risk occupancy? A moderate risk occupancy? A low risk occupancy?

Goals & Objectives Develop a formal goals and objectives program Include all functional areas of the organization Obtain employee buy-in

Developed from risk assessment and goals & objectives program Standard of Cover Developed from risk assessment and goals & objectives program Public document that defines level of service to the staff, line fire fighters and the public Service Level Objectives Fractional vs average times Agency is divided into fire management zones. A good start would be using fire station first-due as a zone Survey each zone to determine number, location and category of hazard(s) found Categorize by magnitude of hazard, for example: high, moderate, or low Demographics of area need to be identified, for example: population, land use, topography, etc. Water availability should also be considered Additionally, a written policy statement should be developed that defines the SERVICE LEVEL OBJECTIVES to emergencies. Fire, EMS, HazMat, etc.

Typically a 5-year plan, that addresses: Where are we going? Strategic Plan Typically a 5-year plan, that addresses: Where are we going? How do we get there? What is our blueprint for action? How do we know if we are on track? Vision / Mission Strategies Budget, Operation Plans Control, Performance Measures

Time to Begin! Assign Accreditation Manager Form Teams Assign Performance Indicators and Core Competencies Begin the process of writing Accreditation Manager reads/approves them all Fire Chief review

The Commission meets twice a year Commission Meeting The Commission meets twice a year Fire Rescue International Meeting Spring Meeting Peer Assessment visit should be completed two months prior to the Commission meeting Typically, the chief, accreditation manager, and a member of city government attend Accredited vs. Deferred

Questions/Comments? Chief Chris Riley Work: 719.553.2830, Cell: 719.248.2683 criley@pueblo.us Paul Cooke, Executive Director, CSFCA Cell: 303.919.2721 Paul@coloradofirechiefs.org