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Benefits of Accreditation for Fire Departments: The Obvious and Not So Obvious

December 4th, 9:30am MST

Hosted By

Darrell Reid

Being a fire chief means more than managing resources—it means leading people through constant challenges. Tight budgets, rising call volumes, and the weight of community expectations can strain even the strongest teams.

You've heard accreditation builds credibility. That it proves excellence to the public and elected officials.

True. But that's table stakes.

The real question: Does accreditation actually help you run your department better, or is it just expensive paperwork? What are some benefits of accreditation that aren’t spoken about as often?

Join Darrell Reid for a webinar on what accreditation does for your fire department.

You've heard accreditation builds credibility. That it proves excellence to the public and elected officials.

True. But that's table stakes.

The real question: Does accreditation actually help you run your department better, or is it just expensive paperwork? What are some benefits of accreditation that aren’t spoken about as often?

Join Darrell Reid for a webinar on what accreditation does for your fire department.

You've heard accreditation builds credibility. That it proves excellence to the public and elected officials.

True. But that's table stakes.

The real question: Does accreditation actually help you run your department better, or is it just expensive paperwork? What are some benefits of accreditation that aren’t spoken about as often?

Join Darrell Reid for a webinar on what accreditation does for your fire department.

We'll talk about the operational benefits most chiefs overlook:

How it turns your strategic plan into something your crews actually use. Not a binder that sits on a shelf, but a framework that guides daily decisions at the station level.

Why it wins budget battles. When the council asks "why do you need three more firefighters?", accredited departments answer with data, not gut feelings.

How it builds future leaders without expensive programs. Your captains and lieutenants learn to think strategically by participating in the process. They're ready to lead before you promote them.

Why union relations improve. Labor and management work toward shared, measurable goals instead of fighting over vague complaints. Everyone knows what success looks like.

We'll also talk about what accreditation can't fix (spoiler: it won't solve staffing shortages or give you a bigger budget by itself). And we'll cover what the process actually requires, so you can decide if it's right for your department.


Who Should Attend

Fire chiefs and deputies considering accreditation, reaccreditation, or wondering if the effort was worth it.

What You'll Walk Away With

Three specific ways accreditation changes daily operations, and a realistic timeline for what the process actually takes.



We'll talk about the operational benefits most chiefs overlook:

How it turns your strategic plan into something your crews actually use. Not a binder that sits on a shelf, but a framework that guides daily decisions at the station level.

Why it wins budget battles. When the council asks "why do you need three more firefighters?", accredited departments answer with data, not gut feelings.

How it builds future leaders without expensive programs. Your captains and lieutenants learn to think strategically by participating in the process. They're ready to lead before you promote them.

Why union relations improve. Labor and management work toward shared, measurable goals instead of fighting over vague complaints. Everyone knows what success looks like.

We'll also talk about what accreditation can't fix (spoiler: it won't solve staffing shortages or give you a bigger budget by itself). And we'll cover what the process actually requires, so you can decide if it's right for your department.


Who Should Attend

Fire chiefs and deputies considering accreditation, reaccreditation, or wondering if the effort was worth it.

What You'll Walk Away With

Three specific ways accreditation changes daily operations, and a realistic timeline for what the process actually takes.



Register for Free Now

Featured Speakers

Darrell Reid

VP Strategy / Former Fire Chief and CAO

As a retired Fire Chief and City Admistrative Officer, Darrell understands both the operational and financial realities of running a fire department.

Darrell’s leadership experience includes CAO for Strathcona County, Fire and Emergency Management Chief and COVID-19 Task Force Chief for the City of Vancouver, CEO for Heart and Stroke Ontario, Deputy Fire Chief for Toronto Fire Services, and Union President for IAFF Local 2461.

Career highlights include being Incident Commander for the 2011 Slave Lake, Alberta fires and the 2013 High River, Alberta floods, two of the largest disasters in Canadian history. Darrell served as the CEO for the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) of Ontario and as Chairman of the Provincial Advisory Board for Heart and Stroke British Columbia and Yukon, and founded the Society for Assistance to International Firefighters (SAIF) supporting first responders in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Since 2019 he has participated as a co-lead in a World Health Organization project in Mongolia, helping build sustainable models for emergency medical, rescue and emergency management capacity in that country.

He is a noted advocate and internationally recognized speaker on topics including mental health resilience, evidence-based decision making, strategy, labour relations, staff engagement, and the opioid crisis.

Darrell has an MBA from the University of Alberta, an Executive Fire Officer Designation from the US National Fire Academy, a Community Preparedness & Disaster Management Graduate Certificate from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a Canadian Safety and Security Certificate from Canadian Forces College.

Darrell is also a successful entrepreneur, founding Emergency Services Academy, an accredited and licensed Alberta private college for firefighters and paramedics.