Virginia Beach Fire Department Awarded International Reaccreditation Status

The Virginia Beach Fire Department (VBFD) earned Accredited Agency status from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for the sixth time. This recognition commemorates 25 years of continuous accreditation.

This achievement reflects VBFD’s longstanding commitment to professional excellence, accountability, continuous improvement, and delivering the highest quality of service to the Virginia Beach community. Accreditation is earned by meeting rigorous criteria established through CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program.

VBFD is among is one of only 334 agencies internationally to achieve Accredited Agency status through CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). The accreditation process provides a comprehensive framework for agencies to evaluate their service delivery and organizational performance, identify opportunities for improvement, establish measurable goals, and validate their progress through an independent peer-review process.

“The Fire Department’s achievement of Accredited Agency status demonstrates the commitment of our members to providing the highest quality of service to our community.”

Over the past 25 years, VBFD has achieved significant improvements identified and tracked through its strategic plans, self-assessment processes, and program appraisals, including:

• Improving emergency communications and response performance, including dispatch, station alerting, and response times.
• Strengthening deployment through data-driven analysis, improving coverage in Town Center, Burton Station, and the North End/Fort Story while aligning budget requests with projected growth and response needs.
• Modernizing apparatus and operational capabilities, including new engines, trucks, Fire Boat 2, and 24/7 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) response. 
• Expanding data-driven decision-making through real-time performance dashboards and GIS-based risk analysis that provide a clearer understanding of community needs and operational performance.
• Advancing firefighter health and wellness, including expanded cancer screening and behavioral health support initiatives.

These accomplishments did not happen because of accreditation alone. They happened because generations of VBFD members embraced a culture of continuous improvement.

They evaluated themselves honestly, identified challenges, developed solutions, measured performance, challenged the status quo, and refused to settle for simply meeting expectations.

Twenty-five years of continuous accreditation is more than a milestone. It is a reflection of a department that believes there is always a better way to serve its community—and of the men and women of VBFD who have dedicated themselves to finding it.

As we celebrate this achievement, we recognize the generations of members whose hard work, innovation, professionalism, and commitment have strengthened the Virginia Beach Fire Department and helped position it for an even stronger future.

For more information, contact DC Amy Valdez at avaldez@vbgov.com or call (757) 385-2022, or VBFD Public Information Officer, Barbara A. Morrison at vbfdpio@vbgov.com or call (757) 385-2877.

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.