The Dubuque Fire Department has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. The announcement follows a thorough, five-year process including document review and onsite assessment. The Dubuque Fire Department is now one of fewer than 300 fire departments in the world and just five other departments in Iowa to be accredited. This accreditation is a voluntary process and provides an agency/department with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally and then works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment. It shows the community that the Dubuque Fire Department continually self-assesses, looks for opportunities for improvement, and is transparent and accountable through third-party verification and validation.