Bolingbrook Fire Department
Bolingbrook Fire Department - Strategic Planning
Bolingbrook is a thriving community of 75,000 residents located approximately thirty-five miles southwest of Chicago. It consists of a large residential population, numerous corporate, industrial and warehouse districts, multiple large shopping complexes and a small municipal airport. Also located within the boundaries of Bolingbrook are two interstate highways, several small railroad branch lines and a large, but non-navigable river. Bolingbrook, as do most communities, provides numerous public services including full-time ambulance and fire protection. Fire and emergency medical services are considered a vital and essential community service. Modern
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Despite having grown and evolved into a full-service, career emergency response organization, the Bolingbrook Fire Department has never followed or developed a strategic plan. As a consequence, the department may not possess the ability to reach its fullest potential and achieve status as a truly efficient and effective organization and as a result its customers may suffer. The benefits to those organizations that choose to embark on the process of developing a long-range plan are numerous as well as invaluable. Organizations that commit to such planning are able to establish objectives and priorities, make clear their future direction, adapting to both internal and external environmental changes, resolve major issues that impact the organization and obstacles and provide a clear and justifiable rationale for decision making (Bryson & Einsweiler, 1988, p. 3). Ultimately, the public is better …show more content…
Competitive contracting for public services such as fire and emergency medical services is occurring with more and more regularity. It is a practice that may provide cash-strapped communities an opportunity to step away from fiscal liabilities they cannot otherwise manage, saving money and improving departmental efficiency. Many municipalities have turned over the provision of emergency medical services to private organizations reducing exposure in both terms of liability and payroll
Municipal control or an alternative delivery method? This is the question that has intrigued all levels of local government and created intense debates between taxpayers across municipalities. The services that municipalities provide are often vital to the existence of a local area. The issues of accountability, cost savings, quality of service and democracy often arise when choosing the best options to deliver services to a municipal area. In recent years the concepts of privatization, alternative service delivery and public-private partnerships are often promoted as ways cut down on overburdened annual city budgets and promote a higher quality of service to citizens. Municipalities have historically always provided basic services such as fire protection, water purification/treatment and recreational facilities. However, would private companies or another municipality be able to better deliver the same services more efficiently or at a lower cost? The city or town often provides a political grass roots approach to most local problems. Municipalities are better positioned and have a wider scope to provide services to their constituents in order to ensure quality of service that does not erode accountability and transparency, or drive the municipality deeper into debt.
As an employee of The New York City Fire Department, it is our duty to know its mission state and what its internal core analysis consists off. “As first responders to fires, public safety and medical emergencies, disasters and terrorist acts, the FDNY protects the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors. The Department advances public safety through its fire prevention, investigation and education programs. The timely delivery of these services enables the FDNY to make significant contributions to the safety of New York City and homeland security efforts. The New York City Fire Department’s internal core analysis consists of: Service: the department continues its unwavering call to protect and serve. Bravery: courage is the foundation of each character. Bravery is the ability to overcome fear through fortitude, instinct, compassion for others and training. Safety: our citizens must be reasonably free from danger, especially deliberate, harmful acts. With the best equipment and training, the department can reduce the risk to the public and its members at fires, emergencies and medical incidents. Honor: the enormous commitment necessary to perform the department’s tasks requires excellence of character. They inspire each other through pride in the unit, which is a belief that every action reflects on all the members of the unit, both past and present. Dedication: a commitment to the objectives to their mission is an essential part of their code of conduct. The faithful observance of duty, calls for the FDNY to fulfill their obligations professionally and honestly. Preparedness: by combining all of the components of their core values, the FDNY will maintain its constant state of readiness to meet all threats and c...
In this report I will focus on desirable traits the Columbus Division of fire are looking for, as well as the City’s hiring process, training requirements, offered benefits, probationary period, promotional opportunities, and departmental structure. I will also...
...benefits of the job. The hours of which a firefighter works varies on the event occurred or the position in this particular occupation. This job in general is a great chance for opportunity, due to ones expectations of this career this job may not suit every individual, but may bring a spark or compassion if one must say to an everyday life situation.
An effective mission statement at a fire department can be incredibly influential on the morale of the personnel—which as a result, can dramatically improve the performance of personnel when put into practice. Furthermore, because of the importance of a fire department’s mission statement, there should be a considerable amount of thought put into the drafting of one; and one of the most vital parts of an effective mission statement is to make sure that it can be put into practice. With that being said, the mission statement at my fire department is “One Team, One Group, One Fight”.
