2024 STRATEGIC PLAN
Aurora Fire Rescue
Process Overview
Change is inevitable, but growth is intentional. It begins when we set goals. Yet, having goals is not synonymous with success. An organization must craft a comprehensive plan—a roadmap replete with clear objectives, defined timelines, specific roles, and measurable milestones. This strategic planning is pivotal for any organization, public or private, aspiring to reach its full potential.
Such a plan outlines a well-defined direction, takes stock of the operational environment, and devises strategies to progress toward goals. These components position an organization to adeptly serve its community and achieve its overarching vision. In renewing its commitment to professionalism, the organization sets itself on a trajectory toward enduring success.
The strategic implementation planning process culminates in a three-to-five-year work plan, guiding the collective endeavors of the organization towards shared goals and objectives. It is an inclusive method, engaging key stakeholder representatives to ensure that the interests of the entire community are considered throughout the planning stages.
During the planning sessions, the team re-examined the agency's mission, vision, and values. These elements served as the cornerstones for identifying service improvement areas. From these discussions emerged the strategic themes that now underpin the goals of the implementation plan.
The strategic goals, once established, were then broken down into specific objectives. Through robust dialogue and brainstorming, ideas were either adopted or discarded based on group consensus. The resulting goals and objectives were designed to be flexible, allowing for adjustments as needed to align with the agency’s broader aspirations.
In summary, the careful formulation of a strategic plan, which involves inclusive participation and flexible goal setting, equips an organization with the agility to adapt and the direction to thrive amidst change.
Community-Centered Strategic Planning Process
ESCI's Community Centered Strategic Planning Process (CCSPP) methodology has been adopted and utilized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, numerous other national, regional, and state fire service agencies and associations, and hundreds of local fire departments across the United States and Canada. The CCSPP has proven remarkably effective with all types and sizes of organizations, from large metropolitan fire departments to small, rural all-volunteer Fire Rescues and everything in between. This process was utilized in the development of the Birmingham Fire & Rescue strategic planning framework and will include, but not necessarily be limited to:
- Reviewing organizational background.
- Defining services provided to the community.
- Identify aspects of the organization that the community views positively.
- Developing a vision for the future.
- Establishing the organization's guiding principles.
- Identifying performance gaps.
- Establishing the organization's strategic goals.
- Identifying the objectives that support the strategic goals.
- Determining critical implementation tasks for each objective.
- Defining service outcomes in the form of performance measures and targets.
Message from the Chief
Alec Oughton, Fire Chief
Dear Valued Members of Aurora Fire Rescue and the City of Aurora:
It gives me great pleasure to share Aurora Fire Rescue’s 2024 Strategic Plan. This document reflects where AFR is today, where we should be, and how we will arrive at a destination that supports the needs of our community and our members.
The strategic plan is intended to be a living document that will guide future budget development, internal and external service delivery, and decision-making for our agency.
This plan was developed through a collaborative process involving many of the nearly 500 members of AFR, as well as a broad mix of residents across Aurora, community leaders, and partner organizations. These individuals contributed crucial insights and ideas as we set out to identify performance gaps, establish the path forward, and prioritize goals to work toward.
They also redefined AFR’s vision, mission, and core values. These bedrocks of our organization’s purpose and principles were due for a refresh to better align with where AFR is today and where we’re going. I am thrilled that they came directly from our own members and were validated by those we serve.
Our service toward others is bound by an oath of:
- Trust – Our life depends on mutual trust among crew members, and we never take the community’s trust for granted.
- Humility – We stay humble, treat everyone equally, and always keep people at the center of our mission
- Ethics – We are firmly rooted in a strong moral code.
We are committed to caring for the community by being:
- Professional – We establish and follow best practices for the fire service.
- Responsive – Our ability to provide fast, reliable service is integral to what we do.
- Outward-facing – We are unwavering in our focus on the community.
- Modern – We are committed to continuous improvement in evolving our training, tools, and policies.
- Inspirational – Our members put their lives on the line for others.
- Safety-minded – We are dedicated to helping the community become more educated about how they can prevent injuries, protect their property and respond in emergency situations.
- Empathetic – We serve everyone with compassion and love.
This is THE PROMISE that those we serve can expect from AFR, today and always.
