Elgin FD invests in strategic planning

Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com:

Elgin Fire Chief John Fahy often quotes the legendary Yogi Berra: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” This mindset — having a clear vision for the future — led the Elgin Fire Department to create its first official strategic plan, covering the years 2015 to 2020, according to Fahy.

The plan was developed this spring with the help of The Center for Public Safety Excellence, who acted as consultants at a cost of around $15,000. It was recently released, and Elgin is now one of only 10% of fire departments across the country that have formal strategic plans in place, Fahy noted.

Assistant Fire Chief Dave Schmidt was among 32 internal staff members who helped shape the final document, based on input from external stakeholders who participated in focus groups. This was a new approach for the department, which had previously lacked formalized planning processes and rarely involved firefighters or the public in decision-making.

Additionally, with many senior leaders nearing retirement age, including Fahy and several assistant chiefs, the plan also serves as a framework for succession planning, ensuring leadership continuity within the department.

“By 2020, most of our current staff will likely be retiring after 30 years of service,” Schmidt said.

The strategic plan focused on seven key areas: internal communications, external communications and community outreach, disaster preparedness, fire prevention, workforce planning and development, health and wellness, and public education. Each area included specific goals with measurable objectives, timelines, tasks, and funding estimates.

Previously, fire chiefs could easily ask city councils for equipment without much explanation. However, in today’s data-driven world, departments must now demonstrate the need for resources and show how they benefit both the department and the community. To achieve this, the Elgin Fire Department invited 130 community stakeholders to focus groups, with 90 attending, according to Fahy.

The consultants were impressed by the level of community engagement, noting it reflected strong public support for the department and city operations. After the public sessions, internal stakeholders refined the ideas and worked to turn them into actionable strategies.

Fahy also chose not to be directly involved in the process, believing that firefighters would be more open and honest when he wasn’t present. Both Fahy and Schmidt agreed that many strategic plans end up forgotten on a shelf, so this one was designed to be practical and actionable.

The workforce planning goal looks at current staffing levels in relation to service demands and identifies future staffing needs. It also includes evaluations of personnel management and organizational development programs to prepare current firefighters for future leadership roles.

Firefighters across the country, including in Elgin, have reported fewer fires due to improved home construction. In Elgin, about 75% of all calls are medical-related, while the remaining 25% involve fires, crashes, hazardous materials, and other emergencies, according to Schmidt. The strategic plan aims to ensure that personnel and equipment are deployed efficiently to meet these changing demands.

“In the end, we hope to become a more efficient, better-trained, and more communicative department,” Fahy said.

Thanks, Dan

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