The Naval Station Newport Fire Department was recently accredited by the
Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for their superior performance as a military fire and emergency services station.

It is the first fire department in the state of Rhode Island and the first in Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic outside of Norfolk to receive this accreditation.

"The whole purpose of having this accreditation is to validate what we do here as a station," said Tim Kerrigan, fire chief, Naval Station Newport Fire Department. "The process for getting this accreditation is very in-depth. It covers everything from administration to training to everyday operations at the station."

As part of the Center for Public Safety Excellence, CFAI did a formal process of assessment and audit of the fire department's management system to verify its conformance to the specifications of an international standard.

"The accreditation formalizes and validates everything we do in an objective manner," said fire Lt. Brian Hall, assistant regional accreditation manager, Naval Station Newport Fire Department. "It's also an ongoing process, not just a one-and-done accreditation. We're already working on next year's plans for when we go to re-certify our accreditation."

The benefits of the certification are to ensure the department can set goals, craft strategic and action plans, and continuously evaluate and improve services provided to the public. The CFAI's comprehensive self-assessment process promotes excellence and encourages quality improvement by enabling fire and emergency medical services.

"On the operational side, it's exponentially increased our capabilities as a department to handle any incidents we respond to," said Hall.

During the certification process, a peer assessment team made up of four fire chiefs came to the department to go through all the documentation and processes Naval Station Newport Fire Department has on file. If any discrepancies were discovered, they were fixed on the spot when possible.

"There are 264 different criteria we have to answer in three parts," said fire Capt. Ethan Scott, regional accreditation manager, Naval Station Newport Fire Department. "After having gone through each one of those criteria, everyone is now more aware of why and how we do things around here. The whole process is a self-realization and a better understanding of why and how things work."

The purpose behind the department getting the accreditation was not only to comply with the DOD instruction that mandates they get the accreditation, it also gives the fire department's team ownership to the process.

"Everyone gets a piece of the pie," said Kerrigan. "It allows the guys to learn even more about how the organization works. It also works as a learning tool that allows them to learn about the history of the station, how different areas work, and anything else they may not have normally learned on their own time."

Naval Station Newport's Fire Department provides fire, advanced life support, emergency medical services and hazardous materials responses as well as non-emergency support services to the Newport Navy complex. The department is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to emergencies both on and off the installation through reciprocal mutual aid agreements with the surrounding community. Fire department resources also include a fire inspection staff that is responsible for fire prevention, fire inspection, code and regulatory compliance, construction plans reviews and public fire education.

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