To Demonstrate Your Value, Focus on the WHAT, Not on the HOW

Public safety agencies have a poor track record of demonstrating their value. As a result, politicians and administrative decision-makers inadvertently make poor choices when allocating resources. They just don’t know the impact of their decisions on public safety.

The most effective way to change this unnecessary reality is for public safety professionals to start re-focusing attention from HOW they do their work to WHAT their agencies do. Here are two ways to begin educating people about your value:

1. Instead of talking about indicators such as how quickly the first unit arrives on scene, or how successful firefighters are in confining fires to the room of origin, or how many officers are on the street, go a step further by putting this information in context. Tell people specifically what happens as a result of each of these indicators – i.e., their impact on public safety.

For example, during a recent ride-along I saw how the quick and aggressive response by firefighters enabled them to contain a hotel fire to a single room. Although that room was a total loss and there was smoke damage to the two adjacent rooms, the hotel was able to remain open for business. As a result, employees continued to work and get paid, the owners still purchased supplies from their vendors, customers remained in town and spent money, and the city continued to collect the room taxes from those customers. In short, the quick arrival and effective work by the fire department precluded serious financial losses by multiple stakeholders. Preventing such losses on a regular basis is one example of the real value (the WHAT) that public safety agencies provide. In this case, arriving quickly and containing the fire are the HOW, and are easily seen. Less visible, except to those directly affected, are the financial and human impacts. People deserve to know the entire story. Why not tell it?

2. Choose your measures carefully. Measuring the HOW of your jobs (e.g., response times, number of officers on the street, staffing statistics) is relatively easy: you can see what’s happening or not happening, how much time it takes, what the dollar costs are. Unfortunately, in the absence of alternatives, decision-makers tend to pay an inordinate amount of attention to these statistics – which, though necessary, are insufficient. By adding impact measures, such as how quickly businesses can re-open following an emergency, or the financial impact of helping a business open as quickly as possible, you can direct their attention to the value you provide.

For example, a fire chief in Florida told me today that he was called upon to intervene when red tape had delayed the opening of an area business by three months, with no end to the bureaucratic limbo in sight. By working through the issues with the owner and other city agencies, the fire chief enabled the business to open in short order. With a weekly payroll of $100,000 and the ripple effects of related employee and business spending, this one employer had a major economic impact on the city that would otherwise have been delayed indefinitely or even lost. The bottom line: it is the financial impact (the WHAT) that illustrates the value of the service provided, not the number of days, weeks, or months it takes for businesses to pass inspection (the HOW).

Providing a responsible level of public safety is local government’s top priority. Help your community help you keep them safe by educating them about WHAT you do rather than allowing their attention to be diverted to HOW you do it.

© 2013 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.