Public Safety Insights Newsletter: March 26, 2014

A Quick and Easy Way to Demonstrate Your Agency’s Value
Public Safety Insight:	You can demonstrate your agency’s value easily by re-framing existing data in ways that people care about and can understand quickly.

Fire Chief Dennis Mueller of the Lake Havasu City (AZ) Fire Department knows what it takes to demonstrate the value his agency provides to the community. Like many of his colleagues across the country, he publishes an annual report that documents his department’s achievements. Unlike most of them, he frames some of the data in eye-catching ways.

One statistic commonly reported by fire and rescue agencies, and that appears in the LHCFD’s 2013 Annual Report, is the dollar value of property lost to fires. However, Chief Mueller goes a step further: he provides context by also reporting the dollar value of property saved AND total property value. Further, he includes a simple bar chart that tells a convincing story:

To highlight the agency’s value more persuasively, I suggest the addition of a sentence such as, "During 2013, the LHCFD saved 88% of the property threatened by fire.”

What make this simple graphic and statement so compelling?

• A picture truly is "worth a thousand words."
• The comparisons and the percentage provide a context that people can relate to immediately.
• The focus is on an issue that stakeholders care about: residents, business owners, and insurance companies all have a vested interest in helping the department increase the percentage of property saved to as close to 100% as possible.

Another way Chief Mueller demonstrates value in the Annual Report is by framing the agency’s achievements in ways that readers easily can relate to and understand. Consider the impact of this message in the opening paragraph of the report: "Through the efforts of our fire suppression crews, we were able to save over $25 million in property from being destroyed. More importantly, our EMTs and paramedics saved over 252 lives that would have perished if our medics had not intervened." What community wouldn’t want to support and sustain outcomes like these?                     
There’s no reason you can’t communicate your agency’s value in a compelling way. Here are three steps you can take to get started:

1. Identify some data/statistics that your agency currently reports.
   For example, EMS calls, number of permits issued, and response times all come to mind as candidates for demonstrating the value provided to your community.

2. Re-frame the information to provide a context that is meaningful for your stakeholders.
   For example, linking the number of permits issued or inspections completed to the community’s economic viability will get people’s attention and educate those who have no idea that the fire department plays an integral role in their individual and collective economic well-being.

3. Communicate this information widely using a variety of media.
   Use words, pictures, charts, and graphs appropriately to get people’s attention by telling your story. Disseminate the information through your web site, social media outlets, newsletters, and interactions with the community.

To read about three specific ways you can quantify your agency’s value, take a look at our article How to Demonstrate Your Agency’s Economic Impact.

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To find other articles and resources that may be of value to you, I invite you to visit my web site at www.PublicSafetyInsights.net.

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©2014 Pat Lynch | Public Safety Insights