2024 Strategic Plan

San Bernardino County Fire family and community,

I'm honored to share with you our Strategic Plan, representing a significant effort undertaken toward the continued growth, careful planning, and forward progress of our Fire District.

In view of the changes in characteristics and environment within our jurisdiction, along with the changing requests on our services, the development and implementation of a strategic approach is critical. In recent years, numerous natural disasters and other impactful events have occurred in our jurisdiction, and there will be more we will face. It is important that our strategic plan isn’t just another document or a set of guidelines. It is a compass to help chart our course and guide our decisions as we protect our communities and our employees. This new Strategic Plan, created from the collective voices of our members, residents, and businesses, reflects this principle.

It has been our commitment to demonstrate Integrity, Compassion, Professionalism, and Service above self.  This Strategic Plan supports those values. Our vision, closely aligned with that of our San Bernardino County government, is to achieve a premier quality of service through those values. We believe that focusing on the goals we have set for ourselves, namely strengthening our workforce, improving internal and external communication, and providing for organizational stability and sustainability, will continue to lead us in that direction. Through established goals and objectives, this Strategic Plan positions us to proactively address challenges and capitalize on opportunities so that our communities continue to receive the level of care they have come to expect from our Fire District. Our Strategic Plan will be regularly reviewed and updated annually as part of an ongoing process of self-improvement.

A plan, no matter how well-conceived, is only as effective as its buy-in. This is why we put an emphasis on inclusivity and collaboration during our strategic planning process. Our fire district members from across all ranks and classes were asked to contribute their insights and feedback. We conducted multiple anonymous member surveys and in-person work sessions. This ensured that our members were heard and their observations, concerns, and innovative ideas were considered. We recognized the significance of involving our community in this conversation. This input was also essential, helping us understand needs and expectations better, which in turn will shape the way we do business.

I want to sincerely thank each one of you who helped invest in our future for your individual leadership, your valuable contributions, and the trust you have placed in us as an organization. Together as a team, we're pursuing excellence as the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District.

Yours in service,

Dan Munsey, Fire Chief

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District had its start as an amalgam of many different fire departments and districts that were formed over the decades. The Fontana Fire Department was first organized in 1928, and other rural and volunteer fire companies began to emerge across the mountains and deserts within the County. By 1973, the fire districts in nearby Bloomington and Muscoy joined with Fontana to become the Central Valley Fire Protection District, complete with a small dispatch center. By 1985, districts within Forest Falls, Green Valley Lake, Hinkley, Lake Arrowhead, Lucerne Valley, Searles Valley, Wrightwood, and Yucca Valley combined with Central Valley Fire to form the San Bernardino County Fire Agency. This event marked the birth of a fire service organization that would serve the majority of residents within the County’s unincorporated as well as in many cities and towns.

In 1994, the County Consolidated Fire District (which came to be known as the San Bernardino County Fire Department) was formed to manage all of the fire protection districts, improvement zones, and County Service Areas (CSAs) except CSA 38. At that time, other County departments were absorbed such as the Hazardous Materials Division and Office of Emergency Services. Then, in 1997, the County transferred the fire protection authority of the communities in County Service Area 38, namely Baker, Devore, Fawnskin, Harvard, Mentone, Phelan, San Antonio Heights, and Spring Valley Lake to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Over the next ten years, dramatic changes would occur. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District became a separate legal entity in 2008, overlaying the city of Grand Terrace and the town of Yucca Valley, dissolving 27 separate fire districts and merging them into one district with several operational divisions and service zones, along with the necessary funding streams. Contracts with the City of Adelanto in 1999, Hesperia and Needles in 2004, and Fontana in 2008 were also established. Through the remaining years leading up to today, the Crest Forest Fire District and the cities of San Bernardino, Twentynine Palms, Needles, Upland, and Hesperia would be annexed, and all together would become part of what is now affectionately called “County Fire.”

Today, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District encompasses the majority of land area and individual communities within the nation’s largest County. The diversity of the land and people within the jurisdiction is truly extraordinary, as are the services it provides. Perhaps the most distinct, however, are the diverse origins, backgrounds, abilities, and talents of its employees that make up the organization, truly part of the heritage of County Fire. This Strategic Plan was built using the valuable input and creativity of the staff and leadership of County Fire. It provides the direction needed to guide County Fire into the future, identifying strengths and weaknesses while successfully navigating through difficult challenges and seizing the exciting opportunities yet to come.

In 2022, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District embarked on developing a member-driven strategic plan. County Fire partnered with Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) and worked closely together to facilitate an inclusive process that allowed as many employees and community stakeholders as possible to contribute to the organization's future. The strategic plan's development spanned more than six months and included focused work sessions, online surveys, and interactive exercises.

