Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) has received its three-year reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). At Tuesday’s board meeting, the Board recognized the division for its achievement.
CAAS accreditation assures the residents and visitors of Polk County that the emergency medical services PCFR provides have met the Commission’s highest national standards for quality patient care. Receiving the CAAS re-accreditation also means that Polk County medical community can be confident that the services provided by PCFR have been verified through an independent review process and have met all applicable best practices and highest industry standards.
“As of now, there are approximately 180 agencies that have been accredited by the CAAS in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies,” said Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Hezedean A. Smith, D.M. “This recent reaccreditation demonstrates Polk County Fire Rescue’s ongoing commitment to our community and to providing top-quality prehospital patient care. We are proud to be one of the 39 fire rescue departments that have achieved this accreditation.”
The standards that CAAS requires define the “gold standard” for the medical transportation industry and is of a higher size than standards typically required by state and local licensing. PCFR received its first CAAS accreditation in 2019.