City of South Fulton is home to one of only 636 nationally designated fire officers

City of South Fulton fire Capt. Tangela Rowe is blazing trails.

Rowe is one of only 636 firefighters nationwide to be given the prestigious Fire Officer designation, awarded by the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

According to a news release, the credentialing program recognizes career excellence and professional development.

“It’s an honor. It’s a privilege. I’m grateful. I’m thankful,” Rowe said in a news release. “It’s lot of hard work. I couldn’t pass the buck off. I had to do the work. I had to do the education and the community involvement, which I love anyway. They’re paying me to do something I love doing. “

South Fulton Fire Chief Chad Jones and Deputy Chief Deron “Pat” Wilson each hold the center’s Chief Fire Officer designation as two of 1,659 chief officials in the United States.

Several other members of the department’s leadership are pursuing credentialing through CPSE. Jones has made training and development, including credentialing, a priority at all levels of the department.

Designated officers are often described as being progressive and well-rounded. Part of the reason for is the holistic scope of the designation’s model. It looks at the whole officer, focusing on seven components that cover the span of an officer’s experience, including:

♦ Education

♦ Experience

♦ Professional Development (training and certifications)

♦ Professional Contributions and Recognitions

♦ Professional Memberships and Affiliations

♦ Technical Competence

♦ Community Involvement

With the designation, Rowe said she will now focuses her attention on trying to get others to accomplish the same credentialing within the department.

“I may be the first, but I won’t be the last,” Rowe said in a statement. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve been pushing the process and, unfortunately, it’s not one of those things that are well known in fire service. That’s probably why you have such low numbers because firefighters don’t know about becoming professionally credentialed. They haven’t been told or they’re not in those circles.”