City of Bowling Green, Kentucky

Accreditation and ISO

Being efficient and well-trained is a top priority for the Bowling Green Fire Department. In order to ensure that the Department continues to offer great service to its citizens, the BGFD continually evaluates itself. One way this is done is through international accreditation.

The Bowling Green Fire Department is a fully paid department that achieved international accreditation in 2008 and reaccreditation in 2014, 2018, and 2023 through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.

Currently, the Bowling Green Fire Department is one of only four accredited organizations within the state of Kentucky and one of only 324 internationally.

While originally accredited in 2008, a lot of work had to be done to ensure that the department was performing to the best of its abilities. The re-accreditation process in 2014, 2018, and 2023 involved countless hours of research and evaluation to update documentation on all operations.

The Bowling Green Fire Department had to measure and verify its proficiencies in many different areas:

• Governance & Administration
• Assessment & Planning
• Goals & Objectives
• Financial Resources
• Community Risk Reduction Program
• Physical Resources
• Human Resources
• Training & Competency
• Essential Resources
• External System Relationships
• Health & Safety

After the long process of evaluation and collecting documentation is complete, the re-accreditation process involves an on-site visit by Peer Assessors and a meeting with the Board of the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. After everything was completed, the Bowing Green Fire Department was approved for re-accreditation on March 10, 2014, August 8, 2018, and again on August 28, 2023.

This re-accreditation benefits both employees and citizens by creating a self-assessment of the Bowling Green Fire Department’s work and ensuring a high standard of services to the public. The vision of the Bowling Green Fire Department is “Continuous improvement through intentional efforts for excellence.” The accreditation model provides a framework for continuous improvement in fire and emergency services.

The Bowling Green Fire Department has also achieved a Class 01/1X Public Protection Classification (PPC) from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), which is the highest rating we’ve attained in our history. ISO collects and evaluates four primary categories of fire suppression – the fire department, water supply, emergency communications and community risk reduction. This accomplishment has only been acquired by 411 fire departments in the nation, 9 in Kentucky. Most insurance companies use ISO’s PPC when calculating residential, commercial and industrial property premiums and an improved rating can lead to a reduction in insurance premiums. ISO analyzes data and assigns the PPC grade a number from 1 to 10. Class 1 represents an exemplary fire suppression program, and Class 10 indicates that the area's fire suppression program does not meet ISO's minimum criteria. The rating became effective on September 1, 2020.

BGFD Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover 2023