Below is a brief description of the strategic plan's development:

In August 2022, an in-person planning session was conducted with County Fire executive leadership together with labor group representatives. The session helped solidify the leaders' intent and establish the primary objectives. The group also identified the organization's key stakeholder groups and elements that must be addressed throughout the process. At the end, the group created a work plan and project timeline.

In December 2022, a member session was facilitated with a small Department workgroup to gain insight into major issues and topics that would be the focus going forward. Nineteen participants attended, representing front-line staff and first-line supervisors of the various operational divisions and administrative offices of County Fire. The attendees used sticky notes on a whiteboard to participate in a “Good – Better – Different” exercise. The process eliminated groupthink and enabled all participants to provide open feedback without influence from others. Facilitators collected each sticky note and posted them on the board. Small teams then organized each color sticky note into common thoughts and themes and then, as a whole workgroup, discussed those common themes. The themes assisted ESCI in developing the framework for the member survey.

The strategic planning team then developed a department-wide employee survey. Information gathered in the Executive Planning Session and Member Workgroup Session was used to guide the process. Messaging regarding the purpose, intent, and importance of the surveys was sent to the entire organization in advance. County Fire then sent these surveys to seven different employee groups. Each survey had similar questions but were also tailored to supervisory/nonsupervisory and suppression/non-suppression employee groups.

• Administrative and Support
• Chief Officers
• Company Officers
• Emergency Medical Services
• Firefighters and Engineers
• Office of the Fire Marshal
• Training, Wildland, & Special Operations

The surveys were first sent out in January 2023 and remained open for input through February 2023. Communication was sent out to all the groups, encouraging as much participation as possible. In all, a large percentage (almost one-third) of employees responded to the survey.

The survey was inherently anonymous and confidential. The survey responses were collected and analyzed in aggregate to look for common themes. Most questions were evaluated on a scaled rating system, while some allowed for short answers. Questions were also asked about how long the employee worked at County Fire and their work location so that ESCI could evaluate the different perspectives of employees. The questions that were used fit into nine categories by topic, which were:

1. HEALTH AND WELLNESS
2. TRUST
3. CULTURE
4. VALUE
5. WORK ENVIRONMENT
6. TRAINING
7. COMMUNICATION
8. RECRUITMENT & RETENTION
9. DIVERSITY - EQUITY - INCLUSION

In March 2023, the Strategic Planning team traveled around the county to collect feedback from staff members. Informal conversations were intentionally held in as many geographical divisions as possible in order to engage all the employee groups. The feedback that was collected at the in-person sessions was very much in line with the survey responses. It allowed the team to get perspective and context regarding the survey results.

An online community survey was developed and deployed, concurrent with the member survey, which was sent to 130 contact individuals representing eighteen different stakeholder groups within the jurisdiction. This survey was very brief and began with general questions to better evaluate the perspectives of business owners and residents and what type of organization they were affiliated with. Participants were then asked about the quality of County Fire’s services, its public image, what they felt its primary mission should be, and what County Fire does well or should improve. It also contained the three “stop, start, continue” questions that were in the employee survey.

The external stakeholder groups were:

• Airports
• Business Industries
• City Staff
• County Department staff
• Educational Institutions
• Faith-Based Organizations
• Fire Protection Contractors
• Fire Safe Councils
• Healthcare Providers
• Law Enforcement
• Neighborhood Associations
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Other Regional Agencies
• Senior Organizations
• Sovereign Indian Nations
• Special Districts
• Veteran's Associations
• Water Districts

In addition, in-person feedback sessions were made available during the same time period as the employee feedback sessions.

During the March 2023 site visit, the Strategic Planning team began to draft several goals and objectives. Five draft goals with associated objectives and critical tasks were developed using the vast amount of quantitative and qualitative data collected during the member surveys and in-person sessions. A summary of the feedback and draft goals and objectives was then presented to County Fire's executive team through several meetings during Spring 2023. In June through September of 2023, these goals and objectives were refined, approved, and then assigned to responsible leadership staff within County Fire. The online version of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District 2024 Strategic Plan was then published with the following goals and objectives:

Over the next five years, County Fire will work closely together with ESCI to refine processes, communicate strategy updates, and continuously maintain a relevant strategic plan.

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District 2024 Strategic Plan will enable the organization to move forward with continuous self-improvement while dealing with not only routine emergency incidents but also major disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, snowstorms, and pandemics. With the current impacts on staffing and delivery of services, and in view of the ever-present need to maintain keen situational awareness, this Strategic Plan will be updated at least annually at the end of the fiscal year.

County Fire will review each goal and the related objectives twice a year after soliciting input from program managers and key stakeholders. These updates will improve organizational decision-making and resource management. Executive leadership will maintain a constant flow of communication to all employee groups and the community on the status of each goal and objective.