By Nick Taylor
mlive.com
FLINT, Mich. – The Flint Fire Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), meeting the nation’s highest standards for EMS services.
City officials announced the department had received the accreditation on Monday, Nov. 2 , during a press conference at the Joe Davis Jr. Fire Department Headquarters in Flint.
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“This CAAS accreditation is no small feat,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said. “This is the gold standard.”
Neeley was joined by Flint Fire Chief Theron Wiggins, City Council President Candace Mushatt and Jim Cooper of L&C EMC Consulting LLC.
Cooper is the fire department’s EMS coordinator and helped the department through the accreditation process.
“For the community this means that every time you call 911 you will receive world-class care from a great EMS service and also from great EMTs,” Cooper said.
The accreditation is reserved for ambulance services meeting nationally recognized patient care, operational performance, safety and accountability standards, city officials said in a news release.
The department joins approximately 25 to 30 departments in the United States with active CAAS accreditation.
“We know we’ve done the great work here inside the city of Flint, but now the nation knows it,” Neeley said. “For us to achieve this goal is a marvelous feat upon itself.”
The milestone comes about two years after the city relaunched its ambulance services following a more than 20-year hiatus.
“As you all know, I have been very supportive of our fire department, the men and women that put their lives on the line daily to do the work that they’re doing,” Mushatt said. “This just shows that Flint is progressing and our safety we can count on from our fire department.”
The city has four ambulance rigs, three of which are in active rotation and are used to respond to calls with the city’s firefighters.
“With the new technology, the new resources, we’re saving lives each and every day,” Neeley said.
The achievement also comes approximately two years after the Genesee County Medical Control Authority ordered the department to seek the accreditation, Wiggins said.
“I thank God that we are now accredited for the city of Flint , and this accreditation means a whole lot,” Wiggins said. “I am so happy that our fire department is the number one fire department in Genesee county that has this accreditation.”
The accreditation process included a full review of the department to ensure it met CAAS accreditation standards.
CAAS also sent EMS experts to meet with the department and to ensure real-time compliance with accreditation standards.
“There were many different departments that were able to help us out,” Cooper said.
Neeley praised Wiggins during Monday’s press conference, referring to the department’s work passing out smoke detectors to residents and supporting fire prevention activities.
“Under his great leadership he has taken us to a great place,” Neeley said.
Additionally, Neeley highlighted the recent growth of the Flint Fire Department, and he encouraged anyone interested in a career as a firefighter to apply for a position with the department.
“Our firefighting force stands one third greater than we had in the past,” he said. “This is where we want to be, and we’re going to continue to grow with all these new hard-working men and women of our Flint Fire Department .”
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