San Marcos Fire Department receives best practices designation
Published: Thu, 12/07/23
San Marcos Fire Department receives best practices designation
Fire Chief Les Stephens (center) and San Marcos Fire Department staff receive the award at San Marcos City Hall on Dec. 5.
(Eric Weilbacher/Community Impact)
Community Impact
By Eric Weilbacher |
Updated
For the first time, the San Marcos Fire Department has received the stamp of excellence from a statewide accreditation association.
The gist
After three years of gathering data on training, records keeping practices, fire operations, emergency medical service and other aspects of running a fire department, the Texas Fire Chiefs Association awarded the department with its Best Practices designation.
“While most communities believe their local fire department is an excellent fire department, elected officials, city managers, fire chiefs and citizens can verify this belief by their fire department attaining the best practices designation,” said Seguin Fire Chief Dale Skinner, who is also the south region director for the TFCA. “This is accomplished through an independent third-party review to determine if an organization functions at a defined level of excellence.”
According to the city, just 33 fire departments in the state have been recognized with the accreditation since 2012. San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens said the department will now have to demonstrate compliance every few years.
“This renews every three years. So we have to maintain this standard and this level of service, and we have to monitor this so that when we're back up in three years, we can renew,” Stephens said.