Our beginning... Our organization began in 1986, when the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) met to develop the concepts and design for continuous improvement of the fire services industry.

Our purpose defined... On December 13, 1996, the IAFC and ICMA executed an Agreement and Declaration of Trust for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation, formally known as the Master Trust Agreement. The Commission on Fire Accreditation International was created to award accreditation to fire and emergency service agencies and to pursue scientific research and educational purposes in the public interest.

Nonprofit incorporation... In November 2001, the original trust was dissolved and the Commission on Fire Accreditation International was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. It is governed by a board of directors, which oversees two commissions — the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and the Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC).

Board of Directors

A five-member Board of Directors governs CPSE. Its members include four appointees of its two founding organizations and one at-large member representing the fire service community. A major goal of the board is to clearly communicate CPSE’s expanded corporate focus and distinguish it from the missions of the commissions that carry out its work.

The board elects a president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer, and hires an executive director to manage the commissions’ day-to-day operations.

NEW PROGRAMS

In response to the rapidly changing demands on fire and emergency services agencies and professionals, CPSE continually improves and expands its programs and training opportunities. Its recent activities include:

• New Programs. In cooperation with the International Association of Fire Fighters, CPSE is developing new programs geared to objective-based learning. Topics include self-assessment, integrated risk management, standards of cover, peer assessment, moving from tactical to strategic overview, uses of GIS for coverage standards, and exceeding customer expectations.  
  

• Fire and Emergency Service Self-Assessment Manual – Seventh Edition. This newly released edition incorporates numerous changes—and work on an eighth edition already is underway. 
  

• Revised Standards of Cover Manual. CPSE is revising this manual with up-to-date materials from around the world and a new section on asset management resources. The Standards of Cover program originally drew from materials used in the United Kingdom in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s. 
  

• New Strategic Planning and Technical Advisor Programs. In response to requests from emergency services personnel, the Board of Directors created these programs in the spring of 2006. The one-of-a-kind strategic planning program will seek input from the public as well as fire and emergency services agencies. A special team will help agencies to both create strategic plans and complete the accreditation processes.
   

• Emergency Management Planning Programs. CPSE has piloted programs to facilitate the development of emergency management plans, and they are now available for on-site delivery. 
  

• Accreditation Manager’s Workshop. Held in conjunction with the spring meetings of the CPSE’s Board of Directors and Commissions, this workshop will support the work of accreditation managers and address several additions to the program.
  

• FIRES. This virtual-reality training program will train firefighters in basic code enforcement. The program is designed to prepare front-line fire fighters to take the International Code Council (ICC) test and become entry-level fire inspectors.

CPSE continues developing programs on additional topics, including the use of statistics and research for deployment models and applications for GIS technology in the fire service.