Columbus Fire and Rescue takes next steps in renewing international accreditation

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus Fire and Rescue is one step closer to re-accreditation.

A peer team has been embedded with the department for the past week, getting a top-down look at procedures, observing response to scenes, and looking into the department’s relationship with other emergency agencies, city departments, and utilities.

The team also put together a list of recommendations of areas that C F R needs to address before it can be re-accredited.

Chief Duane Hughes will take that list before the Mayor and City Council, so the department can get the resources it needs to address them.

The Chief says the review process is thorough, but helpful in making his department better.

“The importance of accreditation is, number one, the vast quality of improvement of services that we have for the citizens of Columbus. It ensures the safety of our firefighters, and it also forces us to constantly look within to see if we can make improvements on those things we do. With that outside peer team coming in, we also get introduced to other avenues and opportunities that just here in the city we would not be aware of, but they’re happening in other parts of the country.”

The department’s next step will be to go before the Center For Public Safety Excellence Commission at its annual meeting in Atlanta.

Columbus Fire and Rescue is one of only 2 internationally accredited Fire Departments in Mississippi.