Houston Fire department has a vision for the future which is well articulated in their vision statement. The HFD’s vision statement states that, “HFD will be recognized as a premier public service organization, respected and admired by our peers and the community as the most diverse, innovative, and public safety provider in the world (City of Houston, 2015).” The department is looking forward to continued improvements in the future to better respond to and address the needs of the community they serve. Contrary to the belief that a fire department only exists to attend to fire calls, HFD is undergoing transformation and is hence looking forward to providing extra services such as emergency medical services, technical rescue, homeland security services and several other essential services in the future (Green & Kolesar, 2004).
HFD’s vision is consistent with the community’s vision for itself. The Houston community is looking forward to having an all-rounded fire department which provides all the essential services and is adaptable to change whenever possible (Pozner et al., 2004). As part of their commitment, most residents of Houston have volunteered themselves to work in the fire department to assist the department in serving the community. In the recent past the department has seen massive improvements in the delivery of its core values of safety, reliability, teamwork, dedication, bravery, and inclusiveness.
The public is aware of the vision as it was shared with them in the department’s strategic plan of 2015. Moreover, the city hall mayor, Sylvester Turner has always reiterated that the department has a vision of growing into the future to serve the community better. During presentations of the department’s annual financial report the mayor reminded the public of vision and stated that the department is committed to achieving the vision for the benefit of the community. Yes, I agree with that vision since it has good plans that would largely improve public safety.
References
Green, L. V., & Kolesar, P. J. (2004). Anniversary article: Improving emergency responsiveness with management science. Management Science, 50(8), 1001-1014.
Pozner, C. N., Zane, R., Nelson, S. J., & Levine, M. (2004). International EMS Systems: The United States: Past, Present, and Future. Resuscitation, 60(3), 239-244.
