Beverly Hills Fire Department Earns International Reaccreditation

The Beverly Hills Fire Department has earned international reaccreditation following a review of its operations and service delivery, renewing a distinction first awarded in 2021 as the department pursues improvements in training, workforce development and community health.

The city announced the recognition September 3, reporting that BHFD is one of 334 agencies accredited through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International and the Center for Public Safety Excellence. According to the announcement, it is also one of four accredited agencies in Los Angeles County and one of 127 agencies holding both accreditation and an ISO Class 1 rating.

Fire Chief Greg Barton credited department personnel for the achievement.

"Our accreditation is a tremendous achievement and a reflection of the dedication of the men and women of the Beverly Hills Fire Department."

The voluntary accreditation process examines how a department understands its community's risks, measures its performance and addresses areas needing improvement. Agencies prepare a self-assessment, a community risk assessment and deployment analysis, and a strategic plan informed by community input.

Trained peer assessors review those documents and conduct an on-site visit to verify the department's findings. Their report then goes before the accreditation commission at a public hearing. Accredited departments must submit annual compliance reports and undergo a new peer review every five years.

Response times are part of that examination, but the assessment also considers the risks a department faces, the resources available to address them and the outcomes of emergency responses. The process requires agencies to identify gaps and develop plans to improve performance.

BHFD's accreditation history provides examples of how that review translates into operational changes. Department records identify October 13, 2021, as the date of its original accreditation. Recommendations from that initial review included improving response-data reporting, tracking progress toward department goals, strengthening continuity planning and expanding personnel health evaluations.

In its compliance report covering 2024, BHFD reported that a new station alerting system was in service and that it was using FirstWatch software to analyze call-handling performance. The department also reported distributing response metrics monthly to identify performance gaps and tracking progress on its strategic objectives.

The department's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan sets out the next phase of that work. Developed with community and employee participation, it identifies four broad priorities: building a skilled and resilient workforce, improving organizational efficiency and employee engagement, strengthening community health and preparedness, and expanding training.

The training goal calls for greater opportunities for career development, operational readiness and personnel safety. The workforce and organizational goals focus on employees' capabilities and the department's ability to serve the community effectively.

The plan places detailed objectives, assignments and timelines in a separate management and implementation guide. Its published goals establish the department's direction for the five-year period; they describe work to pursue rather than improvements already completed.

BHFD also holds an ISO Class 1 rating, the highest classification in that separate evaluation system. ISO's fire protection review examines the fire department, emergency communications, water supply and community risk reduction. The two credentials assess different aspects of fire service: ISO evaluates community fire protection capabilities, while accreditation examines the agency's broader performance and improvement process.

For a department operating three stations and responding to more than 8,600 incidents annually, according to the city, reaccreditation renews an ongoing obligation to document performance, report progress and prepare for its next review.