Jszewczyk_CapstoneResearchPaper_04252015

Running Head: NEW DIRECTIONS IN FIRE PREVENTION
New Directions in Fire Prevention for the Orlando Fire Department: Staffing, Strategic Planning,
Management, and Software Implementation
Joseph Szewczyk
Anna Maria College
April, 2015

NEW DIRECTIONS IN FIRE PREVENTION 1
Abstract
This project is written in the interest of exploring a potential new model for a fire
prevention division. It will explore different staffing models, from information received from an
online survey. This project will also explore the importance of strategic planning and whether or
not a fire prevention division should create its own plan separate from the fire departments
strategic plan if it has one at all. The major question that will be explored is the introduction of a
software system designed to connect multiple city departments and their functions. This system
will impact the existing business model of the Orlando Fire Department and the Fire Safety
Management division’s mission of protecting lives and property through fire and life safety
inspections. Finally, this project will address if it would be more beneficial to add additional
inspection staff or add a supervisory position to better manage the implementation of the
software and its impact.

Table of Contents
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………….1.
Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………..2.
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………...3.
Background and Significance…………………………………………………………………...4.
Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………….7.
Procedures……………………………………………………………………………………...12.
Results………………………………………………………………………………………….17.
Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………...25.
NFPA 1730 Impact…………………………………………………………………………….26.
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………..29.
Appendix A (Sample Fire Prevention Strategic Plan)………………………………………...36.

Introduction
In 2015 the Orlando Fire Department (OFD) and its Fire Safety Management Division
(FSM) will be undergoing some major changes to the business model currently in use. The FSM
division performs fire and life safety inspections on all commercial structures within the City of
Orlando limits. In addition to these duties the division also issues permits and performs
inspections for temporary places of assembly, hazardous materials use, storage, and handling,
special effects/pyrotechnics and fireworks displays. FSM is also called upon to conduct fire and
life safety demonstrations including fire extinguisher demonstrations, fire drills, and “hands
only” CPR (Cardio pulmonary resuscitation) with AED (Automatic External Defibrillator)
classes. The Fire Safety Management Division (FSM) will be involved in a major Economic
Development Information Systems (EDIS) upgrade in the year 2015. This upgrade will include
Permitting Services, Plan Review, Code Enforcement, and other portions of the Economic
Development departments. The goal of the project is to upgrade outdated software systems used
by each department and move to a common platform in which departments can communicate
with one another on various issues. This upgrade can and will affect the business model currently
used by FSM either positively or negatively depending on the management of the
implementation and the utilization of the capabilities of the new system.
This research project will consider ideal staffing models and compare those of other
departments both regionally and nationally. This project will also consider the importance of
strategic planning as a separate entity from the fire departments overall strategic plan. Fire
prevention strategic planning has been suggested as the best way to manage a changing
environment and resolve issues that may be facing the organization and developing the plan as a
means to address these issues. (Valentine, 2008) As part of the strategic planning process a new

theoretical business model will be considered for possible implementation to the Orlando Fire
Departments Fire Safety Management Division to utilize the current staffing as well as consider
adding (returning to) a Deputy Fire Marshal position to assist the current Fire Marshal in the
implementation and management of the impending software upgrade. This project will touch
upon the budgetary issues briefly regarding funding of fire prevention efforts but will not go into
great detail discussing this issue.
Background and Significance
The City of Orlando is Florida’s fifth largest city with a population of over 245,000
consisting of an area of just over 111 square miles. Orlando was incorporated in 1875 and the
form of government is a Mayor and Commissioners from six council districts. The city has major
sports teams including the Orlando Magic basketball team and the Orlando City Lions soccer
team. Orlando is also a growing technology and medical hub with a new Veterans
Administration Hospital, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Historically, up until 2003 the Orlando Fire Department’s (OFD) Fire Safety
Management Division was staffed by a Fire Marshal, a Deputy Fire Marshal, and seven
Municipal Fire Safety Inspectors. With an economic downturn and a reduction in staff it was
decided with the vacancy of the Fire Marshal position and the promotion of the Deputy Fire
Marshal to that position, that the Deputy position was expendable. At that point, the city had 13
fire stations, as well as the Orlando International Airport in which the FSM division had to cover
with the staff in place. Since that time, OFD has added four new stations and two new Inspector
positions. The department, in 2012 also began full time transport services for the citizens and
visitors of Orlando. In addition, OFD has been awarded and upgrade of its ISO (Insurance
Services Organization) rating of 1 which is the highest rating, as well as awarded international

accreditation from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI), which requires
the department to maintain high quality service and staffing levels. The number of inspection
assignments given to field personnel (company surveys) have been reduced due to increased
transport requirements of suppression personnel. The combination of these factors has increased
the workload for Inspectors with additional duties and number of inspections to be completed
annually.
Strategic planning has become a great tool in these modern times, especially for fire
departments. Strategic planning is a systematic process of envisioning a desired future, and
translating this vision into broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve
them. (Business Dictionary) As stated previously Lacey and Valentine feel strongly regarding
the creation of a strategic plan for fire prevention divisions. The article contains four points to
achieving a successful strategic plan, they are: 1. Establish a mission statement and create a
vision for the division. 2. Identify issues both internally and externally that affect the future of
the fire prevention division. 3. Set goals, these goals not only define the direction the fire
prevention division will go but also lead to the creation of the division’s vision. (Valentine,
2008) A survey was created for this project which will be discussed in more depth later and this
topic was addressed. The question asked was “does your department have a separate strategic
plan for the fire prevention division or is it incorporated into the departments overall plan? The
majority of the responses stated that it was part of the overall plan.
The management structure of a fire prevention organization can play a significant role in
the success or failure of the division and its stated goals. Most divisions are headed up by a Fire
Marshal or a ranking Chief Officer who is named the Fire Marshal or various titles such as Chief
of Fire Prevention. Regardless of said title, it is the responsibility of this individual to lead and

guide the division and its stated goals. These goals are usually mandated by some sort of code
that states the frequency at which certain occupancy types are to be inspected. Large and
growing organizations such as Orlando’s FSM division must keep up with workload mandated
by the codes. This organization strives to inspect every occupancy at least once per year.
Utilizing a staff of nine civilian state certified municipal inspectors, and on a limited basis using
the company survey method the inspections are set on a recurring four year rotational schedule.
Each month a pre-determined grid is scheduled in each of the seventeen fire station response
territories by address. For example: 78 West Central Blvd. will be inspected by station one A
shift in October 2015, B shift October 2016, C shift October 2017, and assigned to the station
one inspector in October 2018. This workload and program is supervised by one Fire Marshal
who not only has this responsibility but has many others as well. This individual is routinely
called upon to give approvals to the plan review staff at the office of permitting services as well
as attend various meetings. The Fire Marshal is also on call 24-7 from Monday through Friday
and is only relieved by an on-call inspector on weekend nights from 6 p.m until 2 a.m. due to
contract and compensation rules.
The software and database that is currently used is Fire RMS by Zoll Data. This software
was first implemented in 2002 and houses all records for the entire department from inspections
to training and staffing and is the main source for the NFIRS (National Fire Incident Reporting
System) data reported to state and fedral authorities. This company has a mobile inspection tool
that was used beginning in 2009 until 2010. The problems that arose from implementation to its
ultimate abandonment were hardware and software issues, as well as lack of training and
personnel problems. The hardware issues resulted from a lack of consultation and field testing
prior to purchasing the convertible laptop computers that were used. The HP (Hewlett Packard)

