The Wilmington Fire Department had its international accreditation renewed this March by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). It is a distinction earned by relatively few departments, according to a recent announcement from the WFD: currently there are 266 accredited departments in the world, and there are about 30,000 fire departments in the United States alone. The department first earned its CFAI accreditation five years ago. To maintain it, the department has submitted annual compliance reports that show that it is maintaining or improving on performances that were verified and validated during the original accreditation process, the news release stated. Departments also must be assessed by the CFAI every five years.