Novato Fire District becomes Internationally Accredited

In August 2009, the Novato Fire District became the first internationally accredited fire agency in Marin County and the only the fifth accredited fire agency in California. The Fire District earned this honor from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

A worldwide measure of excellence, accreditation is an independent review process of 244 performance indicators that evaluate the Fire District emergency services, programs, personnel, administration, financial management and governance. Accreditation requires significant organizational review, monitoring, reporting and improvement planning.

Dr. Cortez Lawrence, the Superintendent of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Management Institute at the National Fire Academy in Maryland led the independent review team. Dr. Lawrence stated, “The Novato Fire Protection District is a very dynamic and progressive agency. The District has managed to keep pace with the population growth and service demand increases and at the same time added resources that not only serve the growth area but also provide improved in-depth emergency resources and related services to the community.”

As one of 129 internationally accredited fire agencies recognized for excellence, the communities of the Novato Fire District will receive enhanced benefits because accreditation:

• Demonstrates effectiveness and excellence to the community.
• Assures the community that the Fire District has a defined mission and objectives promoting a vision of a safe community.
• Promotes future excellence within the community through a continuous self-assessment process.
• Identifies strengths and weaknesses in the organization and defines plans for improvement.
• Provides a forum for communicating organizational priorities to the community.
• Creates the opportunity to be re-assessed by the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) which has the potential to reduce property insurance rates for community property owners.

The Novato Fire District strives to balance fiscal responsibility with the operational and social needs of the District and its communities. The District plays a pivotal role in its representation of this responsibility through daily interactions with the public. The community's goal of living in a safe city is the vision of the District strategic plan.

CFAI Accreditation Report