Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Skokie Fire Department has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAl’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. The Skokie Fire Department is one of more than 200 agencies to achieve internationally accredited agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety.

Skokie was first CFAI accredited in 2001 and, in 1995 achieved a Class 1 rating for the Insurance Services Office.

CFAI is dedicated to assisting 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 is voluntary, and provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally, after which they work with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment.

The process in achieving accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International is an ongoing process with a comprehensive review by a peer assessment team every four years. This year marked the department’s fourth time receiving this prestigious designation. Staff and several members of the department work together throughout the year to achieve and maintain this status, although all of the Skokie Fire Department’s personnel work hard each and every day to carry out this mission as they serve the community.

Tags: Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Skokie Fire Department