tc4400 proved to have poor connectivity in the field as the Fire RMS database is extremely large
and slowed down the laptops performance. There was never any formal training implemented by
representatives from Zoll Data. Instead, it was this author who was charged to quickly field test
the software and come up with a “best practices” document and implement a very impromptu
training class for the Fire Marshal and the Inspectors. Once in use in the field, the system was
plagued with reporting errors, multiple forced restarts of the laptops during inspections and lost
reports to the system once the computers were synched to the database resulted in the project
being scrapped. The Fire Safety Management division was forced to return to printed inspection
reports produced from a dot-matrix printer. Findings and violations continue to require manual
input consuming precious time that could be otherwise spent in the field. This is the system in
use as of the writing of this document.
Literature Review
Fire Prevention staffing has been an issue for fire departments all across the land and
throughout the history of this profession beginning with the notion of methods of preventing
fires. Much of the research available points to which personnel have been used to staff the
division, whether it be uniformed firefighters, civilian fire inspectors, or a combination of the
two. One important aspect of the research reveals that staffing requirements are at the sole
discretion of the Fire Chief of the organization or the Fire Marshal, and they alone acting as the
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) decide what resources to assign to the work of the fire
prevention division in the community. The goal of every fire prevention division is to reduce the
risk of fire and loss of life through comprehensive fire inspections. These should be conducted in
all commercial buildings within a jurisdiction. One and two family dwellings are generally
exempt from mandatory inspections. This, in many cities and counties, can be a sizeable

workload requiring many hours and personnel to accomplish. To that end it is incumbent upon
the Chief of the Fire Department or the Fire Marshal to design a program in which the mission
can be accomplished as effectively and efficiently as possible and within the budgetary
limitations.
Personnel/Staffing
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when staffing a fire prevention program is
who will perform the duties that are required not only per fire code but per the mission of the
department in general. The fire prevention bureau performs a critical function within the fire
department. Fire prevention functions, although with common goals, can have different
methodologies carried out by different departments. A good practice that fire prevention
managers can utilize is a survey of “best practices” among other jurisdictions inquiring how they
staff and fund their divisions. The fire prevention bureau manager, be it the Fire Marshal or the
Fire Chief must integrate the functions of the division into the organization as a whole, the
division cannot function independently. (International City/County Management Association,
2002) Historically, fire prevention was staffed by light duty personnel, (injured firefighters),
those who as punishment were relegated to the division, or those nearing retirement. Staffing
models of a fire prevention division can be as diverse as the departments themselves. From size,
volunteer organizations, career organizations, or combinations thereof will affect staffing as well
as budgetary constraints. The combination of company inspections and civilian fire inspectors
whether full or part time has been used to varying degrees of success as well as full time
uniformed personnel working exclusively in fire prevention. As stated earlier, it is those
responsible for the department or the division to staff the prevention bureau adequately. In order
to effectively motivate a fire prevention division a clearly defined career path must be initiated

by the Chief of the organization working with the City Manager regardless of whether the staff is
sworn or civilian. Every effort must be taken not to let the fire prevention be a victim of budget
cuts. The role of the division must also be incorporated into the culture of the department.
Suppression personnel should coordinate concerns with the Inspectors who can address them
through effective code enforcement procedures. Suppression personnel should see the prevention
division as a first line of defense and forward observers of conditions and situations that can
become hazardous. (Lacey, 2008) One such situation early in this author’s prevention career
where a building was discovered to be in questionable condition. It was used for industrial dry
cleaning and also stored large unused machines creating a maze that might have caused a
firefighter to become lost and trapped in a fire situation. The building, while going through the
code enforcement procedures was noted to be a “defensive mode only” for fire crews would not
be allowed to enter the building should a fire occur. This information was shared through the
dispatch database as well as a series of pictures taken from the scene and shared department wide
by e-mail.
Methods of Inspection
Documentation and proper record keeping is perhaps the most important part of an
inspection. The method of this function can make or break the success of any fire prevention
division in the professional opinion of this author. From the low end technologically speaking
the method can be as simple as a blank form whereby the business name, address, responsible
party, occupancy type, size, method of construction and any fire code violation can be simply
written on the form and signed by both the official and the responsible party. Moving on, there
are many if not all fire departments that have a database of information regarding every structure
within their jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions including the Orlando Fire Department still operate

off of a preprinted inspection form to document violations and hazards which need to be
manually “input” into the database by each inspector or staff assistant. The current trend is to
utilize the tools of modern technology and software innovations to complete the tasks that can
hinder productivity for the fire prevention division using outdated methods. The search terms
“fire inspection software” were typed into a search bar on internet explorer and revealed a
number of different companies offering products and solutions that would enable to a fire
prevention division to use either a full software suite of products or an application (app). Given
the complex array of products it would be up to the judgement of a competent and
knowledgeable person to determine which product would fit their department’s needs and
business model. Research of other applied research projects (APR’s) have been shown to
recommend examining the use of mobile technologies for Inspectors, citing reduced paperwork
and data entry, reduced transcription errors and better customer service. (Wayne R, 2006)
Strategic Planning
Any fire department can benefit from the completion of a strategic plan. Strategic
planning is “a systematic process of envisioning a desired future, and translating this vision into
broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve them.” (Business
Dictionary, n.d.) All departments should find the time and the means to create and follow a
strategic plan. This does not preclude fire prevention divisions from having their own if not part
of the department’s plan. Prevention divisions can create a plan that has a more narrow focus on
its short and long term goals. Issues that face the fire prevention division such as staffing,
workload, frequency of inspections, new construction, growth and expansion of the jurisdiction,
and goals and objectives can all be addressed through strategic planning. (Valentine, 2008)
Without an orderly business model, fire prevention divisions can find themselves in a situation

that would take much time, effort and money to correct. Taking stock of a division’s Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (S.W.O.T.) and analyzing a clear direction can stabilize
an organization before any major situations occur. One such example is a strategic plan
developed by the Houston Fire Department (HFD) in their FY2011-2015 HFD Strategic Plan.
Although the fire prevention division does not have a separate plan it is addressed as one of the
major goals. Goal 2.0 to “Improve Fire Prevention and Public Safety Awareness”. Aside from an
aggressive public education campaign, aggressive enforcement and development of codes as well
as inspections are quoted as techniques to reduce the number of accidental fires. As part of its
action plan the HFD has targets of adding new inspectors to existing teams and better data
collection to reach its goals. Implementation of a Land Management System, incorporating
mapping and routing of inspections and assessing productivity levels will help the department
achieve the stated objectives. (City of Houston, 2011)
Accountability
Fire prevention staffing has many aspects to it. As discussed before we can have
combinations of personnel from uniformed, civilians, and even privately contracted inspectors.
Once a staff is in place, making them accountable for conducting proper field inspections in an
ethical and professional manner can be a considerable challenge. Field fire inspectors must be
out in the community on a daily basis, going in and out of businesses routinely and documenting,
if any, fire code violations. Along the way many form habits that are considered improper or
dishonest to say the least. “Fire Inspectors don’t do the job” is a story from the Florida Times-
Union that uncovered several instances of improper behavior of fire inspectors working on the
clock. Inspectors were caught going home early, shopping on duty and in uniform, falsifying
daily logs, and doing personal errands all while being paid by the city. (Pinkham, 2001) Other

