Volunteers Needed!
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) needs your expertise to create the 11th Edition of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) model. We are now seeking volunteers to be part of a team that will examine the 10th Edition Model and identify current and anticipated challenges faced by fire and emergency service agencies. Your involvement will help ensure that agencies seeking accreditation have a contemporary model for self-assessment that is consistent with current industry trends and community needs. Please note we do not exclusively seek fire service experience; professionals from other industries are welcome as well.
We truly appreciate collaborators; the development of this new model could not happen without your input.
During this Call for Volunteers, we will be concentrating on Category 2: Assessment and Planning and Category 5: Community Risk Reduction Program of the CFAI model. We will need experts in areas ranging from emergency medical services to community risk assessment to hazmat response—professionals from outside the fire service who can provide expertise in relevant areas are welcome to sign up as well.
With this call for volunteers, we will also be looking for experts in the other nine categories:
- Category 1: Governance and Administration
- Category 3: Goals and Objectives
- Category 4: Financial Resources
- Category 6: Physical Resources
- Category 7: Human Resources
- Category 8: Training and Competency
- Category 9: Essential Resources
- Category 10: External System Relationships
- Category 11: Health and Safety.
We will need subject matter experts in these areas and looking for professionals from outside the fire service who can provide their expertise in these specific areas are welcome to sign up.
Additionally, there will be a public comment period in the summer of 2024 when the first draft is complete. We welcome your input during that time.
Community Risk Assessment
- Description: Volunteers in this area will be developing a detailed description of how to conduct a community risk assessment. Volunteers will need to have extensive experience with prevention and mitigation. We are particularly interested in experts with experience working on collaborative projects.
- Estimate of Volunteer Time Required: Participation needed beginning October 16, 2023, and continuing for approximately 90 days and potentially with additional input needed later in the final development of the model. We anticipate a time commitment of 2-3 hours per week for three months beginning October 16, 2023, and a weekly one-hour call with fellow volunteers.
Subject Matter Experts
- Description: Experts with real-world experience are needed in these areas:
- Community Risk Reduction
- Fire Prevention
- Public Education
- Fire Investigation
- Domestic Preparedness
- Fire Suppression
- Emergency Medical Services
- EMS Patient Transport
- Community Paramedicine
- Technical Rescue
- Hazmat
- Aviation Rescue and Firefighting
- Marine and Shipboard Rescue Firefighting
- Wildland/Wildland Urban Interface Firefighting
- Hostile Event Response
- SMEs will review performance indicators in the 10th Edition Model to identify how the 11th edition could better address elements within their area of expertise. This process will consist of a literature review; research of current laws, standards, and best practices; and the individuals’ knowledge of the topics. We are particularly interested in experts with experience working on collaborative projects.
- Estimate of Volunteer Time Required: We anticipate a commitment of 1-2 hours per week for three months beginning October 15, 2023, including a monthly one-hour call with fellow subject matter experts.
Standards of Cover (SOC)
- Description: The Standards of Cover document is one of the most important components of a department’s self-assessment during the accreditation process. It must clearly define community risk and how the agency is positioned to respond to that risk. Volunteers will be determining SOC criteria and must have extensive experience with relevant policies, procedures, and resource allocation. We are particularly interested in experts with experience working on collaborative projects.
- Estimate of Volunteer Time Required: We anticipate a commitment of 2-3 hours per week for three months beginning October 16, 2023, including a monthly one-hour call with fellow SOC experts.