Our activities before, during, and after an incident all directly affect our relationship with our customers. Effective tactics that reduce fire damage and thorough overhaul practices that preserve valuable property and sentimental items affect customer service and public perception. Preincident activities, such as an aggressive fire education program, help our customers to protect themselves and their property from fire; postincident programs, such as juvenile firesetters and After the Fire programs, seek to prevent fire deaths, injuries, and property damage in our community. Not all benefits, however, can be measured by monetary standards.
In many areas, the fire department is unappreciated and rarely credited for its service to the community. Often, it is criticized when something goes wrong and heralded for heroic efforts, and it is the first public service agency whose budget is scrutinized during the municipal budget development period. In many areas, the fire department is seen as a financially burdensome service.
Public services, however, never were intended to be money-makers. Fire departments, career and volunteer, must consistently market their services to gain municipal and public support. Most times, citizens will not truly appreciate what the fire department does until they experience a fire or other emergency in which the fire department intervenes.
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