The Honolulu Fire Department announced Friday that it received its fifth accreditation in a row from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), making it one one of the few agencies in the world to receive a fifth consecutive accreditation.

The award “validates the HFD’s efforts to provide a safer community through prevention, preparedness, and effective emergency response,” the department said in a news release.

The accreditation was announced Jan. 21 at the commission’s board hearing and covers the period of 2021 to 2026.

HFD was first accredited by CFAI in 2000, and was reaccredited in 2005, 2010 and 2015.

A fire department must meet or esceed criteria set by the CFAI in order to become internationally accredited.

“The HFD takes extreme pride in providing the highest level of public service throughout our community,” Fire Chief Manuel Neves said. “This achievement shows our community that the HFD will continually self-assess, look for opportunities for improvement and be transparent and accountable through a third-party verification.

CFAI provides the agency with the accreditation model, various accreditation publications and trainings and access to peer assessors with experience.

There are 284 accredited agencies in the U.S. and Canada.