more serious offenses can occur an even be criminal in nature with very real consequences of
arrest and jail time. “Miami Beach Fire Department is aflame with corruption and abuse”
documents issues of bribery and falsification of records among other things. “Top officials were
warned about inspectors taking bribes from a South Beach hotel to ignore thousands of dollars in
code violations, but did nothing.” Other city employees were “caught accepting bribes…to fast
track developer’s plans.” A fire inspector who brought these and other situations to the attention
of the Fire Marshal was eventually fired for “blowing the whistle”. (Miller, 2013) Accountability
in the fire prevention bureau has got to work from both sides. The management must trust and
support the actions of the inspectors while still keeping a close eye on the activities through
verifiable means. The inspectors in turn must do the job they are paid to do. This research will
present findings within the Orlando Fire Departments FSM division through reports that
members of staff are routinely not completing assignments while others handle the workload
given. Other reports will show an imbalanced workload is distributed among the Inspectors.
Each Inspector is given assignments that are marked within each fire stations “first due” response
zones. The data will show a marked difference in the area to be covered by each inspector and
the core assignment distribution per year.
Procedures
Approach
The key issues for this research project will address four important problems that can
become part of the management of a fire prevention bureau. The first is personnel and staffing.
This issue is at the discretion of the Fire Chief or Fire Marshal whether to use sworn or civilian
personnel to staff the fire prevention bureau. The factors to be considered is what would fit best
to each particular organization by evaluating how the fire prevention bureau can function as an

integral part of the department. The size, as in number of personnel will be determined by the
number of functions that it wishes to undertake or deem necessary to the success of the fire
departments mission and the safety of its citizens. Will they perform inspections only, or will
they conduct fire safety presentations, conduct plan reviews, and code enforcement activities.
The research will determine that although these functions are normal to most fire prevention
bureaus, each bureau or department will have its own model due to many factors.
The methods each bureau uses to accomplish its workload can vary as much as the
models of staffing. Many departments are beginning to or are already utilizing modern
technology to conduct fire and life safety inspections. These tools have much to do with the
available budget but we will not be concerned with that issue here. The use of modern software
and the latest technology such as tablets and smart phones have increased the efficiency with
which inspections are conducted. Some departments are lagging far behind the technological
advances and are hoping to utilize them in the future. Research will show that there is a vast
array of products to choose from and will be too numerous to go into detail. However, a portion
of the survey conducted addresses whether or not a department utilizes now or intends to utilize
inspection software in the future.
Strategic planning for a fire department has become very common. It is a very important
tool that can help roadmap the goals a department wishes to achieve and the methods it plans to
use to get there. (Valentine, 2008) Strategic planning should be utilized by a fire prevention
bureau whether it is part of the overall department’s goals or it is a separate entity specific to the
goals of the fire prevention division. The environment is constantly changing in the fire service
and the world of fire prevention. Prior to anything becoming an issue, the management of fire
prevention should organize staff to establish a mission statement, and create the division’s

vision. In the plan, its core values, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats should be
identified and goals set. After the plan is written, it should be continuously monitored and
revisited to ensure that goals are being met. The survey that was conducted addresses whether a
fire prevention bureau has created their own or is part of the overall vison of the fire department.
Accountability is addressed in this project since it has been seen and documented that not
all fire prevention personnel are on board with the mission on a daily basis. Fire prevention
inspectors generally work unsupervised and can become very creative at avoiding work or
conducting personal business while being paid to perform inspections. Newspapers crave stories
of public officials abusing taxpayer money as well as any corruption or misdoings associated
with public service. (Pinkham, 2001) It is very important for the fire prevention division to
utilize accountability measures if it is to achieve its stated goals as efficiently as possible. Many
of the software programs available have functions that will use global positioning system (GPS)
routing to group inspections by location to increase efficiency. They also have time stamp
capabilities and electronic signature functions for accountability purposes. Without these
measures in place management can never be entirely certain that its members are working the
entire day.
Scope
Observing conditions and identifying problems in my own career is what led to the scope
and context of this project. Fire prevention bureaus spend a significant amount of its revenue on
salaries and benefits for its members. As an average, most North American Fire Departments
will staff and fund their fire prevention bureaus using approximately 3-4% of their annual
budget. (Peterson) The Orlando Fire Department, although an ISO (Insurance Services
Organization) class 1 department with other significant international certifications, staffs its fire

safety management division with only 1.88 percent of the annual budget. Yet, the staff is
underperforming to its capabilities. (Budget Book FY2013/14, 2013) Utilizing software, if
managed correctly will increase efficiency, increase accountability and eliminate redundant and
outdated paperwork. Staff training, strategic planning, and newer, faster business practices will
justify the money spent on the program and hopefully in the future will be leveraged to gain
additional staff due to the impending growth that is on the horizon. An important part of the
current and future success of the fire prevention bureau is strategic planning. This aspect was
included in this project since planning is one of the best ways to give direction and purpose to an
organization. Early results of the survey conducted indicate that the fire prevention bureau was
included in the overall scope of the department’s strategic plan, none of the respondents have a
separate plan for the fire prevention bureau.
Analysis Techniques
Through the research of the various articles from online magazines, textbooks, online
newspaper articles and various applied research projects personal analysis of the problems of
staffing, inspection methods, accountability, and strategic planning seem to be problems that can
be addressed through proper fire prevention bureau management. One of the questions in the
survey that was conducted was “who manages the fire prevention bureau?” Of the limited
responses thus far the majority of the departments are managed by the Fire Marshal while one
was managed by the Fire Chief, another response stated “the Chief or his designee”. While
quantitative analysis can be useful in this project it will not be relied upon to produce significant
amounts of data. It will be used to analyze size of departments, population served, and number of
fire prevention personnel and perhaps workload. The qualitative approach will be relied upon
much more heavily since the research shows that the “numbers” vary from department to

department. Personal analysis will dive into how the numbers can mean different things to each
department. For example: if an average number of inspections per day is five, and the assignment
for the day happens to be a small strip mall where each address is one inspection. How long will
it take the inspector to complete each assignment and that day’s work? Can the inspector
complete more assignments? Since each department has different types of supervision, different
size jurisdictions, different amount of inspections to complete, and different methods, then it can
only be determined by the supervisor what the best practices for that organization will be.
Data Collection
The pertinent data for this project was collected mostly via the internet. Journal articles
were researched, as well as related texts, fire department websites and other related applied
research projects. Common information contained in many of the research projects show that
there is no recommendation for proper staffing levels in any official documents such as NFPA 1.
(National Fire Protection Association, Uniform Fire Code) A search of the Florida State Fire
Marshal website www.myfloridacfo.com/Division/SFM revealed no information on staffing levels as
well as standards on workloads. As mentioned previously, a survey was prepared via Survey
Monkey. www.surveymonkey.com . The survey, https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8G8HSJ8,
on a free basis was only allowed ten questions before a paid subscription was required. The
survey was then sent out by e-mails gathered from a list of departments done by a search
“Florida fire departments”. All of the e-mail addresses available online (32) were either the Fire
Marshal or the Fire Chief. The survey was also put on two sites as a link asking Fire Marshals or
Fire Chiefs to take a brief survey as part of this capstone project requirement. These sites were
LinkedIn and USFRA.org (United States First Responders Association).
Data Analysis