Sincerely,
Alec Oughton, Fire Chief Aurora Fire Rescue
External & Internal Feedback
External Stakeholder Feedback
On Wednesday, October 25th, 2023, ESCI facilitated a community stakeholder feedback session at the City of Aurora Municipal Center. Invitations were sent to forty-five Aurora community members/businesses. Both internal and external stakeholders attended the session. The seven representatives in attendance included:
- Retired Aurora Fire Rescue
- Aurora Crisis Intervention
- Faulk Medical Transport
- Medical Center of Aurora
- Aurora Key Community Response Team
- Faith-based Community
As part of the discussions, ESCI asked the attendees to help define "good service" in the context of what a fire department should provide to their community. The group identified the following assets provided by Aurora Fire Rescue:
- Right Service at the Right Time
- Efficient with Resources – Fiscally Responsible
- Resources that Match Risk – Well Equipped
- Active Community Engagement
- Collaborative – Strategic Partnerships
- Professionalism
- Dedicated & Compassionate
- Responds Quickly & Efficiently
- Right Service at the Right Time
- Long-term Vision – Short-Term Action
After defining good service, the group worked together to define the community's expectations of Aurora Fire Rescue from the group's perspective. These expectations included:
- Culturally Competent & Compassionate
- Political Competence
- Reflective of the Community
- Match Community Change – Anticipate Current & Future Needs
- Fiscal Responsibility & Long-term Planning
- Willingness to Change – Be Adaptive – Align Services with Community Risk
- Aligned with Professional Standards
- Be Proactively Collaborative – Strategic Partnerships
Aurora Fire Rescue Member Survey
Emergency Services Consulting International worked closely with AFR stakeholders to create and deploy a member survey to inform the development of the strategic plan. On September 25, 2023, Aurora Fire Rescue sent the ESCI member survey. The survey remained open to responses until 5:00 PM on October 9, 2023. Two hundred ninety-four members submitted to the study, representing over 63% of the department's personnel.
The survey participation primarily represents the perspectives of the non-supervisory staff. Of the survey respondents, 68% were in non-supervisory roles, and 32% were in supervisory roles. Additionally, 33% of the respondents reported they have worked with the department for 0-5 years while the largest group of respondents (36%) reported that they have worked with the department for 11-25 years.
Internal Stakeholders Workshop
Aurora Fire Rescue members who participated in a two-day internal workshop participated in a "Good – Better – Different" exercise. The process was meant to eliminate group thinking and enable all participants to provide open feedback. Using three different colored sticky notes, Aurora Fire Rescue members took part in the process.
Facilitators collected each sticky note and posted them on the board. Small groups organized each sticky note in color into common thoughts and themes and then discussed the common themes. Over the two days, this process creates the goals, objectives, and tasks.
Our Mission
To positively impact the safety, well-being, and sense of security to our community by providing expert quality, human-centered care.
Our Vision
To lead the nation in fire, rescue, and emergency services through our culture of excellence, investment in our members, and connection with our community. We will never settle for mediocrity, but always strive for perfection.
Our Values
RESPECT| We value others, honor our cultures, and appreciate our differences.
INTEGRITY| Our integrity is paramount. We deal honestly with everyone, deliberate in our decisions and actions, and hold ourselves accountable to our community and one another.
PROFESSIONALISM| Working with pride and enthusiasm to master our craft with dedication to our community and each other.
CUSTOMER SERVICE| Provide service that exceeds the expectations of our community by solving problems and delivering excellent care with empathy and kindness.
GOAL #1 – Departmental & Governmental Sustainability
Become a premier destination department in the fire service by investing in our members now and into the future.
OBJECTIVE 1: Ensure competitive compensation by conducting a salary survey to align the pay scale and benefits with departments in similar economic markets.
OBJECTIVE 2: Support improved recruitment to hire the best-qualified candidates that reflect our community.
OBJECTIVE 3: Match the department’s need for productivity and efficiency with the appropriate staffing level in all areas of Aurora Fire Rescue.
OBJECTIVE 4: Establish an accurate operations staffing factor to ensure there are enough personnel to compensate for planned and unplanned leave.
OBJECTIVE 5: Prepare the workforce for future leadership positions through succession planning.
GOAL #2 – Health & Wellness
Support Aurora Fire Rescue’s members with physical, mental, and spiritual resources through their careers and retirement.
OBJECTIVE 1: Expand mental health and well-being through external and internal resources to reduce burnout and fatigue.
OBJECTIVE 2: Improve physical fitness for members through training, time commitments, and tools to reduce injury and increase job-matched performance.
OBJECTIVE 3: Support AFR member wellness by improving readiness, alertness, and recovery by instilling healthy sleep habits and environments.
OBJECTIVE 4: Provide progressive, holistic, comprehensive physical and annual screenings, behavioral health assessments, and fitness/wellness programming aligned with the Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness and Fitness Initiative.
OBJECTIVE 5: Support initiatives and programs that remove and reduce members’ exposure to carcinogens where possible.
