Photo Submitted
A better, more effective fire department starts with a 5-year strategic plan, said Edmond Fire Chief Jake Rhoades as Edmond community members and fire department workers met last week to evaluate the department and look towards the future.
As part of a planning process to boost the Edmond Fire Department’s services and consolidate goals and agendas, the developing strategic plan aspires to satisfy the needs of the community.
“It unifies our vision and goals, and it enhances our service to the community,” Rhoades said of the strategic plan.
Rhoades, an Oklahoma Christian University alumnus, has been the Edmond Fire Department chief for nearly three months. He said he has been working for a strategic plan since day one.
“We evaluated our programs and services, and we looked at every aspect of the department,” Rhoades said. “We want to meet the needs of the community, establish the same vision and work towards the same goal.”
City Manager Larry Stevens approves of Rhoades’ work so far.
“I am very supportive of his efforts,” Stevens said in a press release. “It is a significant step forward for the Fire Department and a good example for our organization.”
Nearly 60 community partners, known as external stakeholders, began the planning process on Jan. 14 with a meeting to assess the fire department and provide an added direction. Fire department workers and leaders came together for three days following the external stakeholders meeting to take the product input of that meeting and formulate a strategic plan.
The department personnel session reviewed its mission and developed goals, objectives and action items to address all of the community’s future needs. This five-year strategic plan will be the first in the department’s history.
A draft should be ready in a few weeks, and the plan should be finalized in March, Rhoades said.
“The plan starts with community and ends with the community,” Rhoades said. “The end result is to deliver better service.”
Junior Alyssa Dickerson, whose father is a firefighter in Texas, said that fire departments need to look ahead for the sake of the city they serve.
“It’s important to plan ahead to see that the needs of the city are met,” Dickerson said. “It’s important to have a goal to move towards, so fire departments are always bettering themselves, which will make the city better.”
The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an organization that promotes the improvement of fire and emergency service agencies, worked with the Edmond Fire Department in the formulation of the strategic plan.
Brian Dean, a technical advisor for Center for Public Safety Excellence, guided the process. He said most fire departments have not risen to the level of having a strategic plan.
“Less than 10 percent of departments have strategic plans,” Dean said. “Most strategic plans just sit on the shelf.”
Dean works with fire departments across the nation as a facilitator. He helps departments develop and creates similar planning processes 25 times a year throughout the country.
“I help departments identify issues they need to deal with in order to improve,” Dean said. “A strategic plan is a road map for continuous improvement.”
Working with the Edmond Fire Department was a great experience as a facilitator, Dean said. He complimented the fire department and community participants on their work.
“The Edmond folks were very engaged and very focused,” Dean said. “Community involvement was very positive and very strong. It’s a top-notch group and a quality department. I think the community is blessed to have this great group.”
The new 5-year strategic plan, once finalized, will be addressed on an annual revisit process with internal stakeholders. They will gather to address the status of the plan, priorities contained within the plan and effectiveness of the items addressed previously. Smaller external stakeholder meetings will become an annual process as well to keep the plan accountable to the community and the department in tune with them.
0
0
Be First to Comment