Published April 4 2025
The Bellevue Fire Department has again received accreditation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), continuing the department’s legacy of excellence in fire and emergency services. This prestigious designation reaffirms the department’s commitment to data-informed decision making, continuous improvement and top-tier emergency response.
Bellevue Fire has been continuously accredited since 1998, when it became one of only eight fire departments in the nation to receive the designation. Today, fewer than 400 fire agencies worldwide have achieved CFAI accreditation, making Bellevue’s long-standing participation a mark of distinction.
“Reaccreditation demonstrates the high standards we hold ourselves to every day,” said Fire Chief Jay Hagen. “It is a reflection of the hard work and professionalism of our entire team, and of our ongoing commitment to serve our community with integrity, stewardship and innovation.”
The CFAI accreditation process is a comprehensive, data-driven self-assessment that measures service delivery and agency performance across 250 individual criteria. This process provides agencies with an improvement model to internally assess their performance, followed by verification and validation from a team of peers from other agencies.
In addition to the fire department, several Bellevue departments, including police, parks and community services, transportation, public utilities and information technology, have been accredited by nationally recognized organizations.