The data from the survey will be analyzed qualitatively. Since internet research reveals
no real data on inspection workloads and average number of inspections per day quantitative
analysis will be difficult. Only an exhaustive research by phone would be possible to ask each
department to give all of their variables such as department size, number in fire prevention
bureau, average number of inspections completed per day, to provide any real quantitative
results. Due to time constraints for this project the data will be open to personal interpretation by
the authors experience in working at a fire prevention division.
Data Description
The data collected and counted will be regarding size of the department, population
served, number of fire prevention bureau staff and who manages it, do they use now or will they
seek in the future some sort of inspection software to increase productivity, and do they have a
separate strategic plan apart from the fire department. The current data reveals the respondents
are from widely varying sizes of departments and populations served so no inconsistencies will
be removed. The number of personnel employed will be a great comparison tool in analyzing
staffing requirements. The number of inspections on average completed per day will be a very
telling piece of data. This will justify the addition or the current use of software to increase
productivity. The number of inspections per day if found to be common will then reveal the size
of the staff required to properly inspect each business in the jurisdiction.
Results
This research paper has produced results that are consistent with the research obtained from the
literature review and also consistent with comparative data found from analyzing the Orlando
Fire Departments Fire Safety Management division inspection/workload statistics from 2013 and
2014. A survey was created using the free service at www.surveymonkey.com. This was a

limited format platform as the free version only allowed for ten questions to be a part of the
survey. The survey was then sent by e-mail to thirty departments in various parts of the State of
Florida. The survey was also placed on a website as a link on a blog at the United States First
Responders Association www.usfra.org. Recently, due to minimal response it was placed on the
International Fire Marshal’s Association page on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com.
The software database currently in use at the Orlando Fire Department is FireRMS by
Zoll data Inc. Crystal reports were accessed as this author as part of his user rights can obtain
data regarding a number of reports that which will tell of overall workload, number of
inspections completed by each inspector, number of inspections each inspector is currently
assigned and number of inspections that have gone uncompleted. These numbers will be
compared to the data received in the survey to get a general sense of what is the typical workload
of a Fire Prevention Inspector.
The survey addressed staffing levels as compared to the size of the department, the
population that was served, the number of fire prevention staff, whether they were sworn or
civilian, and who was the supervisor of the Fire Prevention Division. These questions will show
how diversely the division is utilized and will also show whether it seems to be a priority to the
departments overall function.
The inquiry was made with regard to whether or not the department had a software
solution in place for the Fire Prevention staff. It was also asked if the department did not utilize
any software solutions, would they be considering doing so in the future. Due to the limited
nature of the survey the data did not return any in depth analyses yet some of the respondents
included which brand they were using. Later discussion will hypothesize that it does not matter
which brand is used and that what is best for that particular department will suffice.

The final question to the survey inquired whether or not the Fire Prevention Division had
written its own strategic plan or was it a part of the departments overall strategic plan. The data
will show that most of the respondents were a part of the overall plan even though it is highly
recommended that a Fire Prevention Strategic Plan be put into action. (Valentine, 2008)
It is the final goal of this project to find if it is warranted to seek extra positions for the
Orlando Fire Departments Fire Safety Management division. It will be discussed as to whether it
is more inspection staff (Inspector(s)) that is needed or would it be more productive to add a new
Supervisor position (Deputy Fire Marshal) to utilize the impending software implementation and
its tools to re-design the business models and processes using the current level of staffing.
Survey Results
Staffing the Fire Prevention Division
A survey of the business model of your fire prevention division
1. Who supervises the fire prevention division?
2. What is the number of personnel in your department? (Paid/Volunteer or both)
3. What size is the population you serve?
4. How many fire prevention personnel do you employ?
5. Is your fire prevention staff civilian or sworn?
6. How many inspections per inspector/ per day is average for your division?
7. Does your fire prevention division utilize any inspection software to increase
productivity? If yes, which software product?
8. If you answered “no” to question 7, do you plan on adding any such software to increase
productivity? (If yes to question 7, please answer, “answered yes”)

9. If given the choice between an additional supervisor or more inspection staff which
would benefit your department more?
10. Has your fire prevention division created a separate strategic plan apart from the rest
of the department or is it incorporated in the overall plan?
Question1 Question2 Question3 Question4 Question5 Question6 Question7 Question8 Question 9 Question10
Fire
Marshal
600 450,000 9 civilian 7 no Yes Supervisor No
Fire Chief 104 68,000 2 sworn 4-6 No Yes Inspector No
Fire
Marshal
45 15,000 4 sworn 4 No Yes Inspector No
Fire
Marshal
47pd/75
volunteer
50,000 2 civilian 6 Yes No Inspector No
Fire
Marshal
600 250,000 12 both 4.4 Yes Yes Inspector Overall
Fire Chief 391 190,000 6 sworn 4 No No Inspector Overall
Fire
Marshal
400 275,000 7 civilian unknown No No Inspector Overall
Safety
Officer
80 40,000 14 both 4-6 no Not
Feasible
Inspector Separate
None 187 150,000 0 0 6 yes skip Inspector No
Fire
Marshal
110 60,000 5 both skip skip Skip Skip Skip
Fire
Marshal +
2
Deputies
310 pd./20
volunteer
260,000 15 3
sworn/12
civilian
0.8 yes Yes Supervisor Overall
Deputy
Chief
56 30,000 1 sworn unknown no yes Inspector No
Fire Chief 25 pd./4
call
16,000 1 sworn 5 yes Skip Supervisor None
Deputy
Fire
Marshal
42 38,000 17 Sworn 10-15 No No Inspector Overall
Division
Chief
90 42,000 20 Sworn 7-10/
month
Yes No Inspector None
Fire
Marshal
42 2000
private
industry
2 Sworn skip Yes Skip Inspector Separate
The results of the survey show that fire departments across the country vary in size,
staffing, populations served and who is responsible for supervising the fire prevention division.
Of the responses received 9 out sixteen or 56.25% stated that the Fire Marshal was responsible
for the division. As far as the size of the departments and the populations served, the responses
were too widely diverse for any worthwhile data. Due to the limited parameters of the “free”
survey data could not be collected as to location of the department and whether it was a rural or

metropolitan area that was served. As far as the staff of the fire prevention division being sworn
or civilian the results were leaning more that inspections were conducted by sworn personnel
with only 3 departments or 18.75% of respondents staffed exclusively by civilian fire inspectors.
The most interesting results that this survey returned were the level of staffing for each
department represented. While some reflected numbers matching the size of the department or
population served, others simply did not make much sense. One of the smaller department
respondents stated they have a total department staff of 42 and the number of fire prevention
personnel is 17. This logic in my professional interpretation may mean that their suppression
personnel conduct the inspection activities. The biggest anomaly that appeared is a department of
over 300 personnel, serving a population of 260,000 people, they have 15 personnel assigned to
the fire prevention division consisting of 3 sworn and 12 civilian personnel, and supervised by a
Fire Marshal and two Deputy Fire Marshals. The literature review for this project found that it is
up to the wisdom and judgement of the Fire Chief or Fire Marshal to decide what resources to
assign to the work of the fire prevention division. (Peterson)
The most consistent results observed came from those that reported how many
inspections per inspector, per day is typical for the department. Eight of the respondents out of
sixteen or 50% stated that a typical daily workload of 4-6 inspections were performed by the fire
prevention staff. Again, a few anomalies occurred with one of the smallest departments
represented claiming a comparatively large staff (17) conducting between 10-15 inspections per
day. One of the other medium sized departments (310 paid/20 volunteer), with a fire prevention
staff of 15 (3 sworn/ 12 civilian) conducted only 0.8 inspections per day, per inspector.
The question that asked whether or not the department utilizes inspection software to
conduct inspections was relatively split. Seven departments out sixteen or 43.75% are currently

using some software tools in the field. Six departments returned responses indicating that they
plan on adding some sort of software in the future while one stated that it was not feasible at this
time. This indicates that technology is either now or being considered as a solution to the current
workload in the fire prevention arena.
As stated earlier, one of the goals of this project is to gauge whether or not it would be
beneficial to add a supervisory position to a fire prevention division or does the mission and
workload warrant additional inspection personnel. The research and the results of the survey
have shown a vast diversity of each department. From size, population served, staffing and
supervisory models it is proven that although the mission of each department may be similar, to
save lives and property and protect the public from the dangers of fire, it is up to each person in
charge of the division as to the methodologies that work for the completion of that mission.
With the completion of the survey some comparative information from the database used
by the Orlando Fire Department FSM division was compiled to show that on average the number
of inspections completed per day per inspector is consistent with the majority of that reported in
the survey of around 6 to perhaps 7. The data however revealed that there are inconsistencies that
exist with the productivity of each inspector. The data also reveals a tremendous imbalance of
the workload assigned to each individual inspector and the territories they are assigned to. The
department consists of 17 fire station territories and oversees the two fire stations at the Greater
Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) at the Orlando International Airport. The staff currently
consists of eight full time civilian inspectors with one position currently vacant. The following
chart shows a breakdown of how the staff is currently assigned and the number of full fire
inspections are assigned over the entire year. These inspections do not include all of the different

