You will find some of the major steps and actions on how to get your agency accredited listed below. After reading them, if you still have questions, please contact us or give us a call at (703) 691-4620 to speak directly with our accreditation team. We look forward to working with your agency as you move through the accreditation process.
Become a Registered Agency
- Complete this form and email it to the CFAI Administrator. Be sure to check “Registered” at the top of the form.
- Pay the $630.00 fee online
- Registered Agency status is valid for three years and can be renewed as many times as you need.
- Registered agencies receive a copy of the most recent accreditation publication, gain access to an online platform, and may participate in frequent web-based training opportunities.
- You will be asked to designate one individual as the accreditation manager for your agency. Your designated accreditation manager will need to complete both the Quality Improvement for the Fire and Emergency Services and the Peer Assessor Workshops.
- We highly recommend you watch the New Registered Agency Orientation video that is available through CPSE University.
Become an Applicant Agency
- Complete the forms listed below and email them to the CFAI Administrator.
- CFAI Agency Application and Information Form. Be sure to check “Applicant” at the top of the form.
- Letter of Understanding for Applicant/Candidate Agencies
- We will invoice you for the applicable fee after we receive your forms. See the fee schedule.
- Applicant Agency status is valid for 18 months (24 months if you are an all-volunteer agency) and may be extended for an additional 12 months, a maximum of three times.
- Applicant agencies receive their own online SharePoint site and are assigned a volunteer mentor to provide guidance.
- During Applicant status, agencies will complete their:
- Community Risk Assessment – Standards of Cover document
- Community-Driven Strategic Plan
- Self-Assessment Manual (SAM)
Become a Candidate Agency
- Once your three accreditation documents are complete, you can declare candidacy for accreditation.
- We will assign a peer team and conduct an onsite visit to verify and validate your documents. An accreditation report will be developed for you and the commission.
- The accreditation report will be presented during a CFAI public hearing in spring or summer. Your agency head, accreditation manager, and team leader will appear before the CFAI Commission as they complete the verification and validation process and render a vote on granting accredited status..
Remaining an Accredited Agency
- Each accredited agency must successfully complete and submit an Annual Compliance Report (ACR) along with 1/5th of the current Applicant agency fee.
- The award of Accreditation is valid for a five-year period, at which time the agency returns to Applicant status and submits for a new peer review process.
- This cycle continues throughout the accreditation life of the agency.
Become Familiar with Agency Accreditation by Attending an Upcoming Workshop
- Your agency personnel can participate in accreditation training at any time throughout the process.
- The Quality Improvement for the Fire and Emergency Services workshop is a great place to start and is offered numerous times each year throughout North America and around the world for both municipal and Department of Defense agencies.
- CPSE’s annual Excellence Conference offers numerous opportunities to get engaged in the world of accreditation and is home to a 2.5 day series of education sessions that will teach you how to build your accreditation team and documents.
- You will need to gather a lot of specific data that reflects your agency’s overall performance. The CFAI Information Technology Specifications documents identifies the spatial and numerical data, records, and policies referenced in the accreditation model.
- We’ve built all the help you’ll need to be successful. Visit the Accreditation Resources Library located within the CPSE University. The library includes accreditation handouts and videos as well as accreditation model category videos.
- Additional resources within the CPSE University include the Virtual Strategic Planning Academy and the Virtual CRA/SOC Academy.