A newly released letter from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) identifies eight areas the Coral Gables Fire Department must address before reaccreditation can proceed. The issues include strategic planning, risk prioritization, and performance benchmarks. Though dated April 21, the letter was only recently made public and offers the first detailed explanation of why CFAI deferred the city’s reaccreditation earlier this year.

CFAI informed Fire Chief Marcos De La Rosa that the department’s documentation did not meet the standards required to proceed with an on-site evaluation. Instead, the agency outlined the steps required before reaccreditation can resume.

The letter, obtained by the Gazette, states that the department must submit revised documentation by Sept. 30. If more time is needed, CFAI will accept materials through March 31, 2026. The commission noted it believes the earlier deadline is attainable.

Documentation gaps and citation issues

Among CFAI’s primary concerns was a lack of consistent citations across critical documents. “Supporting materials and citations often lack the detail necessary for complete validation,” the letter stated. While the agency commended efforts to address prior feedback, it noted that “reference gaps persist, which reduce the credibility of several core competencies.”

The findings call into question both the department’s internal evaluations and the external confidence those evaluations are meant to inspire. Without thorough referencing, CFAI found deficiencies in the department’s self-assessment, community risk modeling, and performance tracking.

Strategic plan lacks cohesion

CFAI also cited shortcomings in the department’s strategic plan. Although the plan references citywide goals and outlines individual program objectives, the commission concluded that it lacks an overarching, department-wide strategy. “More time would allow the agency to consolidate these into a single, cohesive strategy,” the report noted.

The letter further observed that the department’s process for gathering input from stakeholders remains informal. CFAI requires structured engagement with both internal personnel and external community members. Current practices, which rely on unstructured feedback, “do not meet the model’s expectations for strategic planning,” the letter said.

Risk data and benchmarks under scrutiny

CFAI raised additional concerns about the department’s Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover (CRA/SOC) documents. Reviewers flagged inconsistent zone definitions, outdated references and conflicting statistics.

The department’s reliance on geographic zones—north, central, and south—rather than population density for setting response benchmarks drew particular attention. CFAI warned that this model could result in service disparities and undermine the accuracy of performance reporting. In several cases, the documentation included material older than the five-year accreditation window, diminishing its validity.

The commission also cited “discrepancies in response times, incident counts, and demographics” across CRA/SOC reports, instructing the department to resolve those conflicts before advancing in the process.

Timeline and next steps

CFAI has directed the department to resubmit all documentation with tracked changes and supporting exhibits. Once complete, a peer review team must reach consensus before scheduling a site visit, which must occur by Jan. 9, 2026, for the department to appear on the March commission agenda.

Chief De La Rosa, Accreditation Manager Xavier Anderson and CFAI Peer Team Leader Holger Durre discussed the findings during a teleconference on April 21, according to the letter. CFAI wrote it believes the September deadline is realistic if the department acts quickly to address the deficiencies.

The department retains its accredited status during the deferral period, but the path to reaffirmation depends on meeting CFAI’s stated criteria. “All visits must be completed by January 9, 2026,” the letter emphasized, underscoring the urgency of the timeline.

Accreditation and local significance

Last month, the Gazette reported that CFAI had deferred Coral Gables’ reaccreditation—an uncommon development in a city widely regarded for its professional fire services. Coral Gables is one of only 300 fire departments worldwide to earn CFAI accreditation, a distinction that reflects high standards in operations, planning and community engagement.

At the July 1 city commission meeting, Chief De La Rosa said the deferral offered an opportunity to improve documentation and align strategic planning. “To be clear, Coral Gables remains an accredited agency,” he told commissioners. “In this reaccreditation, we were afforded an administrative deferral that gave us more time to meet some of the documentation requirements asked of us—specifically the internal strategic plan, and an enhanced community risk assessment.” De La Rosa emphasized that “the sole mission of Coral Gables Fire is the safety and security of residents,” and that the department’s “dedication, professionalism, and effectiveness is the cornerstone of the Coral Gables brand.” Whether Coral Gables meets the September deadline will determine how quickly the reaccreditation process can resume.

Chief De La Rosa did not respond to a Gazette email seeking comment on the letter’s recommendations and whether the cited documentation gaps were related to the city’s computer-aided dispatch system (CAD), which was implemented by public safety in 2023 at an initial cost of $4 million.