Sumter County Fire and Emergency Medical Services has once again achieved Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program.
The local agency is one of more than 300 to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence Inc.
SCFEMS completed the most recent self-assessment process in 2021 and hosted a peer assessment team in January. This process of assessment, validation and verification culminated in a unanimous re-accreditation on March 22 at the Center for Public Safety Excellence Conference in Orlando.
Fire Chief Rob Hanson said his agency’s accreditation “demonstrates the commitment of the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community. 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 services we provide.”
Commissioner Craig A. Estep said, “The citizens of Sumter County are well served by our seasoned firefighters in Sumter County Fire and EMS. Their professional performance, adaptability, and continued quest for improvement has led to this accreditation.”
Hanson said the accredited status is contingent upon continuous improvement as reported annually. “We will seek re-accreditation again in March of 2027,” he said. “In the meantime, we will be working towards the completion of the specific and strategic recommendation included in the report, while continuously pursuing outcome improvement on behalf and for our citizens and visitors.”