ATLANTA — With departments across the country still feeling the effects of a sluggish economy, investing in community relations has never been more important.
Effective outreach programs can help protect budgets in times of severe cutbacks and maintain the image of the fire service that generations before have worked so hard to build up.
But deciding how best to connect — or even reconnect — with the community can be a daunting process.
However, the Novato, Calif., Fire Department has found a number of ways to engage the community and boost the profile of the organization — and it’s a model that can be replicated by departments across the country.
During a session at Fire-Rescue International on Thursday, Deputy Chief Eric Nickel said such programs don’t have to break the budget, either.
“Marketing does not have to be expensive, it does not have to be overt — it can be very subtle,” he said.
“It’s about putting little deposits of good news in each and every one of your communities.”
Chief Nickel told the session that marketing for fire departments can be built around three general areas: public information, public education and public relations.
The first, put simply, relates to informing the public of incidents, while the second can be defined as prevention programs and school visits,” according to Chief Nickel.
The third, public relations, is equally as critical, the session was told.
“You are telling a story that may have nothing to do with an emergency incident,” Chief Nickel said. “It’s about creating that bond or reaffirming that bond with the community.”
During the session, Chief Nickel outlined some of the most famous — and most positively received — brands around today, such as Apple and Starbucks. However, the fire service, Chief Nickel said, is worth more than any big name, commercial brands put together.
“The amount of value communities place on the fire service is priceless,” he said.
“Unfortunately this brand lately has become more of a target.”
The fire service is seen as expensive — “we are not cheap,” Chief Nickel said — while firefighters can often be their own worst enemy in attracting negative attention, whether it be firehouse sex scandals or labor-management issues being played out in public.
When it comes to ensuring departments continue to enjoy the support of the public — or even regain it in some areas — being proactive is key, the session was told.
If departments are looking to begin effective community outreach programs, they must first start by gaining the views of that community, Chief Nickel said.
“One of the best things you can do is to survey your community,” he said. This is the approach the Novato Fire Department took — and the message it received was clear.
“The general response was, ‘We think you’re great, but we don’t know anything about you,’” Chief Nickel told the session.
“I can’t imagine your agencies being much different from mine, and that’s a good starting point for a marketing campaign.
“They need to know about you, your people, the organization, what we do and how we add value to the community.”
Chief Nickel outlined how his department has “segmented” the community in order to deliver specific messages to specific groups, such as young people, special needs, seniors, families, new residents and wildland-urban interface areas.
Another area is business, with Chief Nickel suggesting that if departments have chambers of commerce in their district, that they actively engage with them.
“They have lots of movers and shakers in these,” he said. “A strong business community can mean good revenues for the fire department.
“Chambers of commerce typically have leadership programs — we are great at providing leadership to the community. We can organize events, we can teach them about leadership theory.”
In improving its outreach efforts, Chief Nickel said the department developed a strategic marketing plan — in essence, a calendar of initiatives related to specific times of the year.
For instance, when the clocks go forward in April, residents are urged to change the batteries in their smoke detectors through education campaigns, while the early summer months see initiatives related to raising awareness of wildfire dangers in WUI areas.
Chief Nickel said departments have 10 main methods available to get their message out there:
- Press releases
- Post cards
- Newspaper ads
- Website
- Online advertising
- Social media
- Community banners
- Targeted messages
- Person-to-person
- Community newsletters
Social media is one of the most interesting areas, according to Chief Nickel, specifically because it’s free yet relatively few departments are utilizing it.
Only about 14 percent of departments in the United States have a Facebook page, the session was told, while only two percent use Facebook to deliver public information messages.
“It’s shockingly low,” Chief Nickel said. “We’re talking about a program that costs nothing to start.
“Facebook is kicking butt over our website, which we dropped some serious coin on.”