NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – New Hanover County Fire Rescue (NHCFR) has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the rigorous criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. NHCFR is now among approximately 300 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. across the world.
“It has been 25 years since our fire department began and 12 years since the county consolidated from a volunteer fire department into a full-time, county-run Fire Rescue Department dedicated to serving citizens in the unincorporated parts of the county,” said County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield Jr., who spoke in support of NHCFR as part of the accreditation presentation in Denver on Tuesday. “A moment like this is incredibly important and a great accomplishment, because it further showcases just how far our Fire Rescue team has come and their true dedication to make lives safer in New Hanover County.”
CFAI works with fire and emergency service agencies across the globe to achieve excellence through self-assessment and accreditation, helping provide continuous improvement and the enhancement of service. The CFAI process is voluntary and provides an agency with an improvement model to assess how they operate. Departments seeking accreditation then work with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment and take action to make enhancements in service when necessary. Accreditation status is valid for five years.
“This moment is a credit to the men and women who make up our department and their tireless efforts to serve the New Hanover County community,” said Fire Rescue Chief Donnie Hall. “Our goal as a department is to always provide the highest level of service possible, and we accomplish that by continually training and learning. I am grateful for the support of the Board of Commissioners and county management to help ensure our department is equipped and ready to respond, and I feel so proud to work alongside this dedicated team. Becoming accredited has been a more than three-year process, but our team has really excelled, and our community should feel safe knowing New Hanover County Fire Rescue is here and ready to respond. I couldn’t be prouder of the work we do on a daily basis.”
This is the first time NHCFR has pursued and earned CFAI Accreditation. NHCFR also earned Class 2 fire status in 2021, based on their continuous improvements in fire and emergency services to the community.
To learn more about accreditation, visit the Center for Public Safety Excellence here.