inspection types that the FSM division conducts, only they are the core assignments that must be
completed as scheduled.
STATIONS TOTAL Avg./month
Per
Day
17
INSPECTOR
1 692 58
2.9
7,12
INSPECTOR
2 1057 88
4.5
1
INSPECTOR
3 851 71
3.6
10
INSPECTOR
4 1554 130
6.6
2,5
INSPECTOR
5 1723 144
7.3
3,9
INSPECTOR
6 1597 133
6.8
8,11,13,14,15,
16
INSPECTOR
7 1918 160
8.2
4,6
INSPECTOR
8 1981 165
8.4
As shown there is a clear imbalance of assignments which relates to the number of occupancies
operating within each station response area. This is an issue that must be addressed by
management in order to create a fair and balanced workload for each inspector. Another issue
that stands out is the productivity demonstrated by each inspector over the course of one year.
The following set of charts show the total number of the same type of assignments scheduled for
each inspector versus the number completed. These totals are from 2014, there is only seven
charts represented due to incomplete data. One inspector took a leave of absence late in 2014 and
another was recently hired and completing training.
2014 Full Fire Inspection Assignments Orlando Fire Department Fire Safety Management
Division

Inspector 8 hired late in 2014,no data available
This data shows that certain individuals are and some are not completing the workload they are
assigned. Further, it again shows the imbalanced workload. It also shows that even though some
537
291 246
TOTAL
ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETED NOT
COMPLETED
INSPECTOR 1
547 546
1
INSPECTOR 2
279
180
99
TOTAL
ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETED NOT
COMPLETED
INSPECTOR 3
839 837
2
TOTAL
ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETED NOT
COMPLETED
INSPECTOR 4
803 722
81
INSPECTOR 5
695
585
110
TOTAL
ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETED NOT
COMPLETED
INSPECTOR 6
608 598 10
TOTAL
ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETED NOT
COMPLETED
INSPECTOR 7

are assigned less inspection than the rest, they are leaving more assignments incomplete than
those whose workload is larger. (See charts, Inspector 1, 3, 6)
Discussion
As the findings have shown with regard to the staffing of a fire prevention division the
models can vary as much as the size of the department, the population served and the number of
staff that the Fire Marshal or Fire Chief feels that the division requires in order to carry out the
mission of the department. The findings also show that different supervisory models exist as to
who is responsible for supervising the division. Staffing levels are usually the product of
budgetary restrictions although research was not conducted in this area.
The use of inspection software in the field is clearly the way that some organizations
have already begun to address their productivity in a positive way. Others are making it a
consideration given that they have the financial feasibility to do so. The research could not get
into which product would benefit one department over another. It would be up to the discretion
of the command staff to find which product would be best for each department’s needs.
Addressing the issue of whether an addition to the supervisory staff would benefit a
department more than additional inspection staff has been shown that it is up to the needs of the
department. Each person who controls the operations of the fire prevention division must assess
the staff and its goals to determine where current and potential problems may lie. Performance
and accountability count for a great deal of the success or failure of an organization to achieve its
goals. The incorporation of a strategic plan specific to the fire prevention division would be a
great asset as long as it is revisited to see if the stated goals are being met. Incorporation of a
software platform takes planning, teamwork, and buy-in from those who will be using these

tools. With this addition it should be considered as to the current workload of the manager of a
fire prevention division in addition to overseeing a major project that will affect the current
business models and practices. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
warns local decision makers about expecting too much of one individual. Expecting one person
to do an adequate job with too many responsibilities can doom the efforts of the fire prevention
division. (ICMA, 2002)
NFPA 1730 Impact
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has created a new standard to assist fire
protection organizations and establish minimum requirements in organization and deployment of
a fire prevention division. “NFPA 1730 Standard on Organization and Deployment of Fire
Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement, Plan Review, Investigation, and Public Education
Operations to the Public” (draft) (National Fire Protection Association, 2015) is in its final stages
of review and is expected to be implemented in 2016. Currently, the technical committee has
proposed a Notice of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAM) at the annual NFPA technical meeting
in Chicago Illinois form June 22-25, 2015. (NFPA.org, 2015) This is the first document of its
kind to implement measurable standards for a fire prevention division to follow. As there is an
increased interest in Community Risk Reduction (CRR) NFPA 1730 requires the fire prevention
organization to perform a Community Risk Reduction plan. The stated purpose of this standard
is to “specify the minimum criteria addressing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public FPO
(Fire Protection Organization) of fire prevention inspection and code enforcement…” (NFPA
1730, 1.2.1 draft) The key here is the use of the words “shall” and “should”. Shall indicates a
mandatory requirement while should indicates a recommendation. This standard will now join
the extensive list of standards that fire departments in the United States must follow to be

compliant. While some departments do not feel that compliance with NFPA standards are a must
we must realize that in a court of law, the NFPA standard rules. (staff, 2012)
For current fire protection organizations that do not have in place the components of this
standard that will soon become a requirement will require significant effort. Some of the
departments indicated in the survey for this project that they desire more inspection staff to
complete their stated mission and goals. With this standards implementation they may want to
consider the implications and the time and effort it would take to fulfill the mandates included in
the NFPA 1730 document. Would it be better perhaps to dedicate a staff member to ensure
compliance with the standard or will the head of the division have time to dedicate to this project
without compromising other duties?
It has been one of the goals of this project to determine adequate staffing levels for a fire
prevention organization. This standard addresses this issue in the organizational section of the
document. It mandates that the FPO (Fire Protection Organization) shall have someone in charge
of the organization and a structure of the organization that is not only efficient but effective and
be of the proper size and complexity to carry out its stated mission. This will mean that the Fire
Marshal or the Fire Chief must ensure that the division is staffed adequately to perform all of the
functions and services it will provide in a written statement or policy. The document goes on to
mandate that the leader of the fire prevention division must ensure that adequate training is
provided and records kept to ensure all personnel maintain competency in the duties and
functions they will perform. Annex C of NFPA 1730 offers a five step staffing exercise that can
determine staffing levels recommended for each of the programs it covers such as prevention
inspections, public education, investigations etc. Step 1 is to identify the scope of services, duties
and desired outputs of the organization. Step 2 quantifies time demand for each duty listed in

step 1. Step 3 is to quantify the required number of hours per task including development,
service, evaluation, commute time, and prioritization. Step 4 offers a table of calculations to
determine personnel availability for tasks minus holidays, leave time, and training time. Step 5 is
to calculate all data collected and determine the total number of personnel required for each
program task. This again, will be left up the fire prevention organization leader to determine all
of these factors. This standard does not mandate exact numbers of personnel for each task yet it
requires the fire protection organization to state the services it intends to provide. It is then
incumbent upon the organization to staff according to those stated goals and services.
Chapter 6 of the document has the most impact on the fire prevention division. This
chapter establishes the criteria for fire prevention inspection and code enforcement activities in
existing occupancies. The majority of the responsibilities of the Orlando Fire Departments FSM
division is in this capacity. Existing building inspections constitute approximately 85-90% of the
workload that this division performs. With the completion of the required Community Risk
Assessment (CRA) this chapter also that this will be the basis for the development of the
program. The stated purpose of this chapter is to establish a minimum frequency of inspections
and a minimum staff necessary to perform them. Table 6.6 of NFPA 1730 presents the
following: “Minimum Inspection Frequency”
Occupancy Risk Classification Frequency
High Annual
Moderate Bi-annual
Low Tri-annual
Critical Infrastructure Per AHJ

