Qatargas EMS department first in the Middle East to achieve international accreditation

The Fire & Rescue Emergency Management Services (EMS) Department of Qatargas has been awarded the distinguished “Accredited Agency” status by the US-based Centre for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) after successfully meeting the rigorous criteria set by the CPSE’s Accreditation Commission in the areas of continuous quality improvement and enhancement of service delivery. With this, Qatargas EMS became the first CPSE accredited department in the Middle East region and it joined a line-up of 218 such accredited agencies around the world. CPSE provides the only accreditation program for Fire & Rescue Emergency Management Service organizations in the world.

Representatives of the EMS Department, led by EMS & Security Manager Hassan Jassim Abu Khamis, have received the accreditation certificate at an awards ceremony recently organized by CPSE in Atlanta, USA following a face-to-face hearing session with the Commission members. It was the culmination of a four-year long documentation and assessment exercise that involved a rigorous process to determine risk and safety needs, evaluate current performance of the department, and establish a method for achieving continuous improvement. During the final phase of the process, site visits had been made by the CPSE officials to Qatargas headquarters in Doha and Ras Laffan Plant to verify the EMS Department’s compliance with the set criteria. 

The accreditation process was demanding and challenging for Qatargas EMS Department as an industrial based organization with multiple sites spread across Ras Laffan Industrial area. This feat has demonstrated the Department’s commitment to providing high-quality services to Qatargas. The department has been able to use the accreditation process as a proactive mechanism to plan for the future of Qatargas Emergency Management Services and identify areas where it can improve on the quality of services it provides.

Qatargas, as a company, benefited from the accreditation process as well. Under the continuous improvement model used in seeking accreditation, the company is required to maintain an active strategic planning program as well as a comprehensive assessment of the overall level of risk. This “risk assessment” helped the company make an informed decision on the level of service desired.

The CPSE Accreditation Commission is governed by an 11-member council representing a cross-section of the fire service industry, including fire departments, city and county management, code councils, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the International Association of Firefighters.

Established in 1986, CPSE is a non-profit organization that serves as the governing body for organizations offering accreditation, education, and credentialing services to agencies and fire service industry professionals. The CPSE’s accreditation program is a comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation model that enables fire and emergency service organizations to examine past, current, and future service levels/performance and compare them to industry best practices. CPSE is dedicated to assisting the fire and emergency services agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation in order to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities.