West Fargo commission adopts fire department community risk assessment for accreditation process

The West Fargo City Commission on Jan. 20 adopted the Fire Department’s Community Risk Assessment (CRA) and Standards of Cover as part of the department’s accreditation materials.

Fire Chief Dan Fuller told the commission the CRA, Standards of Cover and a self-assessment manual together form the department’s accreditation package. Fuller said the combined documentation addresses department capabilities, deployment, baseline performance and benchmark response-time measures across planning zones, and that the materials support a five‑year continuous improvement cycle tied to accreditation.

Fuller described the documents as a comprehensive accounting of the department’s operations and constraints — covering risk analysis, response-time goals and recommendations for future station locations and staffing. He said there is no immediate financial impact to adopting the documents and that the department will submit the materials as its accreditation application.

Commissioners asked about mutual aid arrangements, drive-time targets and station siting. Fuller described existing mutual aid protocols with Fargo and Southern Valley (Horace) and said the department uses a four‑minute drive-time planning goal to meet baseline response targets of approximately five minutes for medical calls and 5 minutes, 20 seconds for fire calls. Fuller and commissioners discussed potential future station sites and the city’s growth patterns when weighing long-term facility investments and funding constraints.

Commissioner motioned to adopt the documents; the motion carried by unanimous voice vote.

The adopted CRA/Standards of Cover will be used to support West Fargo Fire Department accreditation and to guide future facility, staffing and strategic planning conversations.