Today, Toronto Fire Services was awarded accredited agency status from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). After receiving the unanimous consent of the Commission, the City of Toronto is now the largest city with an accredited fire service in North America.
This international accreditation validates the City’s dedication to providing residents, visitors and businesses with industry-leading fire protection services. CFAI accreditation is third-party confirmation of Toronto Fire Services’ commitment to continuously monitor performance, evaluate results against best practices, and deliver fire protection services that meet the needs of Toronto.
The CFAI accreditation program provides a framework for fire services to set goals, develop evidence-based strategic action plans and improve fire protection services.
The multi-year journey to accreditation involved an in-depth review of every aspect of Toronto Fire Services operations, which were evaluated against 256 key performance indicators and international best practices. This included a detailed self-assessment, a comprehensive peer review by a panel of external experts and formal verification by an 11-member commission, representing a cross-section of fire protection experts from across North America.
Toronto Fire Services’ accredited agency status is valid for five years.
Quotes:
“I am extremely proud of the women and men who make the Toronto Fire Services an exceptional organization. It is as a direct result of their hard work and tireless effort that the City of Toronto has achieved this laudable goal.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Today’s announcement comes after more than three years of focused effort and contributions from all of our departments and stakeholders. To be clear, achieving accredited agency status is not an end result for Toronto Fire Services, but rather a validation of our commitment to continuous improvement. Through ongoing performance management and evaluation, Toronto Fire Services is well positioned for the future.”
– Matthew Pegg, Fire Chief & General Manager, Toronto Fire Services
Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.