Each March, luminaries around the fire service descend upon Orlando for the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s (CPSE) annual Excellence Conference (EC). The cast is typically a star-studded who’s who of executives and academics, and most topics are designed to stretch the imagination and comfort zones of their attendees. However, the real value is derived from the more intimate nature of the event. The Caribe Royale resort (host for four of the last six years) provides welcoming spaces for the attendees to gather, further explore presentation topics, and nurture meaningful relationships. For these reasons, the EC is my favorite event of the year. Last week’s 2023 EC was the first time I had been honored with the opportunity to present, once by myself and the other with my good friend, Alan Butsch. I covered the basics (and a few wrinkles) regarding calculating response times charts. Alan and I updated our presentation from last year’s Fire-Rescue International on strategic planning and program implementation. Neither presentation was exactly cutting-edge, but they both played to crowds nearing 300 people.

On some level, I felt a little embarrassed as I attended other lectures that went into far more detail or explored exciting new approaches to the topics we had discussed. However, as the week went on, the questions and conversations regarding our presentations continued to grow. I found myself returning to when I was new to the accreditation process and drinking from the proverbial fire hose, just wanting someone to give me a purchase point, to tell me where to take the first bite of this gigantic elephant. This revelation transformed that embarrassment into a source of pride as we watched our peers’ stress transform into excitement.

As I mulled over the events and conversations of the past week on my flight home, it occurred that we might be able to provide a similar service to a larger audience over a longer period of time through blogging about my department’s (Indianapolis Fire Department) current re-accreditation process. Not only may that effort provide helpful information for other organizations, but we will also likely benefit from the critique and insights of our peers. So, for the next 18 months, I plan to talk through our actions and thought processes as we update our community risk assessment (CRA), standards of cover, strategic plan, and self-assessment manual. These conversations, in the near term, will include additional research on conducting CRAs from both accredited and non-accredited agencies, experts in the field, and other public safety entities. Hopefully, we can generate valuable insights and conversations for all who come across this series for years to come.