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Wash. Chief: Fire Service Future Lies in EMS

By HEATHER CASPI

Firehouse.com News

DALLAS, Texas -- Fire departments that only respond to fires will cease

to exist within a few generations, suggested I. s, IAFC

official and fire chief of Renton, Wash., during a weekend presentation

at Fire-Rescue International.

If departments expect to maintain relevance over time, they're going to

have to follow growth industries, he said.

" We advertise at the bottom of the pyramid -- we haven't been fire

departments for at least the last 30 years, " he said. " EMS -- that is my

number one business. It's a growth industry. My other growth industry is

emergency management, " he said.

By offering a suite of services and promoting that to the community,

departments will meet the broader needs of a larger proportion of the

community.

" I would argue the traditional, only-going-to-fires fire department will

not exist in my grandchildren's lifetime, " he said.

" We think we're a really popular group and everyone loves us. Well,

maybe. But do you want to be loved or be necessary? ...Emotions shift, "

he said. Communities could question whether occasional fire suppression

is worth the price of maintaining a service.

s spoke about the fire service's rise and fall in popularity

depending on public perception and major events, particularly 9/11. With

major events being rare, affection can wane.

" It's like Janet said, " he quipped. " 'What have you done for me

lately?' "

s reminded the audience of the times when General Motors had 40

percent of U.S. auto sales, and Woolworth's was the largest retailer in

the world. " My how things change when you don't pay attention, " he said.

So what do your " customers " really think, and how do you know? s

advised polling communities, and considering the difference between the

general response and that from residents who have actually used the

department's services.

Departments should consider everything about their public perception,

including what happens when someone calls the organization's regular

line for a non-emergency inquiry.

s also asked responders to realize that they often expect more

emergency service funding in the communities where they work than they

would be willing to support in taxes in their own communities.

" Ask yourself how you would like to be engaged if you put yourself in

your residents' shoes, " he said.