GOAL #3 – Professional Development & Training
Develop and deploy sustainable processes and programs that continuously support the Aurora Fire Rescue employees’ training and professional development with a focus on AFR’s future.
OBJECTIVE 1: Incentivize professional development to encourage career path choices now and into the future.
OBJECTIVE 2: Develop a budget to allow for outside training for all AFR members.
OBJECTIVE 3: Recentralize and establish core training programs in Aurora Fire Rescue.
OBJECTIVE 4: Develop a sustainable paramedic academy, EMT Program, and EMS training.
OBJECTIVE 5: Establish a multilevel officer development process with applicable program deployment.
GOAL #4 – Culture
Support the transition to a meaningful employee culture that represents and honors our tradition while embracing change. This includes fostering an engaged workforce, improving morale, and cultivating a leader/follower culture. Elevate the sense of pride in our employees by enhancing community risk reduction efforts and strengthening community engagement.
OBJECTIVE 1: Boost morale and foster a healthy work environment that promotes a work-life balance.
OBJECTIVE 2: Establish a culture guided by clear employee performance expectations that promotes ethical behavior.
OBJECTIVE 3: Foster an inclusive culture that encourages a sense of belonging and respecting differences.
OBJECTIVE 4: Build a healthy leader and follower model-culture.
OBJECTIVE 5: Establish a supportive and positive engagement culture across all department divisions.
GOAL #5 – Communication
Improve processes and communication pathways to positively impact department-wide communication to ensure relevancy, timeliness, accuracy, and transparency.
OBJECTIVE #1: Refine internal communication workflow.
OBJECTIVE #2: Define and communicate the roles and responsibilities of Aurora Fire Rescue member committees.
OBJECTIVE #3: Create a collaborative culture where communication can be shared throughout all ranks.
OBJECTIVE #4: Strengthen and expand the Aurora Fire Rescue brand.
OBJECTIVE #5: Enhance external communication with the community.
OBJECTIVE #6: Improve methods and mechanisms for bidirectional information sharing inside the organization.
GOAL #6 – Community Risk Reduction
Establish a community risk reduction strategy to meet the needs of the Aurora community through operational response, member training and professional development, staffing, and public education.
OBJECTIVE #1: Define community risk reduction in Aurora Fire Rescue to meet the industry’s best practices and the needs of our Aurora community.
OBJECTIVE #2: Develop and communicate an actionable community risk reduction plan using the risk assessment as the plan’s foundation.
OBJECTIVE #3: Using the community risk assessment, identify target hazards in Aurora for training and pre-planning.
OBJECTIVE #4: Building on the community risk assessment, develop strategic community partnerships to mitigate risk and reduce AFR resource reliance.
GOAL #7 – Operational Response
Lead the nation in operational service delivery to our Aurora community.
OBJECTIVE #1: Improve Emergency Medical Service delivery to meet Aurora Fire Rescue’s department risk assessment and community standards while considering past and future community growth.
OBJECTIVE #2: Improve fire suppression delivery to consistently meet Aurora Fire Rescue’s standards department-wide, explicitly addressing community growth, alignment with community concentration needs, and integration with planning and zoning triggers.
OBJECTIVE #3: Establish a standard of cover, based on the community risk assessment, that outlines the right-sized, risk-based response and appropriate staffing levels, including a staffing relief factor.
OBJECTIVE #4: Establish and maintain a minimum level of operational staffing to match the community risk assessment.
OBJECTIVE #5: Establish resources and processes to achieve accurate and consistent operational performance measurement, reporting, and monitoring.
OBJECTIVE #6: Set up our specialty teams to meet the standards set forth by the community risk assessment.
OBJECTIVE #7: Define the paramedic staffing needs in the AFR response system to sustain the premier ALS service in our community.
GOAL #8 – Planning, Logistics, & Resource Management
To strive to lead the nation in our service delivery, AFR must establish a comprehensive logistics section that aligns with the organization’s current needs and keeps pace with growth.
OBJECTIVE #1: Establish management processes for facility maintenance to include captains’ involvement and communication pathways.
OBJECTIVE #2: Identify current service and staffing gaps in logistics and plan to establish a growth plan to avoid future service gaps.
OBJECTIVE #3: Ensure that we have the best community-matched equipment for our members, apparatus, and stations.
OBJECTIVE #4: Establish a maintenance and replacement plan for heavy apparatus and equipment that meets AFR's needs.
OBJECTIVE #5: Establish a maintenance and replacement plan for the light fleet that meets AFR's needs.
OBJECTIVE #6: Match the Aurora Fire Rescue distribution and concentration of fixed facilities with the community’s need for emergency fire and medical response.
