Cedar Rapids Fire Department Achieves Reaccreditation from Commission on Fire Accreditation International

The City of Cedar Rapids and the Cedar Rapids Fire Department are pleased to have been recognized by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) as a reaccredited agency. A delegation from the City and Fire Department, including Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz, Fire Chief Greg Smith, Assistant Fire Chief and Accreditation Team Leader Andy Olesen, and Fire Admin District Chief Brent Smith presented at the CFAI hearings in Chicago on Tuesday, August 29.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is one of only 308 agencies worldwide to earn accreditation from CFAI, an internationally recognized benchmark for fire and emergency services. Only 18% of the U.S. population is protected by a CFAI-accredited fire agency.

“Accreditation is much more than a plaque that says that the Cedar Rapids Fire Department is accredited. It is a professional validation that our Fire Department has a strong track record of improving its operational practices, resulting in a safer community,” said Pomeranz.

Pomeranz has pushed for every eligible City Department to certify with the leading accreditation agency in its field. The following City Departments have received accreditation to date:

• Fire Department — Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission on Fire Accreditation (accredited 2018, reaccredited 2023)
• Police Department —Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (accredited 2019; reaccredited 2023)
• Parks & Recreation — Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (accredited 2021)
• Public Works — American Public Works Association Accreditation (accredited 2023)
• Library — State Library of Iowa (accredited 2023)

“Today, Cedar Rapids is one of few communities in the nation to boast all of these essential Departments earning their field’s top accreditation,” said Pomeranz. “This distinction speaks to our City’s culture of continuous improvement and dedication to excellence.”

The CFAI process is voluntary and provides agencies with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally and then works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment.

“This achievement demonstrates the commitment of our team to provide the highest quality service to the residents and industrial partners of Cedar Rapids,” said Chief Greg Smith.

“The continuous improvement model has impacted every facet of the Fire Department,” said Olesen. “One of the most evident changes implemented from the accreditation process enabled the City to respond more effectively to the Geneva Tower last year. Modifications to dispatching, firefighting, and post-response procedures driven by Accreditation over the course of four years improved our performance during that critical incident.”

Working toward, achieving, and maintaining accreditation raises the profile of the Fire Department in the community. It emphasizes the Department’s dedication to excellence to our citizens and businesses and furthers the City of Cedar Rapids’ department-wide culture of continuous improvement.