The fire service is littered with great leaders and mentors. We are amazing at responding to the calls for service from our communities. However, we are not as good at being proactive in regards to creating value for our departments with our community members. It has been my experience that people want five things from their local municipality. They want: fresh water, electricity, garbage and waste water taken away, a feeling of safety and security, and finally they want their tax dollars spent wisely.
The fire service has responsibility in spending tax dollars wisely, and providing safety and security. Most citizens know we are here for them, but they do not think about what we do for them on a regular basis. Therefore, there is no immediate value for us. They appreciate, and even admire us, but that does not equate to value. Every time a citizens flips a light switch, turns on a water tap, or flushes a toilet value is created for the department providing those services. We can create the same type of value by engaging our public to let them know who we are, what we are about, and I believe most importantly why we do what we do.
Social media seems to be the vehicle of choice for engaging our community, but there are so many other ways to become involved. What we need to do is look for opportunities to open the lines of communication. Great communication alone can be a powerful tool to create value for your department. One of my favorite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt “nobody cares what you know, until they know you care”. Engaging the public is a means to let the community know you are not just a 911 service, but a part of the community. Being a part of the community equal value.
You may ask; why is creating value so important? My assertion is that we often wait until we need something more from our community to really get out and educate them. At this point, we are doing what we are best at……..being reactive. A much better approach is to be proactive by befriending the community and educating them prior to needing more from them. Let the community make a decisions based on passive education, not forceful see it my way education. I have long had the goal that I want the community to say “That is my fire department, not just that is Lehi fire department”. Ownership is a large part of engaging the community.
Engaged Leadership 