As a leader within the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), I have learned a great deal about the power of public safety coalitions. Time and again, our leaders have witnessed remarkable achievements when the IAFC and other public safety groups come together to achieve a goal.
A coalition demonstrates the concept of synergy–that the end result of groups working together is greater than the sum of the parts (i.e., individuals or a single group working alone).
Consensus within a coalition is essential. Yes, there are always contentious issues–that’s the nature of bringing together powerful groups with purposeful leaders. But with the coalitions the IAFC has led or has committed to as participants, I’ve seen many essential principles at work: openness, camaraderie, communications and trust. I’ve learned that we should always resolve our concerns within the group–peer to peer first, and then through a consensus process within the coalition.
I’ve also seen that coalitions are a forum for sharing knowledge. When one group demonstrates the benefit of a process to its own constituents, other groups have the opportunity to see how that process would benefit their constituents. That sharing of knowledge characterizes a successful coalition.
Coalitions are not competitive; they are cooperative. In the end, all partners in the coalition work toward a common goal that will benefit all public safety services.
Successful Coalitions
Following are several examples of successful coalitions.
- The “Common Voices” Fire Sprinkler Coalition brings together families of people who died in buildings without sprinklers, fire service organizations, unions and manufacturers with an interest in public safety. They’ve worked hard to raise awareness of the connection between fire sprinklers and reducing citizens–and firefighters–deaths.
- Fire service organizations have worked as one voice on Capitol Hill to create and annually fund FIRE and SAFER grants.
- The Digital Project Working Group aims to resolve noise issues in radio communications during fire incidents. The group has created best operational practices for using radios and a report that addresses the scientific data on radio communications in high-noise situations. Those two documents were issued this summer; you can find them on the IAFC Web site (www.iafc.org) in its Digital Project Working Group area.
- A coalition of fire and law-enforcement organizations worked together to force the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement the Hometown Heroes Act. This legislation was passed in 2003 to give survivors’ benefits to the families of firefighters and police who died of heart attacks or strokes within 24 hours of an incident. It took the DOJ 3 years to issue the implementing regulations and another year for the DOJ to start following the spirit and letter of the law. As of mid-July, 152 families have received these benefits.
Final Thoughts
Currently the IAFC is joining with law enforcement, state and local governments and other organizations in the Public Safety Spectrum Trust. This effort is designed to develop a national public safety broadband network through a public-private partnership. For an ambitious effort like this to be successful, we must work with a diverse number of stakeholders in a common coalition.
No one group can solve the challenges to public safety, but together I believe we will continue to overcome the obstacles through our consensus and commitment to a common purpose.
