NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 9, 1999

CARY FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES
NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary’s Fire Department has become only the second department in North Carolina to receive national accreditation. The announcement was made last week in Kansas City at the annual meeting of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. Cary is now one of a select few towns in the nation to have nationally accredited fire, police, and EMS services.

"We are extremely proud of this achievement," said Cary Fire Chief Wayne House. "National accreditation provides assurance to our citizens and our peers that our organization has defined missions and objectives along with the commitment to meet or exceed our goals."

The official climb to the top began on June 1^st when representatives of National Fire Service Accreditation Program (NFSAP) arrived in Cary to begin their comprehensive examination of the Town’s Fire Department. During their four-day stay, the team visited all Cary fire facilities and interviewed fire personnel. Since emergency fire calls are dispatched from Cary’s 9-1-1 Center, the team also visited that facility, located in Cary’s Police Department.

While in Cary, the NFSAP team evaluated every aspect of Cary’s fire program including: governance and administration, assessment and planning, goals and objectives, financial resources, programs, physical resources, human resources, training and competency, essential resources, and external systems relationships. The accreditation team included Chief Gerald Grover of Cherry Hill, NJ, Chief John Moser of Kingsport, TN, and Accreditation Manager Jeff Clark of Chandler, AZ.

This was the first time the Cary Fire Department sought accreditation. Cary joins Greensboro as the only departments currently accredited out of approximately 1400 fire departments in the state.

"National accreditation affirms the years of work and intense commitment given by the Town to public safety," said Town Manager Bill Coleman. "It’s very rewarding to have independent confirmation that Cary provides the highest level of fire service possible to the community."

Cary spent about $6,000 to voluntarily seek national accreditation. An additional $800 per year will be needed to maintain accredited status.

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