By CRAIG A. HAIGH and JOSEPH M. HEIM
Sister Cities International is a program that President Dwight D. Eisenhower created in 1956. His vision was to create bonds between people of different world cities by forming relationships that would lead to peace and prosperity. A key aspect of the program was the chance to build relationships based on culture, education, information, and trade exchanges that would ultimately lead to lifelong friendships.1
In some cases, Sister Cities International goes beyond mutually beneficial relationships and has become a platform that allows cities of prosperity to share expertise and, in some cases, resources with communities that lack the capabilities to effectively govern based on economic need. The Village of Hanover Park, Illinois, is one example that has had a long-standing relationship with Cape Coast, Ghana.
Cape Coast is a former European colony and was once the largest slave-trading center in West Africa.2 The area today is economically depressed, and funding for basic services like schools and public safety is challenged. Almost 20 years ago, Hanover Park built in Cape Coast with community donations a school that bears its name and continues to operate today. The school has provided education to hundreds of students and has been expanded and had programs added because of the generosity of the Hanover Park residents. The school is a great source of pride for both communities.
The fire services in the United States and abroad could benefit from Sister Cities International through shared knowledge; experience; and, in many cases, assistance with equipment, tools, and apparatus. Some departments operate with multimillion-dollar budgets and are extremely well-equipped; they compensate their personnel in both salary and benefits at exceptional levels; and their firefighters are some of the best trained in the country, holding certifications in multiple disciplines. Conversely, other departments barely have the resources to cover the cost of fuel and insurance, and all other income is generated through fundraisers and donations.
A volunteer fire chief from a small rural community in the Midwest said that his total fire department tax revenue is around $15,000 annually. The department covers all other operational expenses through benefit dinners and an occasional raffle. He explained that many of his personnel give generously out of their own pockets to cover needed expenses or “pass the hat” to collect funds to replace an essential piece of equipment that has broken and must be replaced.
Their apparatus is more than 40 years old; some of it was built in-house by the volunteers. The tools, nozzles, loose equipment, and protective gear are old and in disrepair. Compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards is not even a consideration. This department is just trying to do the best job possible in protecting its community with the limited resources it has available.
But make no mistake, the members of this department are extremely proud of their organization and the services they provide. The chief also said the department is in the process of installing dry hydrants throughout its service area. The hydrants were designed and constructed by one of the volunteers and paid for by the members. He showed me photos of the hydrants and his team working out of a small flat-bottom boat installing these units in farm ponds and streams. He beamed with pride at the work that his people are doing to grow and develop their service delivery capabilities.
This conversation is not an anomaly; it is the norm and one that gets repeated over and over by chiefs/officers from organizations across the country. The situation gets even more challenging when talking to international chiefs/officers. The ingenuity of the fire service and the drive to “figure it out” so it can continue to provide service to its communities are amazing. Think about the tools and equipment you regularly dispose of that, with a little work, can be repaired and used by these departments. Finally, think of the training needs and how these departments could benefit from the expertise of fire service instructors and experienced officers.
Because of either a lack of situational awareness, an “it’s not my problem” attitude, or the age-old volunteer vs. career argument, we as emergency service organizations do not support each other as much as we could and should.
Tale of Two Departments
In the early 2000s, the city of East Dubuque, Illinois, was going through a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood buyout program, and its fire department was fortunate to have access to numerous houses to use for training. One spring day, the East Dubuque Fire Department (EDFD) hosted a house burn through the Illinois Fire Service Institute’s (IFSI’s) State Fire Academy, and a few members of the Hanover Park (IL) Fire Department (HPFD), a career department in the western suburbs of the Chicago metro area, participated. As the day progressed, both departments seemed to form a bond.
The EDFD is a small volunteer department in the “Driftless Zone,” the only area in Illinois that escaped the glaciation that resulted in the flattening of the topography and creating the massive fields seen throughout the rest of the state.3 The East Dubuque area is well known for its hills, valleys, bluffs, and exposed rock formations as well as its location and easy access to Iowa and Wisconsin.
Over the years, these two very different departments have formed a bond not commonly seen between career and volunteer departments. By sharing information and instructors and just bouncing ideas off of each other, this relationship has made both agencies better.
The biggest aspect the EDFD has taken away from the experience is the assistance provided in preparing the past three strategic plans. The HPFD spent countless hours assisting with the arduous task of analyzing and planning for the future of the EDFD. This process allowed the department to develop a number of goals that led to the lowering of the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Protection Class from a “5” to a “4,” building a training facility that includes a live burn module, creating a fire cadet program, and creating and passing new city ordinances that instituted a cost recovery program used to add additional operational revenue to the department.
