City of Savannah: Official News, Events & Community Updates
- Members recognized at the Center for Public Safety Excellence Summer Hearing in Chicago.
- The Savannah Fire Department ranks among the top 1% nationwide and holds ISO 1 classification.
- Savannah Fire Department is one of four Georgia agencies achieving both ISO 1 and national accreditation.
- Chief Derik Minard said the recognition reflects commitment to highest-quality service and proactive planning for future improvements.
- The accreditation process engaged leaders, firefighters, city partners, and community, advancing continuous improvement, accountability, and national best practices.
City of Savannah Congratulates Savannah Fire Department on ‘Top 1%’ International Reaccreditation Status Award
SAVANNAH, Ga. (Oct. 7, 2026) – The Savannah Fire Department has received accredited agency status for the third time by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation model for fire and emergency service agencies.
Members of Savannah Fire Department were recognized at the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Summer Hearing in Chicago, Illinois, in August. SFD is among the top 1% of fire departments nationwide to obtain Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) accreditation as well as Insurance Service Office (ISO) 1 classification. Additionally, SFD is one of four agencies in Georgia to obtain both the classification and the accreditation.
“This special recognition demonstrates the commitment of our agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community,” said Savannah Fire Chief Derik Minard. “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 on the quality of services we provide, ensuring our commitment to setting the standard for fire service excellence.”
The Savannah Fire Department’s accreditation process represented a significant department-wide commitment to continuous improvement, accountability, and excellence in service delivery. Over the course of the process, department leadership and personnel worked collaboratively to evaluate operations, identify opportunities for improvement, establish measurable performance standards, and align the organization with national best practices. The process involved participation from fire administration, division and battalion leadership, company officers, firefighters, and key city partners and community members.
Through this collaborative effort, the Savannah Fire Department demonstrated its commitment to providing an effective, efficient, and continuously improving level of service to the Savannah community. Accreditation serves not only as recognition of the department’s accomplishments, but also a framework for maintaining accountability and pursuing ongoing organizational improvement.
###
ABOUT COMMISSION ON FIRE ACCREDITATION INTERNATIONAL
CFAI is dedicated to assisting 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.
Read the full announcement on the official site
