In late October, the IAFC held its Strategic Planning and Leadership Forum in McLean, Va. Fire service leaders from the U.S. and around the world spent two days in intense meetings and planning sessions to discuss the future of the fire service and to develop a two-year strategic plan for the IAFC.
Top presenters included Chief Charlie Dickenson, acting U.S fire administrator; Phil Schaenman, of TriData Corporation; Laura Lozano, director of quality and customer advocacy, North America Government and Commercial Markets, N&E for Motorola; Rick Whelan, president of Marketing General Incorporated; and IAFC Executive Director Garry Briese.
Strategic planning was facilitated by Chief Mary Beth Michos, Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue (Va.) and Chief Jeff Johnson, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (Ore.). The nearly 200 in attendance met through assigned breakout groups and were tasked with developing strategies and potential action items for draft goals outlined in an initial straw document. The breakout groups met between major presentations and defined the following goals:
- To be the leading voice on issues that affect fire-rescue and EMS services
- To educate fire, EMS and emergency services leaders on major issues and initiatives
- To grow the IAFC
- To create and enhance alliances to serve as catalysts to improve public safety
- To identify, increase and diversify revenue sources and partnerships to ensure achievement of IAFC’s mission and to maintain financial stability
- To lead firefighter and life safety initiatives and limit life loss and injuries in firefighters and civilians
Seventeen strategies were born out of the six goals and more than 90 possible action items were identified. Chief Jim Harmes, IAFC president, praised the fire service leaders for quickly identifying the top issues of importance for future IAFC focus. “The IAFC board of directors appreciates the guidance provided by the international fire service leaders who attended. This information will permit the board to make strategic decisions and ensure that the plan is used as the IAFC’s guiding document.”
The IAFC board of directors will review the final document during their scheduled board meeting in January 2007. After approval, the IAFC Strategic Plan 2007-2008 will be distributed and made available online.
Fire Service and National Security
Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson addressed the audience on the issue of the fire service’s relationship to the national security infrastructure. According to Chief Dickinson, the fire service has been relegated to a secondary role in security discussions and denied a secret clearance sufficient to participate in key security decisions.
He said it is imperative that the federal and state governments begin to see the fire service not only as responders but also as members of the national preparedness system. The fire service must be actively included in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) process. He gave as an example of the concern that contaminants could be introduced into a region’s water system through fire hydrants; some engineers have proposed locking hydrants, which would have a significant impact on fire departments responding to fire calls. The fire service must be included in decisions that affect both their ability to respond on a day-to-day basis and the requirements placed upon them in large natural or man-made disasters.
Future of the Fire Service: Learning the Influence Game
According to Garry Briese, executive director of the IAFC, we in the fire service are engaged in a game of influence: getting our message out and obtaining needed decisions — that is, getting things done. The context for this endeavor consists of partnership, relationship and connection. The fire service needs to form partnerships and collaborate with other organizations to share the influence.
Our ability to influence and get things done measures how successful we are. We need to speak the language of those beyond the fire service — the decision makers in Congress and the federal agencies who support and fund the fire service; we need to speak the language of homeland security and first responders.
For example, the U.S. military doesn’t speak about soldier safety; they speak about force protection. The fire service must integrate the language not just into how we speak with one another, but also into our very thoughts and actions. Other terms Briese mentioned during his comments include critical infrastructure, resiliency, mission execution, situational awareness, capabilities enhancement, preparedness, state of readiness, and policy and doctrine.
Firefighter Safety and the Fire Act Grants
Speaking on firefighter safety, Briese noted that there are many initiatives, and yet nothing is changing. Civilian deaths, firefighter deaths and property losses have not decreased. Briese keeps a button in his drawer at work. It says, “We come to do our job. We don’t come to die.” The fire service needs to adopt this motto and then actually work towards this as the standard of practice.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is looking carefully at the Fire Act Grant Program. They expect federal programs to perform well and better every year. Their evaluation of this program: it’s not performing; benefits have not been demonstrated. The OMB has concluded that no demonstrable results from the $4 billion spent in Fire Act grants have been seen. The funds have not been targeted to the risk, and data collection is inconsistent. What are we going to do about this? How are we going to ensure that this source of funding doesn’t disappear? The fire service must begin to address this issue or watch the generous support we now enjoy begin to dry up.