Carmel Fire Department awarded International Accreditation status for
3rd time
CARMEL, IN - The Carmel Fire Department (CFD) 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 for a third time. The lengthy process consists of industry best practices and standards and assists CFD in developing programs for continuous improvement.
“I’m very proud of all members of the Carmel Fire Department for achieving accreditation for the third time,” said Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam. “Their dedication, commitment and caring results in providing the highest level of service possible to our community.”
The CFD is one of only 326 agencies to achieve accredited agency status globally and one of only four in the state of Indiana. CFD was accredited by CFAI after initially being accredited in August of 2013, then re-accredited in March of 2019.
 Pictured first row: Denise Snyder, Accreditation Budget Administrator. Second row (left to right): Accreditation Assistant Retired Chief Gary Dufek; Planning Chief Joel Heavner; Deputy Chief Jason Wendzel; Deputy Chief Lucas Ray; Mayor Sue Finkam; Fire Chief David Haboush; CFAI Commission Chairman Steve Dirksen; Peer Team Leader Neil Rosenberger. Third row: President Carmel Professional Firefighters J.C. Mitchell, Captain Mark Gugel.
The CFD submitted documents for reaccreditation in August of 2023. Upon submission, a peer team consisting of four individual members of the fire service from across the country was assigned to review. Additionally, on December 3 - 7, 2023, the peer team visited Carmel to verify and validate the information submitted was indeed proven to be accurate. During the four-day visit, the peer team members conducted 28 interviews including meeting with outgoing Mayor Jim Brainard, then Mayor-elect Sue Finkam, Hamilton County Public Safety Communications, Carmel Controller, Carmel Utilities, Carmel Information Systems and one of CFD’s mutual aid partners.
"The process of accreditation requires a joint effort, and our department takes immense pride in accomplishing it," stated Chief David Haboush of CFD. "CFD is dedicated to collaborating with the community to ensure a safe and pleasant environment for residents, employees, and visitors of our city."
The CFAI is dedicated to assisting the fire and emergency service agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities. The CFAI process 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 verify and validate their completed self-assessment.
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About the City of Carmel, Indiana
The City of Carmel is a thriving suburban community in Central Indiana, and is ranked one of the most livable mid-size U.S. cities. Known nationwide for pioneering urban design, Carmel has received numerous awards for its community amenities, quality of life, business environment and excellent schools, and continues to build community for those who live, work, play and visit the city. For more information, visit www.carmel.in.gov.
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