BY JOSEPH MURRAY

Performance measurements have long been used by successful private sector businesses and corporations to stay ahead of the competition, ensure efficient operations, and maximize their shareholders’ profits.

As publicly funded services, municipal fire departments and fire authorities mostly operate under very different circumstances. Typically, municipal fire departments and fire authorities provide a service that is without competition and without an unrelenting pressure to meet a bottom line of profitability. Without the pressure to meet profit margins, governmental agencies, including fire departments, often place less emphasis on measuring performance as they struggle just to keep up with the demands of daily activities.

When the topic of “performance measures” is brought up within the fire service, it is often met with some level of consternation by those comfortable with the status quo. Others—specifically those responsible for budgets—may also avoid the topic of performance measurements as they could reveal performance shortcomings, which could require a significant financial investment to rectify. As a result, fire service performance measurement programs have historically taken a back seat to other initiatives and programs. While the use of performance measures may expose weaknesses within current operations, fleet divisions that place a high priority on measuring performance often provide the most efficient and highest-quality services.

Performance Measurement Program Benefits

When properly developed and implemented, performance measurement programs can provide the fleet division supervisor with vital information in support of management functions. Performance measurements can be used to assist in maintaining accountability, improving operations, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and making certain that resources are properly allocated to meet the fleet division’s goals and objectives.

Increased Transparency and Accountability

High-performing fleet division supervisors must ensure accountability for those under the command while being accountable to the fire chief for their own actions. Performance measures are a way for the fleet division supervisor to document what work was completed, the quality of the work, and the impact the work had on the department’s overall mission. The resulting transparency that comes with the documentation of fleet division performance often leads to an increase in trust between the fleet division and internal and external stakeholders. When fleet divisions demonstrate accountability through performance measurements, firefighters may feel more confident that their apparatus are being well maintained, fire chiefs become more trusting when budget requests are made, and the residents feel confident that the fire department fleet is being well maintained, and tax dollars are being spent wisely.

Managing Fleet Division Operations

Fleet division supervisors equipped with a quality set of performance measures are better equipped to determine operational strengths and weakness, allowing them to determine the effectiveness of current procedures or to better provide feedback to fleet division employees. By using performance measurement reports, the fleet division supervisor can understand what processes may need to be altered to improve performance or even where they may need to provide closer supervision to ensure the division is meeting its goals. Fleet divisions that use a performance measurement system are more likely to detect operational deficiencies at an earlier stage, allowing them to make changes before a small problem becomes a bigger, and often more expensive, problem. Performance measurement reports also allow the fleet supervisor to determine if corrective actions to address problems have been effective. They can also assist the fleet

Butte County-CAL FIRE Law Enforcement officers have arrested a suspect in connection with a June 29, 2025, incident that left a Butte County pumper inoperable while en route to a vegetation fire, the fire department said in a press release.

On the day of the incident, Butte County Engine 72 was responding with lights and sirens northbound on Upper Palermo Road when it was struck by an object thrown from the roadside. The impact shattered the windshield, rendering the engine unable to respond to the emergency. Investigators recovered a 20-ounc unopened Red Bull can and a sticky substance consistent with the beverage from the scene.

Following a joint investigation by CAL FIRE Law Enforcement, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, and California Highway Patrol, officers identified 31-year-old William Miller Jr. of Palermo as the suspect. A warrant was issued and Miller was taken into custody on October 20, 2025. He was booked into Butte County Jail on multiple felony charges.

The damaged pumper remained out of service for several weeks and required repairs costing several thousand dollars.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the CAL Fire Butte Unit Law Enforcement Bureau at (530) 538-7888.

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The Montrose Township (MI) Fire Department was in the market for a pumper-tanker to service a fire coverage area with very few hydrants. The department decided to retire a pumper and a pumper-tanker and replace them with a single vehicle. Montrose Township found what it needed in a pumper-tanker from Sutphen Corporation.

Battalion Chief Michael Taylor says his fire district covers 36 square miles and is divided in half by the Flint River. The district has two main highways, Michigan M13 and M57. “Only about 10% of our coverage area has hydrants,” Taylor points out, “so we have to bring water to most of our calls. We have 18 paid on-call firefighters who run fire, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) calls with one engine, two tankers, a brush truck, a rescue, two utility terrain vehicles (UTV), an EMS rig, and our new pumper-tanker.”

Taylor says the department originally wanted a 3,000-gallon pumper-tanker but modified that down to a 2,500-gallon model because of some mobile home parks in the district where it needed a shorter wheelbase in order to maneuver. “We wanted a top-mount pump configuration because with all the two-lane roads in our district, we wanted to keep our engineer safe on top of the rig instead of standing on the side of the road with traffic all around,” he points out. “Plus, a top-mount allows the operator to see 360 degrees around the vehicle.”

Dave Desrochers, vice president of sales for Apollo Fire Apparatus Sales and Service, who sold the pumper-tanker to Montrose Township, says the rig is built on a Sutphen Monarch 73-inch four-door cab and chassis with seating for six firefighters, five of them in H.O. Bostrom self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats with IMMI SecureAll brackets. He says the rig has 10-inch double Domex frame rails rated at 110,000 pounds per square inch (psi), a 23,000-pound front axle and suspension, and a 40,000-pound rear axle and suspension. Wheelbase on the pumper-tanker is 233 inches, overall length is 39 feet, and overall height is 8 feet 4 inches.

The city of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its new, state-of-the-art Fire Station 2, marking a major milestone in the city’s commitment to public safety, the city said in a social media post.

Mayor Hollies Winston, Fire Chief Shawn Conway, former Council Member and retired Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis firefighter Terry Parks, City Manager Jay Stroebel, executives from Kraus Anderson and CNH Architects, and other city leaders gathered alongside community partners to commemorate the start of construction.

The new station will feature modern safety upgrades, enhanced emergency response capabilities, and community-focused design elements that will serve as an anchor for Brooklyn Park’s continued growth and preparedness.

It is strategically designed to reduce response times, ensuring firefighters can reach people in need more quickly and efficiently. It will include advanced decontamination areas, clean zones, and hold/cold zone layouts to reduce risks, while protecting the health and well-being of every employee. This new station is also the start of ensuring all BPFD stations support our full-time career department model.

Through youth engagement, meeting spaces and open house opportunities, residents can spend more time with firefighters and learn more about the vital role they play in keeping Brooklyn Park safe.

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