Cedar Rapids Fire Department will reevaluate strategic plan

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Fire Department is planning over the next several months to make revisions to its current strategic plan, which was implemented in July 2022 and was meant to last through fiscal 2027.

The current plan focuses on four strategic priorities: community risk reduction, maximizing operational effectiveness, employee health and safety and employee training and company readiness.

Background

Cedar Rapids firefighters consistently are working to improve their level of performance, and the department has had a few opportunities recently to reassess how it’s doing, according to Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Greg Smith.

In June 2022, the City Council approved a $57,500 contract with Raftelis, of Charlotte, N.C., to review the organization of the fire department and firefighter health and safety, as well as the locations and functionality of the department’s nine fire stations.

Raftelis completed the review by touring each of the fire stations and interviewing staff members and others. The consultant also reviewed department data including staffing information, budget reports and workload data.

A report based on the findings was delivered to the department earlier this year and presented to the city’s Public Safety and Youth Services Committee. The report included 17 recommendations of things the fire department could work into a strategic plan.

The suggestions included some things the department already had planned and budgeted for — like ballistic protective equipment and a second set of fire gear for all firefighters — as well as new recommendations, like adding up to six firefighters to the authorized number to reduce overtime.

The report also included suggestions related to improving training, working closer with major industries in the city and updating fire stations.

The fire department also recently went through the process of renewing its accreditation through The Center for Public Safety Excellence and Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The accreditation lasts five years between renewals.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department first received accreditation in 2018, and had its accreditation renewed in September. The process to receive and renew accreditation is long, and involves completing a detailed self-assessment manual outlining everything the department does.

What’s happened since

Chief Smith presented an update last Monday on the current strategic plan to the Public Safety and Youth Services committee, which consists of council members Dale, Todd, Ashley Vanorny and Scott Overland.

In the update, Smith told the council members that the department is planning to reevaluate the current strategic plan over the next six months to make sure it still aligns with the department’s goals and the needs of the city.

The decision to reevaluate came mostly because the current plan was created in 2021 while the COVID-19 pandemic was an emergency, and some priorities have changed since then. While the reaccreditation and the Raftelis review weren’t impetus for the decision to reevaluate the plan, they will play into the priorities for the plan, Smith told The Gazette after the meeting.

Smith’s update on the plan included information about some of the objectives of the strategic plan that have been or nearly completed — including getting all of the department’s fire inspectors internationally certified, adding another staff member in the code enforcement division, getting new boat equipment for river rescues, replacing a door at Station Six with a larger door to fit a larger engine, purchasing body armor and ballistic vests for all fire personnel and improving wellness programs for employees, among other accomplishments.

“We’re really also focused on the mental and physical health of many of our firefighters,” Smith said. “We’re continually looking at what can we do to make sure that our employees are safe and healthy. It’s not just having treadmills and a set of weights at each of the stations so that our employees can work out. It’s also how do we incorporate physical fitness, along with emotional well-being, along with mental health well-being?”

The department honored many of its firefighters and several community members Tuesday night at its annual recognition ceremony. Recognition was given to individuals and groups for their work this year responding to a CPR emergency, fires, a trench rescue, a rope rescue and other emergencies.

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