A firefighter was out at a social event with his wife when he was introduced to someone who had never met a firefighter before. During their conversation, the person asked, “What do you do at the fire station when you are not fighting fires? Sleep?” The firefighter was surprised that anyone could think this way, so he explained all the things firefighters do, from training to maintenance. The civilian was amazed.

The firefighter assumed that this was just one uninformed community member, but it bothered him so much that next time he was with people who weren't acquainted with firefighters he asked, “What do you think firefighters do when they aren't fighting fires?” The answers included sleep, play checkers, watch TV and hang out. The firefighter realized what a poor job his department, which was in a fairly large southern city, did of marketing itself. He began to notice how they tended to close their station doors and do their training and other work behind those doors. He wondered how the lack of public knowledge would affect his department in the immediate and distant future.

Have you spent any time really finding out if your community knows what your department actually does? Do they know how much training it takes to do your job, especially considering the all-hazards approach the fire service is taking today? Does the average person in the community know how much daily maintenance it takes to keep our highly advanced equipment in good working order? Do they even know such simple things as how much it costs to outfit a firefighter in a complete set of PPE with an air pack? Do your community members know that a fire station is self-contained and doesn't have cleaning people like other public buildings? Do they realize the cost-savings to them of us washing our own vehicles? Most community members have no idea what's happening in fire stations across the country.

Why is it essential that community members know all these things about their local fire department? The simple answer is because they vote and pay taxes. These are the people who determine the size and scope of your department. These are the people to whom the authority having jurisdiction is responsible. It's the AHJ that ultimately controls each and every aspect of your department, for it is ultimately responsible for determining the acceptable level of risk for the community. And this is only on the local level.

What about the federal level? Does the public care if the FIRE Grant program gets cut? Do they even know about the program? Do they know how it affects them? Do they know the subordinate role the U.S. Fire Administration has in the Department of Homeland Security and how the fire service is not considered much in the overall picture in that department, especially when it comes to planning and funding? Do they know the impact this all has on their daily fire service and EMS?

Fire departments must make sure that their communities are well-informed of every aspect of the department, including a complete knowledge of what occurs at a fire station on a daily basis by the entire staff. More importantly, the community must know why these activities occur and what effect they have on providing safety and security.

Citizens see police and public works going about their jobs all day long. They put their garbage out and it disappears; they see a police officer in the car next to theirs on the road. Citizens don't see the work the fire department does unless there is problem or a catastrophe, therefore, fire departments must work harder to achieve the essential exposure necessary for survival in today's political climate. An informed public is a must for such survival to take place.

If a department doesn't have an active public information officer and staff, one should be appointed immediately. If the department has a PIO who is currently only dealing with fire and EMS issues, thought must be given to informing the public about the department's daily activities and how they have a direct impact on the safety and security of the community. This is a proactive-public relations approach.

Departments should publicize training activities, class attendance lists and graduations, including the hours spent and again how these hours add up to more safety and security in the community. More training should be done in the public eye with signage that states, for example, “ABC Fire Department training to serve you better.”

More time should be spent taking fire apparatus into neighborhoods, handing out fire-prevention literature and allowing residents to see what they are paying for. Have photo displays at public meetings and events that show departmental training, equipment maintenance and other activities that take place around the station.

Don't just show fires and disasters; report successes to the media. We continually report loss. Most often, we don't report the amount of property saved, and we certainly don't report the amount of training involved to save it. Thought should be given to using PowerPoint and other tools to show the daily life of a firefighter and other personnel at the fire station, again with emphasis on how their activities directly affect the safety and security of the community. These programs should be shown in schools and community meetings. For example, this program can be shown to the chamber of commerce, where the point should be made that the fire department ensures community comfort, which, in turn, stimulates local spending and growth. The importance of the local fire department in the economy and development of a community should be emphasized — let's face it, if the fire department doesn't do the emphasizing, no one else will. It is again key to emphasize what's involved daily to accomplish such a level of professionalism.

Departments often assume that the public knows what they do and how they do it. Take an informal survey at a social event that you are attending to see if community members who aren't normally associated with the fire department know just what firefighters do when they aren't fighting fires.

Chief Mike Chiaramonte, CFO, is a 40-year member of the Lynbrook (N.Y.) Fire Department and its former chief. Chiaramonte is a past chairman and board member of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section Board and past president of the IAFC Eastern Division. He's also a National Fire Academy Instructor and on the advisory board to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Chiaramonte is a state EMT-B. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Hofstra University, both in communications education.