8THIRTYFOUR, Author at John R Kowalski

Part 3 – What Every Department Needs (but nobody’s doing it)

8THIRTYFOUR on September 6, 2019

How is your department moving forward? If you’re doing the same things, expect the same results.

Quick recap… In part 1 we talked about the building blocks of marketing while in part 2 we continued with engaging your community and the value you bring. Let’s keep going.

The thought of marketing is something new, but it’s proven… I’ve proven it works with engagement and support from the community, with a renewed sense of pride and belonging among members and a defined focus on where we are going.

Some results from initiating a marketing program about 18 months ago:

Updated department shield – Station signage, t-shirts, hats, stickers, kids coloring books all with our shield
Events such as our monthly Bingo & BBQ pack our community center (holds about 175 people) and raised funds for the department
A community mailing has increased donations
Active grant submissions are resulting in additional funding
Facebook – Followers from 0 to 638, 1,038 post engagements (likes/shares) for last month
Website – 842 users with the most popular pages being volunteer opportunities and wildfire preparedness
Membership growth from 7 to 22
Community support!

I’m in on this marketing thing, now what?

The openness to trying something new to better your department and how you serve the community is the first step.

Now… go back to part 1 and really think about the examples but for your department. Put it down on paper. Review. Revise. Keep going through this cycle till it feels right then review with your officers or membership for their thoughts. Review part 2 again… jot down any notes you may have and how you think they might work with your community.

Outline your risk areas and how you can help reduce them. Now marry your part 1 efforts with those risk areas… map out a plan. For marketing it’s all about consistency and repetition… with your message, your visuals, the colors you use… everything.

Grab your calendar and map out the weeks. What are you going to communicate and when? Tie those items into events, holidays, community gatherings, etc. Then… how do you deliver the messages? What works based on your community (audience)? What do you think will work?

It doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be authentic and a dedicated effort to make things better. Show your value. Tell your community what you do, as most really don’t know.

I know the “how am I going to do this?” question is in your mind also. You need someone to write, plan and execute. Are one of your members marketing-savvy? What about a member spouse or child? Is there a community member or a college nearby? A retired teacher? Delegate. You can’t do everything, and this role doesn’t need to be a firefighter or emergency medical responder. Find a person who can run these efforts with checking in with you prior to anything being published. This person is an integral part of your department and should be thought of as that.

I know I’m just scratching the surface. Take your time and be methodical on how you approach this. Hope this helps give you a new perspective on marketing and some pointers to head in the right direction.

Marketing – it’s the right thing to do for your department and community.

Part 2 – What Every Department Needs (but nobody’s doing it)

8THIRTYFOUR on September 4, 2019

In part 1 we talked about what marketing is and the basic elements. If you missed part 1, no worries, you can catch up here.

To continue the discussion, I am a firm believer in marketing for any and all organizations – even fire and emergency service organizations.

And depending on what you look to accomplish, this doesn’t have to be expensive. Most marketing is spent on expensive advertising and trade show participation, but we can leave that for the companies with budgets and complex strategies. For fire halls I see basic trends across the board that all of us are challenged with: Recruitment and retention, and fundraising.

It’s no big mystery that if those two challenges are met, things would be better all-around for the department. Enough people to respond to challenges at all hours of the day… improved ISO rating… better community service… NFPA complaint equipment to keep members safe and an incentive for members.

Now how does marketing help with those things? Before we continue, look back at part 1 for a quick review.

Bottom line is helping and providing value for your community. Both funding and recruitment/retention benefit your community. And your community is the central point of everything.

By igniting your community… getting them to understand and then to get them involved are the first steps. That leads to community events. An open house, a demonstration, an educational program… a reason to bring them together. Once together share what you do. Educate them on the number of calls you respond to and your current membership. Show them turnout gear and SCBAs and share the expense of them. Get them to understand the value and to take a vested interest. It IS in their best interest to have a functional fire department for when their time of need might come.