A huge undertaking driven by the strategic plan was the startup of a fire-based ambulance service. Years ago, the EDFD operated its own ambulance service, but the department decided to contract the service to a private provider because of the challenges associated with training and staffing a paramedic level service with all volunteers. However, the contractual relationship had not been working out as well as it was hoped. Through a detailed analysis and planning process, the department was able to find solutions to many of the challenges of the past and ultimately convinced the city to discontinue the contract and allow the department to again provide this vital service. As with any such undertaking, the department has encountered a few bumps and hurdles, but all involved would say that the department and the residents are better served under this new delivery model.
By building this relationship with Hanover Park, the EDFD now looks at what it is doing differently: EDFD members challenge themselves more and continually push to be better at what they do. They look for ways to be more progressive, market their services, and provide better education to the public.
Through the networking model the HPFD has developed, EDFD personnel have been provided with the opportunity to attend and participate in the HPFD’s succession planning/officer development classes.
See One, Do One, Teach One
Following the “See One, Do One, Teach One” model, the entire City of East Dubuque – including all operational departments – is going through the strategic planning process. The city manager and council have seen the benefit of sound planning, and they hope to see similar results within all city departments. This undertaking is entirely the result of the relationship between the two fire departments.
Firefighters Are Firefighters
Regardless of organizational size, employment status, or geographical location, what makes firefighters different from the general population is their passion to serve. Firefighters are driven by their heart, regardless of organizational status (care er, paid-on-call, volunteer), and are focused on serving their communities in any way possible.
In recent years, Hanover Park has developed a relationship with the Hong Kong (China) Fire Services Department. On two occasions, Hanover Park has hosted training for a group of fire officers from Hong Kong. In each case, these incredibly talented fire officers spent three weeks with the HPFD attending hazardous materials response training conducted by the IFSI. Although the members spoke English with a slightly different accent and had a few different mannerisms, we realized quickly that they were simply firefighters who shared our same motivations, passions, and commitment to service. In fact, after the first couple of days together (and once they dressed in turnout gear or hazmat suits), you could not tell which firefighters hailed from the United States or from China, and you certainly could not tell by their performance or ability when they worked together as a team.
The more time we spend working outside of our departments, the more we understand that, regardless of organization – United States or international – firefighters are firefighters; the only thing that changes is the patch they wear on their uniforms.
Sister Departments
Using the Sister City International model, how can fire service organizations better support the mission of their fellow fire service agencies across the globe? First, think beyond the walls of your own organization. This involves building relationships, asking questions, and thinking about what you have that might be helpful to a sister department. Many career departments have a large number of members who are certified as instructors and who would cherish the opportunity to share their expertise. Similarly, department administrators who can share knowledge related to budgeting, human resources, policy development, and planning are extremely helpful. Often, a chief officer playing the role of a “sounding board” is all that is needed.
By allowing members to build these relationships and to participate in these roles, a huge amount of personal development occurs. As we work to help each other, the learning that takes place is immeasurable, ultimately making us stronger members of our home departments.
References
1. Mission and History of Sister Cities (2016). Retrieved from http://sistercities.org/mission-and-history.
2. Cape Coast (2016). Retrieved from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ghana/the-coast/cape-coast/introduction.
3. Jefferson A. (2010). The Driftless Area: Fewer glaciers but more topography than the rest of Minnesota. Retrieved from http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/2010/11/the-driftless-area-fewer-glaciers-but-more-topography-than-the-rest-of-minnesota.
CRAIG A. HAIGH is a 33-year fire service veteran and chief of the Hanover Park (IL) Fire Department. He is also a field staff instructor with the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute. Haigh has managed volunteer, combination, and career departments; implemented intermediate and paramedic services; developed a variety of courses for the fire service; and is an FDIC International H.O.T. instructor. He has a BS degree in fire and safety engineering, has an MS degree in executive fire service leadership, is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program, and is a nationally certified paramedic.
JOSEPH M. HEIM is a 24-year fire service veteran and the volunteer chief of the East Dubuque (IL) Fire Department. He is also a career fire officer working full time as deputy chief of the Rock Island Arsenal Fire Department. He is a director for the Illinois Firefighters Association and a frequent area fire service instructor, teaching primarily command tactics and strategy as well as implementation of the National Blue Card System. Heim has an AS degree in fire science.
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