Accreditation

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services was first accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) in September 1999. The Department completed the re-accreditation process in 2005, becoming the first agency in Maryland to complete the process twice. Howard County is one of only 105 agencies in the world that are accredited by CFAI.

The accreditation process begins with an extensive self-assessment of all aspects of the agency. A team of assessors from CFAI then visit and examine all of the fire and rescue functions. The evaluation process has ten categories: Governance and Administration, Assessment and Planning, Goals and Objectives, Finance Resources, Programs, Physical Resources, Human Resources, Training and Competency, Essential Resources, External Systems Relations. As well, there are 47 criteria and 255+ performance indicators. There are 108 performance indicators identified as "Core Competencies" that must be met.

Accreditation is valid for five years. Every year, documentation of continuing compliance and fees must be submitted to CFAI. In the fifth year, agencies can apply for re-accreditation.