GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Fire Department presented its three year strategic plan to the City Commission on Tuesday.
The plan covers 2019 to 2021. The goal is to make sure the department receives all the necessary education and training to create a safer community.
“It’s a manageable period of time for us," said Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman. "It’s one that sets realistic goals for us and allows us to measure those.”
The department's planning team is focusing on four pillars: training, prevention, wellness and support services. Lehman said not only to protect the community, but also make sure fire crews are taken care of as well.
“A strategic plan in general helps us set priorities, to work towards common goals and form agreements towards outcomes," said Lehman.
The plan implements an effective community risk reduction program to help create a safer community by gathering feedback from citizens and input from other agencies.
“We reached out to agencies we work with on a frequent basis," said Grand Rapids Fire Captain Brad Brown. "This was AMR, dispatch, life EMS, the water department; so it’s city departments but private sectors as well.”
The layout of the plan also received some positive feedback, not just from agencies they work with regularly but other fire departments, including the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
“They’re [Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety] going to be employing a similar process down in Kalamazoo, so not only are we doing this for the Grand Rapids Fire Department, but we’re trying to share with other agencies in the state of Michigan.”
This new plan for the Grand Rapids Fire Department will take effect in July 2019.
