The City of Grand Rapids is celebrating a recent achievement of The Grand Rapid Fire Department.
It’s one of only a handful of departments to achieve International Accreditation status.
The Commission on Fire Accreditation International made the unanimous decision .
"It’s huge news for the Grand Rapids Fire Department; we’ve been working on this for about 15 months."
Grand Rapids City Communications Director Steve Guitar says the GRFD's recent achievement is a really big deal.
"It’s a real tribute to the men and women of the fire department, that we received this honor."
CFAI says this move makes Grand Rapids the only city fire department in the state and one of only 216 globally to earn this prestigious title.
Accreditation is an in-depth, multi-year process that includes comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation.
The commissioner on Fire Accreditation says accreditation is akin to agency "soul-searching".
The program allows fire and emergency service agencies to compare their performance to determine community risk and safety needs among other factors.
"It really points to a level of professionalism and proficiency that our department works at. We had to refine our practices. Now they’re all in log books that can be passed on to the next group of people coming up."
The CFAI says fire service accreditation is the wave of the future, and will distinguish the departments deemed outstanding in the 21st century and beyond.