This may have a major impact on the staffing and workload of the fire prevention division. For
instance, the Orlando’s FSM division along with a company survey inspection program attempts
to inspect every existing business within the city limits on an annual basis regardless of the
occupancy risk classification. In reducing the frequency that low and moderate risk occupancies
require inspections will in turn lower the amount of inspections scheduled per year, per
inspector, and most importantly per company survey assignment. When a company is assigned
inspections it must do so utilizing the apparatus as they may receive calls while conducting said
inspections. Reducing the workload for them will decrease costs for fuel and wear and tear to the
apparatus. For the full time prevention staff this will result in an ability to raise the quality of
inspections by spending more time on the high risk occupancies such as apartment buildings,
hotels, dormitories, lodging and rooming houses, assemblies, child care, detention, educational
and healthcare occupancies. The low and moderate risk occupancies can then be rescheduled to
balance the workload in the years they are required a visit by the fire prevention division.
Recommendations
The stated goal of this project was to determine if it would be more beneficial to the Fire
Safety Management division of the Orlando Fire Department to seek additional personnel to
increase the number of Fire Safety Inspectors or would it benefit the division to re-create the
position of Deputy Fire Marshal to assist in restructuring the business model due to an
impending major software upgrade to several city departments. OFD FSM has nine Fire
Prevention Inspector positions funded under the current budget. Very recent events have
determined that the current Fire Marshal will no longer utilize all nine positions exclusively for
field inspections. A new Inspector was recently hired to fill the open position that has been
vacant since February 1, 2015. The new Inspector will be placed in the territory assigned to one

inspector, that inspector will take over the territory of another inspector who will be assigned to
administrative work overseeing hazardous materials permits and fire hydrant data collection.
This move has effectively reduced the full time inspection staff back to eight inspectors in the
field and has not decreased the workload of anyone, and has in fact overburdened the new
inspector and the relocated inspector as they are expected to share the territories they were given.
In light of these events it would be have a supervisor oversee the inspection program to
determine best practices.
Staffing
It is strongly recommended that the Fire Safety Management division re-evaluate the
workload of its staff. It is easily quantifiable as the table above (p.23) shows an imbalanced
workload of core assignments and territories each member is currently assigned. This action will
surely have a positive impact on the morale and well-being of those with the highest numbers of
inspections to complete. It is also recommended that all nine inspectors be assigned to the field
instead of to any administrative duties, thus showing the best effort to balance the workload and
reduce the number of incomplete inspections. It is also recommended to enforce the policies in
place by requiring that each inspector complete the minimum number of (7) inspections per day.
Currently there is no disciplinary actions taken by management if an inspector is not complying
with this policy. The table below is representative of totals from completed number of all types
of inspections in 2013 for seven of the eight inspectors with full time status at this time.
Inspector 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total
Avg./Day
Avg./day 2.8 5.5 6.3 8.5 7.4 6.3 8.1 7.65

(Information obtained from Zoll data Fire RMS crystal reports “inspections completed by
inspector”)
Methods of Inspection
The current methods used by FSM to complete its workload is on preprinted forms of
which each one coincides with the business address of each occupancy in the database. To print
the many forms required each month on an outdated dot-matrix printer takes a staff assistant 1-2
business days. The forms are then sorted by station to each fire station for company surveys and
then to each inspectors territories which takes another 1-2 business days to complete. Finally,
since the forms come in no particular order each inspector must again sort the workload by
streets in order to plan a route to make efficient use of a workday.
As mentioned previously there is a major upgrade to the software used by several City of
Orlando Departments including Planning, Permitting, Code Enforcement, OFD, and other
sections of the Economic Development division. Within the last several weeks, four companies
were chosen to give presentations of their product. One company emerged as the overall favorite
of a committee represented by several different departments and technical experts. The City
Council will vote to approve funding in the coming weeks. This software platform will connect
each division through a series of business rules and workflow so that interaction of related
departments becomes more efficient. The software will also include a citizen web portal in which
citizens and contractors doing business with the city can create an account to submit electronic
plans for review, apply for permits and business tax receipts (BTR’s), and submit code
enforcement complaints and pay any fees due for their business. For FSM this will also mean a
mobile inspection tool that will allow the inspectors to remove the paper process described above
and also eliminate redundant data entry that must be done manually once an inspection is

completed. It will also mean that processes such as the hazardous materials permit process
currently used may be done through the portal. This will eliminate the need for the inspector
assigned this task to return to the field full time. The automation and elimination of paper will
free up the time the staff assistant spends on this task and allow for other duties to be performed
related to the tools the software will provide. Overseeing this implementation will be a
considerable to the current workload of the Fire Marshal. It is recommended to add a supervisor
and delegate the software implementation and training to that position.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning was a part of this research project due to its significance to all aspects
and business practices. It is so significant that it was the subject of an entire course required in
the fulfillment of this degree. Appendix A contains a sample strategic plan written by this author
for the MPA 604 Strategic Planning for Public Managers course. (See Appendix A) With the
software upgrade on the horizon strategic planning will vital to the success of the FSM division.
With new tools come new opportunities to streamline business processes and increase
productivity within the division. Also, with the implementation of NFPA 1730 the division will
be required to keep written records and statements mandated by this new standard. It is
recommended therefore that the Fire Safety Management division be tasked with creating a
strategic plan that coincides with the current strategic plan of the Orlando Fire Department and
address the planning required to properly implement new business practices. This should be
assigned to someone experienced with this process.
Management

Management of a Fire Prevention Organization is a great responsibility. When
management gets overwhelmed by attempting to complete too many tasks at once or is unable to
properly manage the activities of the staff it is okay to ask for help. Hiring another manager may
be something to suggest to those in charge. Another approach would be to utilize technology to
help automate or simplify the processes. (Arthur) The facts are: the Fire Safety Management
division is not managing its workload due to several factors. Effective and efficient management
practices as well as the lack of accountability. A portion of the inspection staff is given a
workload that is disproportionate to the rest as well as another portion of the staff not being held
accountable to complete their assignments. In light of recent events the full staff of nine
inspectors will not be utilized in the field which suggests that management feels it necessary to
complete administrative work rather than complete fire and life safety inspections. It is therefore
recommended that one inspector position be upgraded to a Deputy Fire Marshal position.
It is recommended that the duties assigned to this new position be as follows: 1. Manage
the implementation and training of the new software program. 2. Create a solution to equitably
redistribute the assigned workload to each inspector. 3. Create new business practices best
utilizing the new software, including automating administrative tasks. 4. Oversee the creation of
a strategic plan exclusively for FSM. 5. Ensure accountability through effective management
techniques such as building rapport with staff, employing diplomacy, establishing credibility,
resolving conflicts and using effective communication. (Llopis, 2012)

References
(n.d.). Retrieved from Business Dictionary:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/strategic-planning.html
Arthur, L. (n.d.). Chron. Retrieved from Demand Media: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/should-
feel-overwhelmed-work-manager-15673.html
Budget Book FY2013/14. (2013, October 1). Retrieved from
http://www.cityoforlando.net/obfs/budget/#info
Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/strategic-planning.html
City of Houston. (2011). Retrieved from Houstontx.gov:
www.houstontx.gov/fire/reportsandstats/hfd%20Strategic%20Plan%20FY11-Fy15.pdf
City of Orlando. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.cityoforlando.net/about/
ICMA. (2002). Managing Fire and Rescue Servics. Washington D.C.: ICMA.
International City/County Management Association. (2002). Managing Fire and Rescue
Services. Washington D.C.: International City/County Management Association.
Lacey, P. V. (2008, July 4). Retrieved from Firehouse.com:
www.firehouse.com/article/10502502/It-takes-a-culture
Llopis, G. (2012, July 10). Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/07/10/effective-managers-earn-trust-
quickly-by-doing-5-things-well/2/

