When Lacey (Wash.) Fire District 3 took delivery of an aerial truck in August 2006, the department's members weren't the only ones who needed to understand its ins and outs. By the time Truck 31 became operational in October, Chief Jim Broman and the department had developed a means of educating the community on its functions and abilities, as well as the reason why the city needed the truck in the first place.

“Most of the public and, to some extent, some of the fire service folks don't really appreciate and understand the different functions that need to happen at a structural fire incident and the role both the vehicle and the people assigned to it play,” says Broman. “That began the discussion of how we tell the public why we spent $700,000 on this vehicle and why it's going around town. Since there isn't a structural fire every day, and most people don't see it working in that capacity.”

The solution was a brochure covering the functions and features of the department's latest addition, highlighting Truck 31's unique qualities and the importance of owning it. The brochure even provides some information on the department itself, how it serves the community and the training investment made to bring its firefighters up to snuff on the new engine.

Truck 31 is a 105-foot custom aerial built by Pierce Manufacturing. Lacey specifically decided against a pumper, wanting to use the space and weight capacity for other equipment instead, since the department already has several trucks with pumps on them. Truck 31 is 41 feet long, 12 feet high and 8 feet wide and has an expected lifespan of 20 years. The aerial master stream has a 2,000-gpm capacity. A 15-kw hydraulic generator powers night lighting and tools. One 28,000-cfm exhaust fan and two 18,000-cfm exhaust fans are located in the front cabinet.

When the truck arrived, Lacey Fire District held an extensive training course dubbed “Truck Academy” for all members who would serve on the apparatus. Nearly a quarter of the department went through the academy, conducted by Fire Town Training in California.

Developing the brochure was a department-wide effort. “They were pretty outspoken that they didn't want some glitzy show piece,” Broman says. “They wanted something that really had good information.” The focus for Lacey Fire District was what they wanted to tell people, what they wanted the community at large to know about the department in general and truck 31 specifically. Once they settled on the information they wanted to convey, Broman brought their ideas to a local graphic-arts business. He credits a large portion of the brochure's success with their help, because they had the advantage of a layperson's perspective. “They would tell us, ‘When you use this terminology it means nothing to me,’” he says. “They helped us bring together the firefighter's perspective with the layperson's perspective to create a tool that would communicate from one to the other.”

In fact, Broman recommends using an outside graphics company to anyone considering a similar project. “We spent about $1,200 on the production of the brochure, plus printing costs. But in the long run, it saved us a lot. I think we would have produced something, gotten it out there, realized it didn't work right and had to go back and redo it. Anyone could do it, and you could it fairly quickly. But I don't think the effectiveness will be as good if you don't get people involved who are going to use it.”

When the truck is sent outside the station, firefighters always have a box of brochures with them to hand out.

In addition to the brochure, Lacey Fire District has taken additional steps to acquaint the community with the apparatus and the firefighters who serve on it. Broman says that when fire alarms at commercial buildings were pulled, Lacey previously would send a shift captain and fire company to check out the alarm to see if it was false or not. Since the addition of Truck 31, that unit also responds to the alarm. When they arrive on the scene, Truck 31's crew will enter the building as if there were a fire, make a decision about the best place to set up, go through the set up, raise the ladder and more. Not only does this help continue his firefighters' training and increase their familiarity with the apparatus and in making critical decisions, but it also gives the building's occupants a chance to see their fire department in action. Broman says they often will be outside and see what the firefighters are doing. Many will even ask questions. “We found that people seemed to be pleased or satisfied that their fire department is preparing, not just driving around and doing casual observations, but doing prep work,” he says.

More informally, the truck is shown off at service clubs, homeowners' associations, fairs and festivals, and other community events. The community holds two big festivals each year, drawing more than 10,000 people. Lacey Fire District brings Truck 31 to those events, as a means of communicating with more people, and letting those people get a closer look at the equipment and really engage in a conversation with members of their fire service. “The truck is the magnet,” he says. “It's the door-opener for the conversation, but the key is the conversation with folks.”

Broman says the department has considered taking these demonstrations to schools, but doesn't favor the idea because it's different information they want to communicate to the kids, and the truck would be a distraction. “We want to work with them in terms of self protection,” he says, “and they tend to get all ga-ga around the big truck, and you lose them.”

Broman says that training his firefighters for these demonstrations is almost as important as training them for working on the apparatus itself. They have to be prepared to be outgoing, he says, and not just wait for people to come to them. For some, this is a trait that comes naturally. For others, it's more difficult.

“It's not that they don't want to do it,” Broman says, “it's that they don't necessarily know how. We have to work on some skills training to train those folks on how they can be successful at meet and greet. Most folks say they actually enjoy doing this once they know how.”

The firefighters also will use these events as an opportunity to get across other critical safety information. Many demonstrations will be packed with bicycle helmet safety or emergency preparedness. It's more than just a show and tell for the Lacey Fire District.

But show and tell is important, too. Broman encourages that they open all the doors so people can see the equipment and the inside of the truck, but adds that there a little risk in doing so. “Some of the firefighters are afraid someone will take or touch something, but it's a risk you have to take. You have to keep your eyes open. Every once in a while we'll find a coffee cup or hot dog stuffed someplace.”

The public reaction to Lace Fire District's pub-ed campaign has been positive. Community members will leave voicemails or send e-mail saying how pleased they were to see them at the festivals, or how much they appreciated being able to see the new truck and meet members of the fire department. The investment is big, and has gone far beyond Truck 31's purchase price. But for the Lacey Fire District 3 and the community at large, it's one that pays off.