The Charlotte Fire Department is one of just a few in the country to hold both International Accreditation
and a Class 1 Rating from the Insurance Services Office.
International Accreditation:
In 2015, CFD received its fourth accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). In order to receive international accreditation, CFAI reviewed the department's assessment in 10 major categories and more than 258 performance indicators, ranging from response time, training, resource deployment, public education and more.
Departments seeking accreditation must also compile a strategic plan and risk-hazard assessment. The accreditation is valid for five years, which means departments must continuously review their processes and services to ensure they are providing the best, updated, professional fire service. Only 200 departments in the country hold this accreditation.
The year-long accreditation process involved dozens of CFD employees and thousands of hours of work, including data analysis, determining community needs and how CFD can best respond, and developing ways to continue improving over the next five years.
Class 1 PPC Rating:
In July 2015, the department achieved the highest rating possible for fire protection services when it received the Class 1 Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The Class 1 rating means business owners, residents and visitors to Charlotte can count on superior fire protection. It is also one of the factors used to determine fire insurance premiums for homeowners and businesses.
Out of 48,574 fire protection areas rated in the country, just 132 received the Class 1 rating. This means the Charlotte Fire Department ranks in the top two-tenths of one percent of all fire departments in the United States.
Click here to read more about CFD's Class 1 rating.
CFD By the Numbers:
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The Charlotte Fire Department operates out of 42 fire stations and provides fire protection for approximately 792,862 people living in a 300 square-mile area
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41 Engine Companies, 15 Ladder Companies
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1,154 full-time positions; of those, 1,027 (89 percent) are fire-suppression personnel
Special Operations:
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Two Heavy Rescue Companies
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Four Haz-Mat Companies
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Six Aircraft Fire & Rescue Vehicles
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Dive Rescue Team
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Three Urban Search And Rescue Teams
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One Fire Boat
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One Dive Rescue Boat
In the 2015 Fiscal Year (July 2014-July 2015), CFD:
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Responded to more than 110,710 incidents with an average response time of 4 minutes, 34 seconds
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Fire Communications Division answered nearly 178,000 calls
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Training Division accounted for more than 87,000 hours of training; the division also maintains approximately 15,000 certifications, including EMT, Haz-Mat Technician, Public Safety Diver and more
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Fire Prevention Bureau completed approximately 37,495 inspections and 5,813 building-plan reviews
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Fire Investigation Task Force responded to more than 670 incidents to determine origin and cause