Miller, M. E. (2013, February 7). Miami Beach Fire Department Is Aflame With Corruption and
Abuse. Retrieved from Miami New Times:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-beach-fire-department-is-aflame-with-
corruption-and-abuse-6390728
National Fire Protection Association. (2015). Retrieved from NFPA.org: www.nfpa.org/codes-
and-standards/document-information-pages?mode=code&code=1730
NFPA.org. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.nfpa.org/training/conference/technical-meeting
Peterson, D. F. (n.d.). Best Practices for the Fire Prevention Program of the Madison Fire
Department. Retrieved from FEMA: www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo43284.pdf
Peterson, D. F. (n.d.). FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved from
www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo43284.pdf
Pinkham, S. P. (2001, June 17). The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved from
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061701/met_firenew.html#.VQYFH5VFBjo
staff, F. (2012, August 18). Firefighter Nation. Retrieved from
http://www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighter-safety-and-health/failure-meet-osha-
and-nfpa-ppe-standards-puts-departments-risk
Valentine, B. L. (2008, January 29). Firehouse.com. Retrieved from
www.firehouse.com/article/10494424/strategic-planning-is-a-must-for-fire-prevention
Wayne R, J. (2006, August). Fire Prevention: Time and Staffing are Running Short. Retrieved
April 9, 2015, from FEMA: www.usfa.fema.gov/pdf/efop/efo39425.pdf

Appendix A
Sample Fire Prevention Strategic Plan
I. Introduction
A. Organizational Background
B. The need for OFD Fire Safety Management (FSM) Strategic Plan
C. Previous Accomplishments by FSM
II. Organizing Stakeholder Groups
A. External Stakeholder Group Findings
1. Customer Priorities
2. Customer Expectations
3. Customer Concerns
B. Internal Stakeholder Group
1. Mission
2. Values
3. Programs and Services Provided
4. S.W.O.T.
5. Critical Issues and Service Gaps
6. Goals and Objectives
III. Vision for the Future
IV. Performance Measurement

Orlando Fire Department Fire Safety Management
Three Year Strategic Plan 2014-2016
Introduction
The Orlando Fire Departments Fire Safety Management (FSM) Division has a history of
whose length is not clear. There is a brief mention in the “History of OFD” that in June 1944,
The Orlando Fire Department received a certificate for national recognition among cities of its
class for distinguished work in fire prevention from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This was
a major accomplishment because it occurred in an era when the fire service was primarily
oriented toward field operations on a national basis. Today, FSM consists of one Fire Marshal,
nine Municipal Fire Safety Inspectors and three support personnel. OFD has grown significantly
since 2002 when thirteen stations were in operation until today seventeen stations are in
operation with at least two more in the planning stages.
While growth of the City of Orlando and the department continues there is no immediate
plans to add personnel to FSM to handle the additional workload of inspections. This plan will
address the need and some viable solutions for the upcoming growth and possible budget
constraints that Fire Safety will be operating under. Throughout the last five years FSM has had
to take on additional projects and duties to raise much needed revenue in addition to handling
additional inspection assignments that were normally assigned to field personnel as “company
survey” inspections. Projects including the Florida State statute (f.s.633.082) requiring flow
testing of all private fire hydrants within a jurisdiction and most recently the signage
requirements for commercial buildings having lightweight truss roofs and floor systems
(f.s.633.027) have taken time away from regularly scheduled inspections in order to achieve
compliance.

Beginning in 2004 OFD FSM initiated a program in which every privately owned fire
hydrant in the City of Orlando limits was tagged with a metal identification tag and placed on a
map using global positioning system (GPS) technology. Each owner was then cited to have a
private contractor perform a flow test and submit the results to FSM and the results recorded into
the existing data base. This program is ongoing and overseen by a senior inspector. The data
gathered assists in the water availability requirements for the Insurance Services Organization
(ISO) rating system of which OFD retains the highest rating of 1. Shortly after the hydrant
program was underway our hazardous materials identification program was modified. In the past,
occupancies using, storing or handling hazardous materials were given a one-time fee permit
which was valid until revoked. The new program required the submittal of an inventory list of
maximum quantities of materials on hand and a yearly renewal permit and fee. This raised much
needed revenue for the department. Recently, per ISO requirements a pre-fire plan was
conducted for each building and documented in the existing data base. False alarm fees which
had not increased in several years were increased and passed City Council approval after a
survey of neighboring department’s fee structure.
Organizing External and Internal Stakeholder Groups
In the interest of time an external stakeholder group was identified by sending out a
questionnaire to apartment complex managers, business owners including restaurant, nightclub,
industrial, and manufacturing businesses. From the surveys returned it was determined that a fair
representation of the customers that Fire Safety Management was represented. Those surveyed
were asked to rank the services that FSM provides in order of importance. The survey also asked
what their expectations of Fire Safety personnel were. The following were the results:

SERVICE RANK
Annual Inspections 1
Hazardous Material Regulation 7
Fire Hazard Complaints 3
Public Education/Training 2
Fire Officer Assist 8
Nightclub Exit Checks 5
Follow up/Re-inspections 6
Fireworks Sales Inspections 4
EXPECTATIONS RANK
Inspectors should be courteous 2
Inspectors should be on time for appointments 3
Inspectors should conduct thorough inspections of businesses 1
Inspectors should be knowledgeable and educate the public. 4
Inspectors should cite any and all violations 5
Inspectors should return for follow-up inspections 7
Inspectors should return communications in a timely manner 6
Areas ofCustomer Concern
Are there fines for non-compliance?
What happens if I do not comply?
Why do I need an inspection?
Can my business be closed for non-compliance
Does FSM offer any training?
Why is it my responsibility to flow test fire hydrants?
How often can I expect an inspection?
The results will be used to evaluate current services and be part of future customer service
training to ensure that Inspectors are serving the public well.
An internal stakeholder group was identified and work sessions were conducted. The
purpose was to review and discuss Fire Safety Management and its continuing role in the overall
fire department strategic plan, history of the department, goals, and values and what type of
agency FSM desires to be in the future. The internal stakeholder group was made up of the Fire
Marshal, Deputy Chief, 1 District Chief, 2 Field Lieutenants, 2 Inspectors, 2 Firefighters, and a

staff assistant. The work sessions included a review of FSM’s core services, perceived
performance, review of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, (S.W.O.T.) critical
issues, and service gaps.
Mission
“The Fire Safety Management Division mission is to protect the lives and property of the
citizens and visitors to Orlando, by providing the highest possible level of service through a
comprehensive Fire Prevention Program”.
Values
The Orlando Fire Department Fire Safety Management shares the values established in
the Strategic Plan dated 2013-2017.
We take PRIDE in our community through professionalism, respect, integrity, duty, and empathy. We encourage
all department members to embark on a quest for personalexcellence by being professional in their actions,
practicing the highest degree of ethical behavior, and use their best judgment in making decisions.WE DO THIS
BECAUSE WE HAVE PRIDE!
Professional- We value professionalism by striving to always provideexcellent and reliable service, sharp appearance and
a “can do” attitude.
Respect- We value respect for ourselves and every resident and visitor, and recognize the worth of others while
consistently exhibiting professionalism and empathy for thosein need. We take pridein being charged with promoting
dignity, fairness, and equal opportunities for others.
Integrity- We value integrity through consistently displaying honesty and acting with the highest standards of ethical
conduct. We do what is right without expecting anything in return.
Empathy- We value an empathetic workforce that seeks to support, understand, and meet the needs of the community and
each other in a professional and non-judgmental manner. Service will always be delivered free of bias, as we recognize and
appreciatethe diversity within thecommunity and our workforce.
Programs and Services Provided
To provide supportive and preventative programs to our citizens and ensure the Orlando
Fire Department maintains the community standards. Therefore, the Fire Safety Management
Division serves the community by performing the following essential services:

