IAS-CPSE Fire Prevention Department Technical Advisory Council Meets at 2012 Excellence Conference

Left to right, Ronny J. Coleman, CSPE Chairman Emeritus; Martin King, West Allis Fire Department, West Allis, Wisconsin; and Bruce Johnson, International Code Council Director of National Fire Service Activities.   A meeting of the International Accreditation Service/Center for Public Safety Excellence Technical Advisory Council (TAC) - Fire Prevention Departments was held on Wednesday March 7, 2012 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Held in conjunction with the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s (CPSE) 2012 Excellence Conference, the TAC meeting was chaired by Ronny J. Coleman, CSPE Chairman Emeritus. The TAC was formed in 2010 and developed IAS Accreditation Criteria AC426 as the basis for assessing fire prevention and life safety departments against performance indicators in ten primary categories including governance and administration, risk assessment, goals and objectives, finance, program activity, physical resources, human resources, training and competency, essential resources and external systems relations. During development of the criteria, the TAC focused on creating common synergies between AC426 and CPSE’s Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) program. During the March 2012 meeting, the TAC discussed the progress of the alpha and beta clients’ applications, training materials for applicant departments to be developed by CPSE, and outreach efforts. TAC members provided IAS with guidance on potential application and evaluation process improvements. The Florida Division of State Fire Marshal Bureau of Fire Prevention, the alpha client, was the first department in the nation to achieve Fire Prevention and Life Safety Department Accreditation from IAS. Other TAC members in attendance were Martin King, West Allis Fire Department, West Allis, WI, Alan Perdue, Guilford County Emergency Services, Greensboro, NC, Casia Sinco, Florida Division of the State Fire Marshal, Tallahassee, FL, and Preet Bassi, IAS Program Manager. Randy Bruegman, CPSE President, Paul Brooks, CPSE Executive Director, Bruce Johnson, International Code Council Director of National Fire Service Activities, and Pat McCullen, IAS Vice President and Chief Technical Officer were invited to participate as guests.