Canton Fire Department wins national accreditation

Joshua Meier, director of public safety, left,  Steve Dongworth,
CFAI commission chairperson, Chris Stoecklein, deputy director
of fire safety and Jamie Strassner, deputy fire chief celebrate the
prestigious full-accreditation awarded the Canton Fire Department.  

The Canton Fire Department has joined a prestigious group of public safety personnel across the state.
The Canton department was recently awarded full accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The accreditation is an international recognition of achievement, demonstrating to the community that the department is performing to industry best practices and is holding itself accountable through an external peer review.
Officials from the department appeared before a 10-person CFAI panel at the Center for Public Safety Excellence annual conference this month for the final phase of  accreditation approval.
Canton Fire Department became a CFAI registered agency in 2013, beginning the extensive task of fulfilling the requirements and self-assessment needed to comply with the 242 standards required for full accreditation. Last December, a four-person assessment team from CFAI was on-site in Canton for one week, conducting a comprehensive review of department policies and proofs submitted to demonstrate compliance.
In addition, the team interviewed department leaders and spoke extensively with various department personnel, as well as executives throughout the township. The panel also  evaluated fire department facilities and emergency equipment, as well as service levels provided to the community.
Upon completion of the team assessment, a comprehensive report was prepared outlining successes as well as items of concern, with an overall recommendation for approval by the CFAI panel at the annual conference. CFAI Assessment Team Leader Gerard Kay described Canton as having an “exceptional fire department” citing the quality of facilities and equipment, as well as the high caliber of personnel.
Public Safety Director Joshua Meier said he was pleased with the accomplishment.
 “CFAI accreditation is highly regarded by firefighting agencies internationally. Some of the most progressive departments were in attendance at the conference this past week, all seeking full accreditation for meeting the rigorous standards required of them. The Canton Fire Department is now one of only four agencies in Michigan to have received this prestigious award,” Meier said.
''Receiving CFAI accreditation solidifies the professionalism Canton strives for  in continual service to the community. Maintaining accreditation will require the department to continue being community-focused, data-driven, outcome-focused, strategic-minded, well organized, properly equipped, and properly staffed and trained-all of which are components of CFAI,'” Meier added.