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Bozeman Fire Department earns accreditation from national public-safety body
Summary
The Bozeman Fire Department told the City Commission April 15 that it has earned accredited status through the Centers for Public Safety Excellence after a multiyear, data‑driven self‑assessment and peer review. City leaders said the designation validates the department’s practices in response, training and planning.
The Bozeman Fire Department announced on April 15 that it has earned accredited status through the Centers for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), a national peer‑review accreditation program for fire and emergency services.
Chief Josh Waldo and accreditation manager James Short described the multiyear, data‑driven review as a comprehensive evaluation of the department’s response performance, planning, training, prevention and leadership. Short said the external peer assessment team validated the department’s findings after spending a week in Bozeman and reviewing the department’s community risk assessment and standards of cover.
Short told the commission the accreditation "is earned through hard work and dedication" and that the process required a top‑to‑bottom review of operations. Chief Waldo said the accreditation aligns with the city’s strategic plan and thanked multiple city departments — finance, human resources, information technology, water, emergency services and the local firefighters union — for their support.
Short said the accreditation provides a formal roadmap for continuous improvement and allows leadership to make evidence‑based decisions about staffing, training and resource deployment. He told the commission the designation "is a promise" to the community that decisions around response times and resource allocation are grounded in data and national best practices.
Mayor Terry Cunningham and the city manager praised the department for the accomplishment and for cross‑department collaboration. Commissioners noted the accreditation positions the department to respond to Bozeman’s growth and to maintain accountability and transparency.
Ending — The commission presented the department with a plaque and signaled ongoing support for implementing recommendations that arise from the accreditation process; no formal vote or fiscal action accompanied the presentation.
