In the current economic downturn, government officials must make difficult funding decisions for their communities as revenue dwindles and demand for services increases. One critical piece of information, at best underreported and at worst non-existent, is a common performance metric for these critical services. If two similar communities pay the same amount of taxes for their emergency medical services and fire response, then one would assume that the service levels delivered would be about the same. However, how could an elected official or citizen measure that assumption? In order to do so, best management practices in the fire service, including risk assessment, task analysis, concentration, and reliability of response forces must be established, measured and published in a common language.
One such method of measuring performance is through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), which through science has developed a “Rosetta Stone” for elected officials and citizens to clearly articulate a performance language for all of the business in which the fire service is actively engaged.
Often, citizens tell me they want a fast response from their fire department, with well‑trained people and good equipment to quickly solve their problems. Even so, shortly after 9-11, one community I know of suffered three failures of their tax funding levy. After the third failure, the community leaders made it clear to their elected officials that the issue wasn’t about love, it was about money. They really do love their fire department and the members who bravely serve, but they can separate that love from their money in the absence of proven value.
Aside from credible emergency response, the most important things people value in their fire/EMS services are the ability to reduce community risk through prevention and education, managing funds well, training people properly, managing human resources, maintaining external relationships, and much more. The Commission of Fire Accreditation International through CPSE provides all of these baselines and benchmarks through its accreditation program.
Especially when tax dollars are tight, citizens want to know that their precious money is performing in a credible way and that they are getting the biggest bang for their taxpayer buck. Without a standard measurement for levels of service, citizens are stuck with a tax bill without a way to measure value. We should encourage and in some cases require that agencies that spend millions of tax dollars each year perform to a common standard that is based on science and best management practices. We owe that to our citizens.
Wayne Senter, Fire Chief
South Kitsap Fire Rescue, WA