Union Township Fire Department Reaccreditation

For the third time, the Union Township Fire Department has been awarded reaccreditation status from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), making it one of a handful of fire departments in the world with that distinction. The department was first accredited in 2004.

The site team visit inspection, review and verification were done from June 3 through June 7. The Commission Hearing took place Aug. 7 in Atlanta, Ga., where the panel of CFAI commissioners heard testimony from Administrator Ken Geis, Fire Chief Stanley Deimling, Assistant Fire Chief/Accreditation Manager Mark Fyffe, and Lieutenant/Assistant Accreditation Manager Chris Goessl.

According to Chief Deimling, accreditation is a process by which an association or agency is evaluated and is recognized as meeting certain predetermined standards. Fire department accreditation includes an in-depth process of self-assessment with methods for determining and analyzing community risks, needs and agency performance in service delivery

Although reaccreditation only recurs every five years, the department must file annual compliance reports to CFAI in order to keep its standing, indicating continual improvement and progress toward meeting the site-visit recommendations. That means almost daily supervision of the standards in place and determining how the department is measuring up.

The accreditation process, in addition to subsequent planning documents, proves a valuable tool in the budgeting process, as well as a basis for justifying departmental programs and services while giving the community confidence that they are receiving the best possible services for their investment in township government.

The CFAI has been developing standards for continuous improvements in fire service for more than 20 years. In 2004, the Union Township Fire Department became one of the first 100 agencies to attain accreditation.

“Achieving and maintaining this level of excellence and professionalism would not be possible without the dedication and commitment to quality services by the men and women of the Union Township Fire Department who deliver these services 24 hours every day,” Deimling said. “It also would not be possible without the support and resources provided by the community, the Union Township Board of Trustees and township administration.”

In the photo, from left to right:

Chief Dennis Light (CFAI Peer Assessor Team Leader), Assistant Chief Mark Fyffe (Union Township Fire Department), Mr. Ken Geis (Union Township Administrator), Chief Stanley Deimling (Union Township Fire Department), Chief Steve Dongworth (CFAI Commission Chair), Lieutenant Christopher Goessl (Union Township Fire Department), Firefighter/Paramedic Franco Delzotti (Union Township Fire Department), Lieutenant Craig Forster (Union Township Fire Department)