By Brian Zaitz
For many, strategic planning is considered the responsibility of fire department administration, and it is believed that the process of budgeting and planning has no impact on company-level personnel. The reality is that these statements could not be further from the truth. The strategic plan should outline the path for the department to achieve its vision. Often viewed as the roadmap for the department, providing goals and benchmarks for a period of time, the strategic plan is crucial for success. It’s likely that your organization has some form of a strategic plan. However, many in your organization may be unaware of it, have no knowledge of it, and/or did not assist in its development.
A strategic plan is a document outlining the goals and objectives for a specific period, typically 3-5 years. Development should include both internal and external stakeholders to provide a holistic view of the organization. The development team should involve members of the organization at all levels to gather diverse perspectives and ideas, ensuring buy-in for the plan. The company-level plan will likely deal with internal stakeholders, focusing on members of the company. It may be shorter, spanning 1-2 years, depending on personnel rotations. The plan may not need to be as in-depth as the organization’s, but it should provide a key framework for the crew to achieve both individual and company-level success.
Critical components of a strategic plan include values, mission, vision, goals, and objectives. Values and mission can be likened to SOPs, while goals represent daily responses, objectives are the tactics used to achieve those goals, and vision is the overall end goal, such as “everybody goes home.” When developing a company-level strategic plan, incorporating these components ensures the plan is valid and effective in achieving success.
As company officers, applying these principles and ideas to our companies to achieve success involves:
Values
Every organization has a set of values; unfortunately, many are unaware of their own values or find that they no longer mirror their organization. Values shape the culture, making solid core values crucial. Values must align with the department’s current and future desires, not just copied year after year. A focus on 4-6 values ensures clarity. As a company officer, living and espousing these values daily is crucial. Talk is cheap; it takes action at all levels. In the company-level strategic plan, identify organizational values, ensure they are met, and challenge members to identify values important to them, incorporating them into daily routines.
Mission
The mission statement is what an organization says it does and what it is doing today. For many organizations, mission statements are long, boring, and generic. When developing the mission statement, strive for relatability and memorability. Consider adding a memorable “slogan” or “motto” within the mission statement for operational staff. A company-level motto can be created for clarity and pride, aiding decision-making. Make it achievable, providing clear performance indications for the crew.
A neighboring district uses the motto, “Whatever it Takes.” These few words provide a clear mission for the crews in the district. The motto should be achievable, driving force verbiage for the company not simply a station logo. Some examples: “The Go-To Company” or “Ready for Anything.” These simple mottos are a source of pride for the company, but also serve as a driving force for the company officer when it is time to put in extra training or effort. The company officer can use the motto, which everyone agreed to, as a rallying cry.
Vision
The vision expresses where you want the organization to be. It represented the broad-scope goal of the organization. Vision statements usually include action items, such as, “become a progressive, all-hazards organization” or “improve performance and safety through dynamic leadership.”
Again, going back to the correlation to the fire ground, the vision is where we want to end up. When developing your vision, make it achievable and measurable. A vision statement that cannot be measured cannot be achieved.
As it relates to the company level plan, think of where you want your company to be at the end of the year. An example might be, “to be the desired company by incident command” or “to achieve operational excellence for our response area.” These visions give direction and can tie directly to goals and objectives.
Goals
Goals are broad scope objectives the department aims to achieve. When developing goals, paint with a broad stroke, as objectives will break them down further into tactics for achievement.
Objectives
Objectives are the tactics to achieve goals. Follow the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-oriented) when developing objectives. In a company-level plan, identify key elements and develop SMART objectives to benchmark success.
For example, a goal might be: “to improve the technical rescue capabilities for the organization.”
Objectives may include “identify the top three technical rescue hazards within the community, host a rope rescue program within the department within 12 months of plan implementation, and develop and publish a technical rescue response plan.”
These tactical elements all move to achieve the goal of “Improving the technical rescue capabilities of the organization.”
When developing your company level plan, identify those key elements. A company level goal might be “to be entry-ready within 90 seconds of arrival on-scene.”
The objectives to achieve this goal would be, “each shift we will conduct a quick mask-up drill” and “as a company each rotation, working within our specific work assignment, we will deploy an attack line ready for entry.”
Strategic plans are excellent tools for ensuring organizations stay on track and achieve defined goals. At the company level, the strategic plan provides a framework for success, allowing members to have buy-in and recognizing the company’s overall success as their own.
BIO:
Brian Zaitz is Assistant Chief, Kirkwood (MO) Fire Department
