The Commission on Fire Accreditation International Inc. recently unveiled a new name. Following months of market analysis and board action, the corporation now will be known as the Center for Public Safety Excellence Inc.

The organization initially was formed to provide a framework for transforming fire departments from tactical to strategic entities. Using a self-assessment process, an agency develops a five-year strategic plan along with identifying and quantifying the response coverage that it will provide for emergency response.

The corporation oversaw two separate commissions, the Commission on Fire Accreditation and the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. The CFAI uses the plans to then award an “accredited agency status” on fire departments that successfully make the transition. The CFOD used a similar process to provide for individual strategic career planning.

“People had a hard time understanding that the commission was not just a commission but was also a corporation with the same name,” said Chief Randy Bruegman, president of the board of directors. “It often overshadowed other programs with which we were working.”

The name of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International will remain the same. The Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation name will be changed to the Commission on Professional Credentialing, and one of its functions will be the Chief Fire Officer Designation. A memorandum of understanding has been developed for credentialing Geographic Information Systems technicians between the CPSE and the IAFC, the International City/County Management Association and ESRI software.

Each commission of the CPSE has a board made up of individuals nominated from agencies that contribute to professional fire service, including the IAFC, ICMA, National Fire Protection Association, Insurance Standards Organization, International Association of Fire Fighters, Canadian Fire Chiefs and the Department of Defense.