Conducting fire prevention inspections at general and hazardous occupancy businesses.
Permit Issuance
Conduct certificate of occupancy inspections for new and existing businesses.
Investigate fire hazard complaints that require code enforcement action or referral.
Conduct fire safety demonstrations and/or lectures.
Providing fire safety code consultation and compliance as requested by various governmental
agencies, members of private industry and members of the community.
Evaluate requests for variances to the City of Orlando Fire Code.
Maintain and update a computer database of all residential and commercial occupancies in the
city.
Review the National Fire Protection Association Standards for proposed local amendments.
Provide in-house fire code training and technical support to Fire Department personnel.
Partner with other city departments to ensure community compliance.
S.W.O.T. Analysis
The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis is designed to
have an agency candidly identify their positive and less-than-desirable attributes. FSM, in
keeping with the consistency of the departments’ strategic plan has completed a S.W.O.T. that
follows:
Strengths:
9 State Certified Municipal Inspectors Department produces revenue through fees
Large occupancy database Seen as educators, not enforcement
Inspectors complete ongoing training and re-
certification
Support field personnel to ensure firefighter
safety is a priority
Weaknesses:
One supervisor to run entire department Outdated equipment, computers, cell phones,
pagers
Still using paper/printed inspection forms Outdated educational materials and training
equipment
Inspectors are assigned large numbers of
inspections impacting quality
Lack of accountability/quality assurance from
management
Lack of communication/information sharing
between city departments
Inadequate new hire training
Lack of trust/teamwork between inspectors
impacting morale
No career path for inspectors

Opportunities:
New software and hardware to increase
accuracy and productivity
Hire Deputy Fire Marshal to assist Fire
Marshal with daily operations
Develop in-house training for inspectors and
field personnel
Conduct territory analysis to balance
inspectors workload
Revise policies and procedures to streamline
processes
Automate permitting processes for online
customer use
Create/Promote team building Have consistent accountability practices
Threats:
Economy Employee motivation/internal sabotage
Lack of funding for new technology Public trust and support
New annexations adding to workload Administrative support
Critical Issues and Service Gaps
After an internal review of FSM’s core services, the organizational strengths and
weaknesses, and the opportunities proposed along with the threats of the current environment in
which the department operates, the Internal Stakeholders identified the primary critical issues
facing the division. By participating in the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) Analysis, the Group was able to produce a tangible list of critical issues that provided
the foundation for the establishment of goals and objectives, in order to meet the future vision of
the Fire Safety Management Division.
Identified Critical Issues
 Need to hire Deputy Fire Marshal to assist in implementation of new programs
 Need to encourage teambuilding and trusting work environment
 Need to replace paper inspection forms with updated technology
 Need to establish communications with other city departments
 Need to address processes in order to expedite permits and other services

Identified Service Gaps
 Lack of teamwork can produce confusion for customers
 Paper forms and inspections require time to process
 No current technology to help with permits and processes
 Lack of communication between city departments can cost citizens and contractors time
and money
 Lack of additional Supervisor creates service and communication gaps
Goals and Objectives
In order to achieve the mission of FSM realistic goals must be established. Goals and
objectives are important to provide the individual members with clear direction and to address
the concerns of the citizens. As goals and objectives are management tools, they will be updated
on an on-going basis to identify what has been accomplished and to note changes within the
department and the community. The goals and objectives should now become the focus of the
efforts of FSM. By following these goals and objectives carefully, FSM can direct themselves
into their desired future.
The following is a list of the goals and objectives that was identified for completion and
the timelines for each established. The leadership of the Fire Safety Management Division along
with the Administration will meet periodically to review progress. FSM supervisors will also
meet periodically with members of the division to provide established guidelines and training on
the identified goals and objectives.
Goal 1 Explore all options to implement new hardware and software to increase
productivity

Objective 1A Approach Information Technology Department within city to work out
details of new software acquisition and implementation
Timeline 6-12 months
Critical Tasks  Meet with IT and Leadership to decide on budget and options
 Create Request for Proposals(RFP) to explore product options
 Acquire product and arrange training and implementation
Goal 2 Hire Deputy Fire Marshal to assist with implementation and daily
operation
Objective 2A Explore options for promotion from within prior to seeking external
applicants
Timeline 3-6 months
Critical Tasks  Explore internal staffing before adding new position
 Meet with Chief and Fiscal Manager to discuss budget for new
position
 Write description of position, duties, responsibilities, knowledge,
skills, and abilities required
Goal 3 Improve communications between city departments
Objective 3A Arrange for monthly meetings between Code Enforcement and
Permitting Services leaders
Critical Tasks  Identify gaps in communication between departments
 Determine information that is not being shared that is critical to
operations of each department
 Explore options for a shared software platform to improve
collaboration between department functions
Goal 4 Acquire new training and educational materials and equipment for public
education
Objective 4A Acquire grant money or explore budget options for new materials
Critical Tasks  Meet with grant manager to explore grant options
 Meet with FSM manager and Fiscal Manager to identify internal
budget options
 Explore materials and equipment that will fulfill the departments
training requirements
Goal 5 Build a trusting environment in the FSM division through teamwork
Objective 5A Identify internal issues plaguing the department affecting productivity

Critical Tasks  Identify and implement accountability policies and procedures
 Review daily workload expectations and disciplinary procedures
 Review special assignments and adjust according to employee
strengths
 Begin internal training on new policies, procedures, and
expectations
 Ensure all employees are treated similarly through disciplinary
measures
Vision for the Future
The vision for the Orlando Fire Department Fire Safety Management Division is to be a
recognized leader in the Central Florida area for its innovation dedication in the area of fire
prevention. Aligning with the 129 year history of the Orlando Fire Department we wish to
continue the PRIDE and values established by the leaders both past and present.
Through the acquisition of new technologies this department will deliver higher quality
and more expedient services to both our internal and external customers. We will ensure that all
training and safety information is made available to the citizens and employees of the City of
Orlando.
Our internal culture will reflect a friendly and team-oriented atmosphere nurtured by
improving internal communication processes. The increased efforts in workforce planning will
increase the value of our human capital, and will ensure the future success and health of our
members and the agency.
Our leadership and workforce will hold one another individually accountable for
applying our mission and values, while continuously striving to reach our goals. It is our vision,
through these efforts, that the Orlando Fire Department Fire Safety Management Division will
consistently meet or exceed the expectations of our community.

Performance Measurement
While the establishment of this Strategic Plan has been challenging, it would not achieve
its full potential unless the goals and objectives established were not able to be quantified in a
comprehensive manner. “Successful strategic planning requires continuing review of actual
accomplishments in comparison with the plan. Periodic or continuous environmental scanning to
assure that unforeseen developments do not sabotage the adopted plan or that emerging
opportunities are not overlooked”. We as an agency must be prepared to implement all of the
practices identified in this plan. We must also be prepared to accurately measure the output of
our effort in order to measure the success of the plan. We must also be prepared to make
adjustments by all means necessary to achieve ongoing and measurable success of the
organization.

Jszewczyk_CapstoneResearchPaper_04252015

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (9)

Ähnlich wie Jszewczyk_CapstoneResearchPaper_04252015

Ähnlich wie Jszewczyk_CapstoneResearchPaper_04252015 (20)

Jszewczyk_CapstoneResearchPaper_04252015