Maryville Fire Department staff are considering the benefits of a voluntary accreditation program as the department’s program status lapses. The Commission on Fire Accreditation International is a global organization that certifies fire departments meet the standards outlined in their rigorous program.
The fire department’s accreditation lapsed March 31 after employee shakeups left staff scrambling to compile the necessary data. Maryville Fire Chief Tony Crisp said nothing has changed at the agency, but he and his staff need to sit down and discuss what the accreditation means for MFD as a department.
“The accreditation model is designed to help you improve your processes,” he told The Daily Times in a phone interview. “We will continue those processes.”
Overseen by the Center for Public Safety and Excellence, the CFAI certifies 319 agencies globally. Participation is voluntary, but fire departments that succeed in the five-year accreditation process get the CFAI stamp of approval and a listing on the group’s website.
Interested agencies submit to a document review and onsite inspection, receiving detailed feedback and education for better practices.
Tennessee has seven accredited agencies, with the nearest being the Alcoa Fire Department. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance listed 699 active fire agencies statewide in January.
Other accredited Tennessee fire departments include the Johnson City Fire Department and the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department.
Crisp said MFD first gained accreditation under previous Fire Chief Ed Mitchell in 2008. After reaccrediting in 2013 and 2018, MFD was up for reaccreditation again in November.
The department ran into a problem when the captain in charge of keeping up accreditation left in July, meaning Crisp had to find someone else to take over the job. Deputy Chief Mike Caylor had been able to do some of the work, Crisp said, but Caylor’s retirement meant firefighters had to shift again.
The department, Crisp said, just wasn’t ready to host an accreditation team.
“I have all the data,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting it in spreadsheets and the other things they require.”
So rather than pay the $8,000 he had budgeted to have an inspection team verify the department’s need for an extension, Crisp said he opted to allow the accreditation to lapse. He can submit a new application, which will then give him 18 months to resubmit his paperwork.
“I’ve gained myself 18 months if I choose to go ahead and get reaccredited,” he said. “That’s something we’re going to look at as a staff.”
Crisp isn’t worried about the accreditation lapsing. His department still keeps up with the processes outlined in the accreditation standards, meaning the service his firefighters are able to provide to Maryville residents is unchanged. Accreditation is a label, he said, and this is an opportunity to look back on the past 15 years and make plans for the future.
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