Leading the fire and emergency service to excellence
Leading the fire and emergency service to excellence
CPSE Overview
2021-2023 Strategic Plan
In December 2020, the CPSE board, commission leadership, and senior staff met virtually to develop a new strategic plan. This February 2021 CPSE Corner post outlines the process. The group identified six areas of focus and four operational tenets to effectively embody our mission and achieve our vision.
In early 2021, to bring the strategic plan to life, a board member and senior staff member were assigned to each area of focus. Board and staff collaborated to develop a success narrative for each area of focus. They then established action teams compromising representative members of the CPSE community (commissioners, peer assessors, peer reviewers, instructors, consortium coordinators, agency heads, accreditation managers, and designees).
Throughout 2021, we conducted significant research to ensure that the ultimate recommendations and actions for the area of focus met our stakeholder needs. The table below highlights these efforts.
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Grow and retain CFAI agencies and CPC officers at higher levels through increased industry perception.
Surveys were sent to greater fire and emergency service regarding their perception of CPSE
Listening sessions were held with accreditation managers, team leaders, peer assessors, and peer reviewers
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout CPSE’s governance, operations, and programs leading to a sustainable culture of enhanced DEI within CPSE and the greater fire and emergency service.
Interviews were held with action team members
Surveys were sent to board members, commission members, and CPSE Community members
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Use IT innovatively rather than merely to achieve organizational vision, mission, and other strategic areas of focus.
Interviews were held with CPSE staff, board members, commission members, CPSE community members, CPSE contractors, and various CPSE IT vendors
Brainstorming session were held with CPSE staff, board members, commission members, and CPSE community members
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Launch a Center for Innovation to address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making that will highlight solutions developed by our accredited agencies/credentialed officers to improve health, wellness, and safety outcomes and serve as a catalyst for innovation in the industry.
Interviews were held with CPSE board and commission members
Research was done on similar public policy-focused centers
Facilitated design thinking process
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Growth in partnerships and collaboration leading to programmatic growth in Accreditation, Credentialing, TAP, and Excellence Conference.
Surveys were sent to agencies and officers regarding consortiums
Interviews were held with consortium coordinators
Phone calls were held with chiefs of CFAI accredited departments in Canada
Fire and emergency service and local government stakeholder mapping was conducted
Area of Focus
Success Narrative
Research Conducted
Develop pathways to accreditation that address agency painpoints and provide for interaction and recognition. Ensure pathways aid departments to become accredited more easily. Grow the overall number of agencies engaged with CFAI thus achieving our vision of improving community outcomes.
Surveys were sent to CFAI registered agencies
Interviews were held with TAP agencies
Interviews were held with expired agencies
In 2022, we embarked on an ambitious reinvestment plan comprising five initiatives areas. Those initiative areas saw us complete 8 projects in 2022 and another 7 projects in 2023. For each of the projects we developed detailed project plans and timelines and, where applicable, engaged project managers and members of the CPSE community. The CPSE Annual Reports highlight strategic plan project completion.