In the case, “Facing a Fire” prepared by Ann Buchholtz, there are several problems and issues to identify in determining if Herman Singer should rebuild the factory due to a fire or retire on his insurance proceeds. I believe that this case is about social reform and self-interest. I think that Singer needs to ask himself, what is in the firm’s best economic interests. There are several things to question within this case, what should Herman Singer do and why, should he rebuild the factory or begin retirement, if he rebuilds, should he relocate the firm to an area where wages are lower and what provisions, if any, should Singer make for his employees as well as for the community?
As terrible as the Great Chicago Fire was to the city of Chicago back in 1871, the lessons learned from this disaster and the reconstruction that followed from the ashes and rubble actually helped turn Chicago into one of the great cities in the United States. This paper will examine what happened and why, what the leaders of Chicago learned from the experience, and how the will and spirit of the people of Chicago along with financial support from a sympathetic nation and beyond forever changed the city of Chicago for the better.
City officials wanted to downsize the department to 12 paid firefighters and add 12 paid paramedics. The city expected to $2 million with a downsized fire department. The fire department argued this would reduce the overall number of immediate responders and jeopardize public safety. Long Beach has two paid fire departments and those are Long Beach and Garden City. The other communities
Every year communities struggle each year around the nation with issues of life safety. In 2012, the nation’s fire departments responded to 31,854,000 responses that resulted in the deaths 0f 2,855 civilians and injuring 16,500 causing an estimated $12,427 million dollars in damage. (United States Fire Administration, 2014) These incidents put at risk 345,950 career and 783,300 volunteer firefighters that resulted in the deaths of 81 individuals (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013) and nearly 70,000 reported injuries. ( Karter & Molis, 2013) These numbers represent incidents that are determined to be in the line of duty but do not take into consideration the long-term health risk issues that may develop. Evidence shows that he hazards associated with Fire and Emergency Services are consistent across the board whether paid or volunteer and jeopardize the lives and health of each individual, placing administrative and physical control measures reduces this risk to firefighter within an organization. While it is impossible to eliminate the hazards firefighters face, it is important to identify these hazards as the first step in reducing the potential for loss of life and wellbeing both physically and mentally.
A strategic plan is a tool that delivers guidance in achieving a mission or goal with maximum proficiency and control for an organization. Strategic planning is used to transform and revitalize organizations. The plan helps provide an inclusive understanding of opportunities and challenges both internally and externally for the organization. The plan delivers an assessment of the strengths and limitations that are realistic within the company. A well-developed strategic plan will offer a comprehensive approach and empowerment for the stakeholders involved. It is an opportunity for learning and understanding priorities that will drive the business to succeed. Jones (2010), describes how in health care organizations, strategic plans characteristically concentrate on operational and organizational goals such as when to obtain new technology, how to meet competitive challenges, and what staffing, tools, or facilities are needed to ensure organizational survival. The mission and value statements are significant in determining the quality of a strategic initiative. Forcing the organization to look toward the future creates proactive objectives in which both short-term and long-terms plans and goals are necessary in order to succeed.
Kaufman, Roger. Strategic Planning Plus: An Organizational Guide. Sage Publications, Inc.: Newbury Park, California, 1992.
In this case a large engineering consulting firm was contracted by the government to perform civil engineering work for the installation of equipment that would be later used to train firefighters. Prior to the actual work being commenced on site, Donald J. Giffels, president of the consulting firm soon realized through careful observation that there was a significant amount of ambiguity in how critical safety systems were to be designed. In this situation, what are the ethical issues that the consulting firm faces in accepting such a contract from the government. What is the optimal strategy in responding to what Donald J. .Giffels identified as an unacceptable lapse in safety. These two important questions are discussed in further detail with a conclusion of noteworthy facts surrounding this case following.
Rees, J. (2012). Prescriptive strategic planning in the current economic climate and possible alternative approaches. 1-6.
Company-wide strategic planning is based on strategies that increase company growth, production development, and expansion. Companies more than often set long term plans which help them to maintain the work focus and achieve the goals they have
Strategic Planning is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, as differentiated from tactics or immediate actions. It may employ methods like SWOT analysis to help clarify objectives and strategies. Strategic planning uses "the big picture" to pursue large scale, long term objectives. (Wikipedia - Strategic Planning, 2006).