Are your fire department resources stretched thin, or is the delivery fire and EMS in your respective area fragmented and inefficient? An in-depth explanation is given regarding the successful use of data, shared services studies, messaging, communication, and the importance of involving key stakeholders. Common barriers to fire department consolidation are explored along with a root cause analysis which delves into human behavioral tendencies when faced with change. Examples of parochialistic behavior and how to overcome similar obstacles are examined. Participants in this very interactive presentation will be encouraged to build relationships across their respective jurisdictional lines in order to facilitate a possible future organizational merger. This presentation is designed to empower fire service leaders with the tools to convince fellow employees, management, and decision makers whom they deal with regularly that the need for the efficient, effective, and timely delivery of fire and EMS is more important than the name on the patch. The discussion portion is designed to help fire service leaders carry out their organization's mission by showing them a methodology to overcome challenges related to funding, operations, personnel issues, and deployment of resources.
Learning Objectives:
The participant will be empowered to build relationships of trust across jurisdictional lines to prepare for consolidation.
The participant will learn the art of making an informed argument for combining organizations while avoiding the pitfalls.
The participant will understand that emotionally based parochial opposition can and often will override logical decision making.