It comes as no surprise to most people that fire departments are expensive to operate. Considering the fire stations, fire apparatus, tools, equipment, and manpower it requires to provide a service in which you make a phone call and in less than ten minutes you have an arsenal of highly-trained, terrifically-equipped people at your location ready to lay their lives on the line to make sure you’re ok, it makes sense.
True, there aren’t as many fires as there once was, but that is no accident. You see, we care so much about you and recognize that the best way to keep you safe is to prevent the fire from happening in the first place. So, we have fire investigators that determine what caused the fire. If it was an arsonist, we arrest them. If it was a curious child, we help them understand the dangers of playing with fire. If it was faulty electrical or poor building design, we change building codes so it won’t happen again. It’s an interesting business model, I know.
It comes as a surprise to many people that firefighters do much more than fight fire. The fire department has become your all-hazards, jack-of-all-trades, first response agency that “puts out fires” of all shapes and sizes, both literally and metaphorically. House fire? We got you. Trapped in your car, need to be extricated? Yup, that too. Stuck in an elevator? We’re coming. Choking, drowning, or suffering from a stroke? We know what to do. Delivering a baby? Let me grab that bag.
The reality is that occasionally things are going to catch fire and we need to be ready to put them out. Rather than just sitting here waiting for a fire, we have found other ways to provide value to our community through fire prevention, fire investigations, fire inspections, emergency medical services, vehicle extrication, and more.
When you’re so good that you risk becoming obsolete, you build on your model and find ways to deliver even more value to your customer.
Sarah J McCrea-Dameron 