The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) utilizes a Community-Driven Strategic Planning Process as one of the tools their technical advisor program uses to assist fire departments as they work through their accreditation process. This is a 60-to-90 day process that meets with external stakeholders, integrates community expectations, expectations, concerns, priorities with internal stakeholders to develop strategic initiatives, goals, objectives, concerns, and priorities. The strategic plans I have reviewed seem to miss one issue: what is the plan when a critical fire or EMS resource is unexpectedly closed?

As the new year started, the Baltimore Fire Department was short two truck companies due to a lack of available reserve (spare) rigs. Truck 12 and Truck 27 were without rigs. The city transferred Truck 23 to cover the northwest area. The city staffs 17 truck companies covering 81 square miles.

Wrong message to the public

Dave Statter, a former television and radio reporter who has operated STATter911 since May 2007, responded to comments made by the fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams in a Baltimore Sun interview:

… while there are units out of service, “that does not impede our ability to provide emergency services to the citizens of Baltimore City in the event there are emergencies.”

“The last thing we would want is for our community to be alarmed or doubt our ability to save them,” Adams said. “We’re an organization that provides emergency services everyday — and we are more than prepared and well equipped to do so.”

Dave Statter reaction was “… if the fire department’s ability to provide emergency services is not impeded by the loss of two million-dollar machines, then why are the taxpayers paying money to keep them in service?… It’s hypocritical to tell the public–as fire departments usually do–that every second counts in an emergency and then deny those seconds are important when the department has to close fire companies.” Please read the rest of his post to see how he would approach this issue.

Fire is EVERYONE’S Fight

Community outreach is effective in reducing fire loss and increasing community support of fire department efforts. Perhaps we need to use the existing outreach programs when our internal staffing or equipment resources are reduced.

USFA’s Community Outreach Guide provides a description of effective tools and techniques. Dave Statter’s post recall’s the efforts done by Sacramento Fire Chief Ray Jones during a forced brownout of companies in 2008.

An Educational Opportunity:

1. Identify the communities that need to know about delayed 9-1-1 service and may need to increase individual vigilance.
2. Reach out to the media.
3. Use graphics and/or photos as much as possible.
4. Keep the community updated

Graphics tell the story:

Holyoke Fire Department provided visual information on their deployment. The red circles on the map reflect the recommended 1.5-mile fire suppression service area of each fire station for engine company deployment. The black circles on the map reflect the recommended 2.5-mile fire suppression service area for truck company deployment.

This was after a 2017 New Years Day apartment fire killed three. At the time of the fire, Engine 2 was browned out at the Headquarters fire station.

Stop firehouse roulette:

Milwaukee and Los Angeles City stopped rolling brownouts and permanently closed fire companies at the height of the Great Recession.

Be honest and accurate:

It is a challenge to admit that scarce resources affect our ability to make a difference in a community. We would rather not share that information, as Perry Township (Ohio) Trustee Craig Chessler describes with the issue of  on-and-off closing of Fire Station 3:

… the closure of the station has little impact on the community. If it were not posted on social media, residents likely wouldn’t notice a difference in the level and quick response of service, he said.

“The residents can and should expect the same high level of service now that they’ve received in the past and will receive in the future,” Chessler said. “It’s something the chief deals with on a regular basis, and there isn’t a need for concern.”

Anthony Bourdain’s reflection on firefighters after visiting Detroit Squad 3 reflects our approach to challenges:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjvWLUjl9DI&w=560&h=315]

Firefighters, in my experience, are a lot like the Marines I’ve met over the years. No matter how badly led, ridiculously underequipped, underappreciated, no matter how doomed their mission, they take a bizarre and quite beautiful pride in at least being screwed more than everybody else and doing it with style. They seem to do what they do for themselves. It’s not a job. It’s a calling.

Many fire departments and 911 EMS services have struggled with reduced service since the 2008 recession. While the “we can handle it” approach is an asset when handling emergencies and imposing order on chaos, perhaps we need to be more transparent and collaborative with the community that supports us through taxation, levies or donations.

+++++++++++++++++

Featured image is from 2015 article “Staff shortages force North Attleboro fire stations to close“

The Allen Avenue fire station has been closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and the Kelley Boulevard station is closed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Signs have been posted in front of the stations. Anyone who goes to the stations for help is urged to call 911.