Elgin fire department launches strategic planning

The Elgin Fire Department's first strategic plan kicked off Monday with a meeting attended by about 90 people, including employers and nonprofit agencies.

The goal is to take stock of how the community perceives the department's work as it plans for the future, Assistant Fire Chief Dave Schmidt said.

"The biggest reason is that we strive to improve as a department," Schmidt said. "Our vision of the future could be completely different from what the publics wants or expects, so we need that feedback."

Those at the meeting at the Centre of Elgin included city staff members, representatives of hospitals and homeowners associations, and residential and commercial builders, Schmidt said. "We wanted a cross-section of people, basically anyone who would use our services on an actual call," he said, adding the fire department has never done this before.

Participants were asked to write down their expectations and concerns about the fire department.

They were also asked to prioritize department services, such as fire suppression, prevention and investigation, emergency medical services, education, rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, domestic preparedness and community outreach.

The strategic plan - which should be ready in about three months - is costing about $25,000, including $15,000 to hire a consultant from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, a Virginia-based nonprofit, and about $10,000 in overtime costs, Schmidt said.

The money comes from $97,500 budgeted for professional services for the department in 2015, Schmidt said.

In the next three days, 32 members of all ranks within the fire department will take part in strategic planning sessions at Elgin Community College, Schmidt said. Data gathered Monday will be part of the discussion, consultant Brian Dean said.