DEPARTMENT: SAFD
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Charles N. Hood
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
The San Antonio Fire Department will be presenting on the completed Self Assessment for the Fire Department.
SUMMARY:
The San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) has begun the process to achieve organizational accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. In this process, the department is required to compile several documents that require the Department to brief the authority having jurisdiction, which in this case would be the City Council. This briefing to the Public Safety Committee is part of that process.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The SAFD has been working through the accreditation process since December of 2015. The goals of the accreditation process are to increase organizational involvement, continuous improvement, conduct a realistic self assessment, and gather data to guide decision making. Completion of the accreditation process will be another tool that Council can use to assure the citizens that the Fire Department is providing the level of service expected. After several years of compiling information, organizing processes, and analyzing data, the Department is ready to present information on the Department’s self assessment to the Public Safety Committee.
The accreditation process requires the Department to perform a detailed self assessment. This assessment contains 252 criterion, with 88 of those criterion being considered core competency. The self assessment looks at all Divisions in the Fire Department and requires detailed writing to the criterion, as well as backing documentation showing competency.
These documents, coupled with the Community Risk Assessment/Standards of Cover document and the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan, will be used by the Fire Department in future decision making and budgetary requests. By utilizing this level of analysis, the Department can pursue the goal of continuous improvement and information based decision making.
In 2017, The San Antonio Fire Department attained an ISO Class 1 rating. In the United States over 48,000 Departments are rated with approximately 300 being classified as Class 1. Currently, there are only 70 agencies that are accredited with a Class 1 ISO rating. Accreditation coupled with our current Class 1 rating, would place the San Antonio Fire Department in a very elite category.
ISSUE:
It is the desire of the San Antonio Fire Department, to brief the Committee on the status of the Department in the accreditation process and to provide examples and explanation of the self assessment process.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Council has the option not to approve these documents.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no additional expenditures for these actions.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Fire Department staff seeks to brief the Committee of these self assessment documents. This action will allow the Fire Department to continue in its pursuit of international accreditation.