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| The 42nd Air Base Wing's fire department earned a recommendation for becoming an accredited institution through the Commission on Fire Accreditation on Maxwell Air Force Base, Jan. 9, 2015. Culminating a four-year process, Maxwell will be the first base in Air Education and Training Command to become certified after their recommendation goes before the accrediting agency board on March 18, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman William Blankenship/Cleared) |
1/20/2015 -
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The 42nd
Air Base Wing's fire department earned a recommendation for becoming an
accredited institution through the Commission on Fire Accreditation
International after their four-day inspection concluded on Maxwell Air Force
Base, Jan. 9, 2015.
In February
2011, the Air Force Civil Engineer Fire Panel voted for all Air Force fire
departments to be accredited within five years. Maxwell is poised to be the
first Air Education and Training Command base to get certified and only the
sixth in the Air Force.
"This
is a huge accomplishment for our fire department," said Col. Michael
Borgert, commander of the 42nd Mission Support Group. "Accreditation tells
the community that their fire department meets an internationally recognized
benchmark system measuring the quality of fire and emergency services. Our
firefighters put a significant amount of effort into meeting accreditation
standards, and this recommendation shows that they're ready. We look forward to
celebrating the board's approval in March."
The
accreditation is valid for five years and is renewed or maintained by
submitting required documents annually to the CFAI for assessment and
re-approval.
"We
started preparing for this in March of 2011," said Tech. Sgt. Mitchell
Robinson, base firefighter. "We had to register to be an accredited
agency. About a year later, we completed a few of the preparation phases and
our three-year clock started for us to get all of our paperwork and processes
in line."
Being the
first base in AETC is something that Robinson said was important to him and the
entire team.
"Our
motivation and drive got us here," he said. "This is definitely the
biggest thing that I have been a part of during my time in the Air Force. I
will look back one day and feel pretty good about what we accomplished here. We
just have to finish out strong and not let up.
"The
fire house has eight inbound Airmen who will be walking into a newly honored
institution with lofty expectations," said Robinson.
"It
makes people feel good and have pride in their department," he said.
"There are only 270 accredited fire houses in the U.S., and we will be the
sixth in the Air Force. That is a big deal for a new guy to walk into. They
will get trained right and be a part of a winning team."
The
commission's recommendation will go before the accrediting agency board on
March 18, 2015. The board will determine if they will grant the fire department
their final approval to complete the accreditation process.
by Senior
Airman William J. Blankenship
42nd Air Base
Wing Public Affairs
