The Skokie Fire Department currently does not have a permanent fire chief, but it continues to have the highest stamp of approval from an international accreditation organization.
According to village officials, Skokie is one of about 240 agencies worldwide to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International – a voluntary evaluation agency – and the Center for Public Safety.
The fire department was presented with the reaccreditation award Sept. 18 at a Skokie Village Board meeting. By that time, fire Chief Jim Walters had left the department to accept a job as head of the Schaumburg Fire Department.
“Achieving Accredited Agency status helps the Skokie Fire Department determine the risk and safety needs of the community,” said acting fire Chief Ken Borre. “We use this process internally to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the Skokie Fire Department. This self-assessment tool works well for our department in achieving continuous organization improvement with industry best practices.”
The re-accreditation comes only a year after the same department once again achieved the highest rating, a “Class 1,” from the Insurance Services Office Inc. after a thorough evaluation.
In announcing Skokie’s reaccreditation, Derek Bergsten, vice-chair of the credentialing committee for the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and fire chief in Rockford, said the department’s achievement is no small accomplishment.
Bergsten called the accreditation process “a comprehensive, self-assessment quality improvement model” that allows departments to examine the past and prepare better for the future.
“The growth and improvement in the department from the original Lincoln Avenue station to its current three stations — over 120 sworn employees — is certainly noteworthy,” he said.
The Skokie Fire Department was first accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International in 2001 and achieved its first Class 1 rating from the Insurance Service Office in 1995, village officials said.
“We are the best of the best,” said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen.
The mayor said Skokie was one of the first municipalities in the country to have its police, fire and public works departments fully accredited.
“That is really to the credit of the men and women who serve us day in and day out, who keep us safe and keep us secure,” he said.
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