Elgin FD invests in strategic planning

Elgin Fire Chief John Fahy is a big fan of the classic Yogi Berra quote: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” This mindset—having a clear vision for the future—inspired the Elgin Fire Department to create its first official strategic plan, covering the years 2015 through 2020, according to Fahy.

The plan was developed this spring with the help of The Center for Public Safety Excellence, who served as consultants at a cost of about $15,000. It was officially released last week, and Elgin now joins just 10% of fire departments across the country that have formalized strategic plans, Fahy said.

Assistant Fire Chief Dave Schmidt was one of 32 internal stakeholders involved in refining the information gathered from external community members who participated in focus groups. This process helped shape the direction of the department’s future goals.

Previously, the department didn’t have a formal strategic approach, and many firefighters weren’t involved in the planning process. Nor were they encouraged to seek public input, Fahy explained. With several senior leaders nearing retirement, the new plan also includes structured succession planning to ensure smooth leadership transitions.

“By 2020, most of our staff will likely be retiring after 30 years of service,” Schmidt noted.

The final strategic plan outlined seven key areas: internal and external communications, community outreach, disaster preparedness, fire prevention, workforce development, health and wellness, and public education. For each of these, specific goals were set with clear timelines, responsibilities, and funding estimates.

Fahy emphasized that in today’s data-driven world, fire departments can no longer rely on simple requests for equipment. Instead, they must back their needs with solid evidence and demonstrate how those needs benefit both the department and the broader community.

To gather insights, the department and its consultants invited 130 community stakeholders to participate in focus groups. About 90 attended, a number that impressed the consultants, who saw it as a strong sign of public support for the fire department and city operations.

After the public sessions, internal stakeholders took over to refine the ideas and turn them into actionable steps. Fahy made sure not to interfere too much during the process, believing that firefighters would be more honest without him present.

Both Fahy and Schmidt acknowledged that many organizations create strategic plans only to let them sit unused. To avoid that, each goal in the Elgin plan has defined objectives, timeframes, and assigned personnel responsible for execution. Many of the objectives are designed to build on each other, ensuring a logical progression.

The workforce planning and development goal focuses on current staffing levels and how they match service demands, while also identifying future staffing needs based on anticipated service requirements. It also looks at evaluating management programs and preparing current firefighters for leadership roles in the future.

Elgin firefighters, like many departments nationwide, have seen a decline in actual fires due to better home construction. Currently, about 75% of all calls are medical-related, with the remaining 25% covering fires, accidents, hazardous materials, and other emergencies. The plan aims to optimize how resources are used to meet these evolving needs.

“In the end, we want to become a more efficient, well-trained, and better-communicating department,” Fahy said.

Thanks, Dan