Winning at the Polls: Millstone Township (NJ) Fire District Uses Public Relations to Gain Voter Approval on New Fire Truck

BY LEZA RAFFEL

The Millstone Township (NJ) Fire District and its volunteer and career firefighters needed a new fire truck. Mirroring the circumstances of fire departments across the country, they needed voter approval to get it.

The central New Jersey fire department’s leaders were determined to provide every township voter with accurate information. They were confident that township residents who knew the facts—that the proposed rescue-pumper would help reduce response times and was the most economical way to replace two aging vehicles—would support the $878,000 purchase.

“We also wanted to be sure voters had all of the information to avoid criticism that other regional fire districts have received about budget and spending decisions being made without most voters being aware,” says Larry Cier, a Millstone Township volunteer firefighter and member of the Millstone Township Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners. “We wanted to take every step possible to get this information to our residents.” Cier also knew that it was critical that all the funds expended be used to educate the public, not to lobby for “yes” votes.

On February 17, 2018—after an awareness campaign that included story placement in the local press, a social media presence, a targeted residential newsletter, and word of mouth—voters approved the purchase of a new Pierce rescue-pumper as well as the fire district’s 2018 budget.

The steps Millstone Fire took to achieve this goal follow.

THE RIGHT COMMUNICATIONS PLAN AND PARTNER

With a purchase this important to fire response and community safety on the line, Millstone Fire leaders wanted an organized approach to educating voters. They needed a communications plan that would resonate without overburdening the district’s financial resources or place another demand on firefighters’ limited time. Most Millstone firefighters are volunteers, and the amount of time today’s volunteers spend trying to raise money is thought to be a significant factor in the nationwide volunteer shortage.

The Communication Solutions Group, a public relations firm that specializes in community engagement campaigns for fire and emergency medical service departments, was already working with Millstone Fire on its volunteer recruitment campaign, which was launched in fall 2017. Millstone also turned to the firm for guidance and support on the referendum effort. The Communication Solutions team conducted interviews with key fire personnel to fully understand why the truck was needed, what having it would mean for the fire department and Millstone residents, the research that had been done to decide on the right vehicle, and more. Then a multipronged, targeted approach was designed to reach as many Millstone voters as possible, however they preferred to receive information.

THE DIRECT (MAIL) APPROACH: A NEWSLETTER

The only way to be absolutely certain that the precise information Millstone wanted to reach voters got to them was to print it themselves, and so a newsletter was written, printed, and sent to 3,134 households. “Safeguard Millstone: A Voter’s Guide” contained articles, photos, and charts that highlighted the proposed truck’s capabilities and features and showed readers how they precisely met the township’s emergency needs. A graphic illustrated that a growing maj