Senate Resolution 6

(As Adopted by Senate)

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI, FIRE AND RESCUE (CFR) AS THE FIRST UNIT IN THE STATE TO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION STATUS.

WHEREAS, Columbus Fire and Rescue in Columbus, Mississippi, has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI's Voluntary Self-Assessment and Accreditation Program. Columbus Fire and Rescue is one of less than 200 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE); and

WHEREAS, Columbus Fire and Rescue (CFR) is the first department in the State of Mississippi to achieve this honor. It is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of its staff and members, city administration, and high level of command support. This puts CFR in the top 1% of all fire departments in the country to prove capabilities and willingness to strive for continual improvement; and

WHEREAS, CFAI is dedicated to assisting the fire and emergency service agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation in order to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities. The CFAI process is voluntary, and provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally and then works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment; and

WHEREAS, Fire Chief Kenneth Moore stated that the agency's achievement of Accredited Agency Status demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community. Chief Moore also said, "We have also been able to use the Commission on Fire Accreditation International's process as a proactive mechanism to plan for the future of this agency and locate areas where we can improve the quality of the services we provided"; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Robert E. Smith, Sr., made the following statement regarding Columbus Fire and Rescue's achievement, "It is an outstanding accomplishment for Columbus Fire and Rescue, and the City of Columbus, which are dedicated to providing the best public safety to the citizens, and it is with pride that we join the citizens of Columbus in honoring these first responders who continue to respond and provide public safety to the citizens of the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize Columbus Fire and Rescue (CFR) as the first unit in the state to receive international accreditation status and extend our congratulations on this accomplishment.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the Columbus Fire and Rescue Unit, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Columbus and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.