Fire Fighters Get Credit for Success Of Public Education
The uniqueness of the public relations program of the El Monte, Calif., Fire Department lies in the way it was organized and is administered.
Our bureau of public fire education was proposed entirely by our fire fighters. Furthermore, the bureau’s program development, community involvement and its budget development is in the hands of fire fighters—not the fire department administration staff.
The bureau has the responsibility for developing or coordinating every activity in which fire fighters would contact the public, from station tours to fire brigade training and recreation leaders’ first aid seminars.
Allowing the fire fighters to run the bureau, has resulted in enthusiasm from our fire fighters for any project the bureau has undertaken.
Our entire department recognizes the value of this program to our community and even more so to ourselves and the image of the fire service. The problems we have encountered by giving fire fighters the responsibility for the bureau have been few and minor because of the unit of interest and enthusiasm that the bureau’s unique inverted structure generates.
