While sitting in his office, a fire chief wondered how to motivate the members of his department. It was a busy department with a large amount of EMS calls and a moderate amount of fire calls. Yet his members generally were not motivated — all including him were glad they made it through one day and worried about the next when it came.

This situation is common in many departments and offices They are lacking vision, a living mission statement and values, as well as clear and well-written goals and objectives on which to base a list of expectations for their members.

A vision that all the members of the department know and buy-in to is essential for motivation. It has been said that without vision you will perish. A vision establishes the direction for the department. It sets the organization's sights on where it wants to be in, say, five years. A vision gives each member of the department something to strive for. A vision should not be easy, nor should it be extremely difficult.

Picture this: While getting out of his car, a man drops his keys and they slide under the car next to his, just beyond his reach. He stretches his muscles a little bit beyond his normal range of motion and manages to slowly bring the keys within his grasp. This is what a departmental vision should be. It should require each member to stretch in a forward, progressive way to achieve the organization's vision. It should be positive, with lofty and inspirational words.

Here is an example of a vision statement: “The ABC Fire Department will be the premier fire department in the region.” Take note of the word “premier,” which according to the American Heritage Dictionary means “first in importance.” Words like “premier” provide the inspiration that is essential in a vision statement. A further look at the statement shows “in the region.” It provides that stretch of those department resources, or muscles, so it can be achieved. It's not too easy or too difficult. This vision might be too difficult to achieve if it said the nation or the state.

This vision also meets the other criteria of a vision statement; it's positive and inspirational and it defines where the department wants to be and what it wants to be. It's essential, however, that this vision statement is something that everyone in the department knows and that they can buy-in to easily. Everything the department does should be associated with the department's vision, which should be the cornerstone of the organization's operations.

All organizations need mission statements that define the reason for an organization's existence and the ways in which it accomplishes its vision and ensures its values. Many departments have mission statements, but unless the members of the department know it, it's not a living mission statement. It remains words on a board or business card and doesn't do anyone any good. A living mission statement is the driving force that will accelerate motivation. It allows the vision to come alive.

Another motivating force in a department is a set of departmental values. Values are simply what your department holds sacred. They affect what your department can or can't do and how the department sees itself. Values can drive an organization and motivate members to fulfill their department's expectations.

Examples of values would be family, safety and truth. Say a member broke a table and then lied about doing it. The broken table would not be as serious a violation as the violation of the truth, something this department strongly values.

Values aren't created by the chief and handed down to the members. The creation of values is a top-down/bottom-up process — and the process is key. These values must come from the department membership. A good way to do this would be to have a committee of members and officers meet to discuss possible values for the department. This committee must understand that a value is something that reflects the culture of the department and will drive the organization. Another method is to survey the membership, or combine both tactics. Once the departmental values are formed, they should be clearly posted in all stations. They may even be incorporated into the department's logo.

Departmental goals are long-term activities that help the organization to perform its mission. These goals need to be consistent with the departmental vision and values. Good words to use in goal statements are “to reduce,” “to improve,” “to increase” and the like. An example of a goal would be “to increase the level of training given by the ABC Fire Department.”

Departmental objectives are designed to fulfill the departmental goals. Objectives are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-dimensional. For example, “The ABC Fire Department will have five members trained as certifying instructors of Firefighter II curriculum by November 2004.”

How do vision, mission, values, goals and objectives translate into positive organizational motivation? Understand that department members can't be motivated if they do not clearly know what's expected of them. All too often, we assume that members know all their responsibilities. But it's essential to have written job descriptions, policies and procedures that state exactly what's expected of the person doing a particular job. We can't assume that our members know all that is expected of them simply because they have been around. Serious retention problems can result if members don't know exactly what's expected of them.

Remember that in today's society, it's not sufficient to list departmental expectations without explaining why they exist. Once the expectations are clear, we must go further. It's essential that we have a formally evaluate each of our members periodically based on how they are contributing to the departmental vision. Members must know if they are meeting the organizational expectations. If they are, praise them. If they aren't, tell them what they can do. This process is time-consuming, and in some departments the chief would not have time to do this. This job can be delegated to the officers of the department or to members who demonstrate good leadership and communication skills and are committed to the department's vision.

The department mentioned in the beginning of this column did not see beyond the immediate future, and thus had a minimally informed and motivated department. It's essential for all departments to have a clear vision of the future and to establish a living mission statement and values, all with related goals and objectives. It's also necessary for the leaders of that department to empower the members of the organization by allowing them to take part in the creation of the overall vision. Remember TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More.

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Chief Mike Chiaramonte is a 35-year member of the Lynbrook (N.Y.) Fire Department and a past chief of the department. He's currently the chief fire inspector, where he's responsible for code enforcement and prevention education. Chiaramonte was a past chairman and board member of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section Board and New York State Director to the IAFC Eastern Division. He's also a National Fire Academy Instructor and an adviser to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Chiaramonte is a state EMT-CC and an instructor at the Nassau County EMS Academy. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Hofstra University, both in communications education.