By educating them and showing them the value can lead to new members who would like to be trained. It can also lead to new members who are simply support or administrative help. Or what about someone who is retired but can write? Grants, perhaps? Everyone who is willing and who has a desire to help make their community better has a place at the fire hall. You just may need to demonstrate that. Show them. Ask for what you need.

The stronger your community involvement and support, the stronger you will be as a fire department, and in turn, the stronger you will be at protecting your community. It’s relational. One feeds the other and you can’t do it successfully alone.

Keep thinking about this… jot down notes… and stay tuned for the 3rd and final post in this series. And if you can’t control it and want to jump on this immediately, send me a note and let’s chat on the phone. I can help guide you to successful marketing!

Part 1 – What Every Department Needs (but nobody’s doing it)

8THIRTYFOUR on September 3, 2019

Now before you think marketing is a term for businesses and that it’s expensive hear me out and hang with me.

Marketing is an overarching method to communicate a message to a defined audience to elicit a specific action or feeling. Now in English… Who are you? Who are you talking to? What message do you want to get across? What do you want them to do? How are you delivering it?

For example:

Who are you?

Fire Department X provides exceptional fire and emergency medical response services to the community of XX.

Who are you talking to?

The XX community members.

To go a step further… they are made up of approximately 50% retirees, 30% young families of which 40% work in agriculture. The community is also experiencing new construction growth.

NOTE: The more information you know about who you’re talking to (your audience), the more effective things will be.

What message do you want to get across?

That Fire Department X is in need of new members to serve the growing needs of the community.

What do you want them to do?

Visit our new member information page on the website (www.xxxxxx.org) or stop by one of our weekly training sessions held Tuesday nights at 6:30-9:30pm to learn more about how your talents can help your community.

How are you delivering it?

Through our website, Facebook page, posted flyers and member word-of-mouth.

Note: Think of who you are talking to (your audience) and make sure how you are delivering the message are the right way to send information. For example, if a large population visits a popular breakfast place, maybe communicate it there or help serve coffee and deliver the message. If your audience isn’t computer or technology savvy don’t spend the energy in posting on Facebook.

Definitely some things to think about.

Marketing 101

8THIRTYFOUR on September 1, 2019

I just posted this on the National Volunteer Fire Council’s Volunteer Voices discussion and thought it was applicable here as well. Enjoy!

Thinking more about marketing in general… what does it encompass? I define marketing as methods of communicate a message to a defined audience to elicit a specific action or feeling.

Marketing boiled down:

Who are you?
What are you communicating?
Who are you communicating to?
How are you communicating it?
Why or what value does message bring?

Some of the communications methods to get your message out:

Word of mouth (the best method)
Website
Social media
Direct marketing (mail or email)
Advertising
Public relations (media)
Events

Be sure to think about these things as you manage or develop your marketing plans. First and foremost, be clear and concise…. and use repetition. Speak to your audience in their language… and meet them where they go, what they read, and how they take in information.

I’ve found that marketing is one of the last things that is even thought of in a marketing hall, but from my standpoint, it can be the most beneficial on a variety of levels. By developing a plan for marketing it can really influence your department. So many of us are in the same boat… recruitment and retention, and fundraising and grant writing. With a dedicated effort a well-planned marketing program can drive these efforts.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions or if I can help in any way!

Happy marketing!

Grant & Fundraising Assistance

8THIRTYFOUR on August 7, 2019

Over the past several months I’ve had several people approach me to assist with writing some narratives for FEMA and other national and regional grant applications. This is something I can absolutely help with. My firm, Babacita, is the only agency dedicated to fire and emergency service marketing. Though marketing has several components, securing funds and fundraising activities is part of an integrated marketing strategy and program.

I’ve also had folks reach out top have me assist with researching what grant opportunities are out there for them. This is something I’m considering adding to my arsenal – a research arm. Would this be something you see as value and could (would) you use it? I’d like to make this easy and affordable for all types of organizations and would create a good/better/best offering. I’m thinking pricing would be $99/$149/$199 and also offer custom research. This seem like a good and affordable value?

Still playing with the idea but any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Ringing of the Bell Ceremony

8THIRTYFOUR on July 22, 2019

At the recent Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association and Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs Joint Leadership conference I also experienced the Ringing of the Bell Ceremony for the first time. This is a proud tradition that has been done for over 200 years at a firefighter’s memorial service.

Usually a firefighter bell ceremony is done after the Fireman’s Prayer. The ringing of the bell is the final event of a ceremony that announces a brother or sister has come home for the final time. After each set of ringing the bell 3 times, the fingers of a gloved hand gently grab the bell to silence it before sounding the next ring of 3. As the final toll of the 3rd pull, the bell is left alone to ring out. The bell ringing recalls a time when the fire bell rang to call firefighters to an alarm and then, again, to signal that the alarm had ended.

This was done for the fallen firefighters in 2018 of the Southeastern region.

Additional background

The men and women of today’s fire service are confronted with a more dangerous work environment than ever before. We are forced to continually change our strategies and tactics to accomplish our tasks.

Our methods may change, but our goals remain the same as they were in the past, to save lives and to protect property, sometimes at a terrible cost. This is what we do, this is our chosen profession, this is the tradition of the firefighter.

The whole fire service of today is ever changing, but is steeped in traditions 200 years old. One such tradition is the sounding of a bell.

In the past, as firefighters began their tour of duty, it was the bell that signaled the beginning of that day’s fire chief’s shift. Throughout the day and night, each alarm was sounded by a bell, which summoned these brave souls to fight fires and to place their lives in jeopardy for the good of their fellow citizen. And when the fire was out and the alarm had come to an end, it was the bell that signaled to all the completion of that call. When a firefighter had died in the line of duty, paying the supreme sacrifice, it was the mournful toll of the bell that solemnly announced a comrades passing.

We utilize these traditions as symbols, which reflect honor and respect on those who have given so much and who have served so well. To symbolize the devotion that these brave souls had for their duty, a special signal of three rings, three times each, represents the end of our comrades’ duties and that they will be returning to quarters. And so, to those who have selflessly given their lives for the good of their fellow man, their tasks completed, their duties well done, to our comrades, their last alarm, they are going home.

Rest in peace and thank you for your service, brothers and sisters.

How do opioids impact your community?

8THIRTYFOUR on July 21, 2019

This past Friday while watching The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, she highlighted a recent story that came out in the Washington Post titled “Drilling into the DEA’s Pain Pill Database.” I knew the epidemic was a big problem in our country but didn’t quite have a grasp on its magnitude.

For all pain pills prescribed from 2006-2012 (stats currently public) in the US that would be enough for 36 pills per person per year. And by doing a search on my county in rural Tennessee that number jumps up to 106 pills per person per year. The database also reveals which drug manufacturer supplied pills to that county as well as the top 5 pharmacies that filled these prescriptions. Keep in mind that this data is prescribed pills, not the illegal ones.

Here is some of that information on my county.

Lots of information to digest… and then what about the root cause? Why are we in such need of our pain medication? I’m certain there’s a lot of legitimacy to some of these prescriptions, but for the others are we as a country and society just not able to take pain? Are there other ways to cope and manage this? Couple things came to mind while in a discussion with my wife who’s in the psychology field. How do or can diet, physical activity, finances and therapy play into the healing from this pain? I’m not sure what, or if any, research has been done but it’s definitely worth exploring.

Diet – How are the foods a person is eating hindering or helping healing? Fresh vs. processed?
Physical activity – No doubt about it the more you move, the better you feel both physically and mentally.
Finances – Are you strapped for cash and have mountains of debt? Is this causing undue stress on every situation?
Therapy – I’m a firm believer in talk therapy and it has helped me through healing on several occasions in my life.

Based on the four above items (diet, physical activity, finances and therapy) are there actions that can be taken to move these in a positive direction? Talk with someone about diet or finances and get a jump-start and to feeling better.

Through trainings at my fire department and ongoing learning about opioids, we have addressed the warning signs and symptoms of someone addicted but what can we all do to help get at the root cause of pain to hopefully reduce the number of opioids prescribed. And as a fire hall we can organize community outreach and education with professionals delivering the message. We can also gather community members to address this together as we’re all impacted.

If you, your community or someone you know needs some assistance you can start at the US Health Resources & Service Administration, as they are a wealth of knowledge.

I’m writing this now as this has been on my mind a lot over the past couple days and I keep coming back to what I can do as a member of the community and as an officer in our volunteer fire department. The above are more thoughts rather than answers but I’m sure as time goes on some solutions will emerge.

Thanks for listening and for keeping this epidemic in your mind. Be safe.

What are you doing to make your dept better?

8THIRTYFOUR on July 12, 2019

These thoughts keep coming to me as I recently wrote this on our department training room whiteboard. Along with “Listen, learn, teach, train.” These core elements fused with teamwork within the structure of the incident command system make for a successful fire hall.

On a recent call I failed (forgot) to turn command so one of our pump operators and it caused some confusion on scene. No harm was done and the brush/trash fire was extinguished. But still… it could’ve run a little more smoothly had I turned over command when the trucks arrived. This mistake was a good place to make it but it has still bothered me for days and I take it as a moment of learning. It won’t happen again.

Another aspect is attitude and what wolf are you feeding?

Sitting Bull c. 1883

Inside of me there are two wolves. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.

—Sitting Bull

Having a positive attitude can do wonders for a fire hall but it can also cause chaos and turmoil from with that may also spill “out of the house.”

Are you listening to your officers and to those who are more experienced?

Are you continuously learning through reading, attending conferences and online tools? What about other departments or your law enforcement or ems partners?

Are you sharing your knowledge and teaching those new to the fire service or the department? Every scene and training session is an opportunity to teach so take advantage of it.

Train. Train as your life depends on it. Your life does. And those lives around you. Train always. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Always.

So… what are you doing to make your department better?

Be safe.

Introducing the BabaFire Podcast

8THIRTYFOUR on July 12, 2019

Introducing BabaFire, the premier firehall marketing podcast, run by yours truly. Here we’re going to talk about all aspects of marketing for your firehall. How to develop a plan, how to prioritize and how to get things done without being a marketing expert or having the time yourself.

Sit back and grab your favorite beverage and hear where we’re starting from and where we’re going. All in the effort to help get your firehall to the next level with things like membership and recruitment, fundraising and grant writing, community education and interaction and more!

Enjoy!

Absorption of PAHs and VOCs

8THIRTYFOUR on July 11, 2019

A recent article published by Firefighter Nation that outlines research done for Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology on firefighter absorption of PAHs and VOCs. As we all now know, combustion byproducts are not only dangerous during the initial fire attack but more predominant during overhaul and salvage. The below article quantifies the effects by biologically monitoring breath and urine.

Below is the abstract as well as a link to the article.

Be safe and wear your PPE!

Research abstract

To better understand the absorption of combustion byproducts during firefighting, we performed biological monitoring (breath and urine) on firefighters who responded to controlled residential fires and examined the results by job assignment and fire attack tactic. Urine was analyzed for metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and breath was analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene. Median concentrations of PAH metabolites in urine increased from pre-firefighting to 3-h post firefighting for all job assignments. This change was greatest for firefighters assigned to attack and search with 2.3, 5.6, 3.9, and 1.4-fold median increases in pyrene, phenanthrene, naphthalene, and fluorene metabolites. Median exhaled breath concentrations of benzene increased 2-fold for attack and search firefighters (p < 0.01) and 1.4-fold for outside vent firefighters (p = 0.02). Compared to interior attack, transitional attack resulted in 50% less uptake of pyrene (p = 0.09), 36% less uptake phenanthrene (p = 0.052), and 20% less uptake of fluorene (p < 0.01). Dermal absorption likely contributed to firefighters’ exposures in this study. Firefighters’ exposures will vary by job assignment and can be reduced by employing a transitional fire attack when feasible.

Full article.