The City of Carlsbad recently received good news, the kind that the CEO of every company would like to receive. The San Diego Business Journal honored the Carlsbad Fire Department with a Health Care Champion award. It made me proud that every member of our team pulled together to win this award. And they did it by identifying industry trends and delivering high-quality service.
Practically speaking, your Carlsbad Fire Department functions like any business. The only real exception is we don't show a profit at the end of the fiscal year. We can't. But like any other business, the department has a budget and has to stay within that budget. Staff hasn't increased significantly in many years, but Carlsbad firefighters must set and hit goals to deliver a level of service that improves constantly.
And that made me, as the head of the department, even more proud that our staff won a Health Champion Award, because we did it while living within our limits. The City of Carlsbad provided the resources, managers and chiefs provided the leadership, and everyone in the department focused on their jobs to take care of our community, meaning you.
To an outsider we may look like a traditional fire department. We know people think that when the alarm goes off we slide down the pole and show up with our rigs and spray water until the fire goes out.
If only it were that simple.
When the alarm comes in, we never know what we're going to encounter. The majority of our calls are medical responses, so every one of our firefighters is a trained paramedic.
We have to deliver informed, competent service, and we develop that skill by spending hours in the classroom and practicing in simulations.
And much like you, we don't assume that whatever we do, however we do it, that's the right way to do it.
We have performance measures that each engine crew must meet. If a crew isn't out the door and on the scene of an emergency in an efficient time frame, they'll hear about it. We have a statistician who studies each call and evaluates the dispatch, response and performance times. The numbers don't lie. Every crew knows there are standards, and firefighters race to meet their benchmarks every time they drive out the door.
If we're out in the field and something goes wrong, we know it. And like you, we don't let it pass. We sit down in a classroom and critique it. Those involved in the incident explain what happened and we dissect it. We don't focus on any individual, but on the system, with the goal of making it better.
Every day we're aware we have to win our customers' trust and confidence, and our customer base is quite broad. It includes everyone who lives, works and travels through Carlsbad. And to win that trust, we try our best to integrate with many aspects of the city.
We pride ourselves on working side by side with our counterparts in the Carlsbad Police Department, other emergency responders, and all members of our community. We want you to feel confident that when you dial 911, you'll get the best possible service. That's our goal every time we answer a call.
We want you to think of us as your safety experts.
If you have a safety question, we want you to call us before your question becomes an emergency. That's what we're here for.
The City of Carlsbad Fire Department can be reached at 760-931-2141.
Practically speaking, your Carlsbad Fire Department functions like any business. The only real exception is we don't show a profit at the end of the fiscal year. We can't. But like any other business, the department has a budget and has to stay within that budget. Staff hasn't increased significantly in many years, but Carlsbad firefighters must set and hit goals to deliver a level of service that improves constantly.
And that made me, as the head of the department, even more proud that our staff won a Health Champion Award, because we did it while living within our limits. The City of Carlsbad provided the resources, managers and chiefs provided the leadership, and everyone in the department focused on their jobs to take care of our community, meaning you.
To an outsider we may look like a traditional fire department. We know people think that when the alarm goes off we slide down the pole and show up with our rigs and spray water until the fire goes out.
If only it were that simple.
When the alarm comes in, we never know what we're going to encounter. The majority of our calls are medical responses, so every one of our firefighters is a trained paramedic.
We have to deliver informed, competent service, and we develop that skill by spending hours in the classroom and practicing in simulations.
And much like you, we don't assume that whatever we do, however we do it, that's the right way to do it.
We have performance measures that each engine crew must meet. If a crew isn't out the door and on the scene of an emergency in an efficient time frame, they'll hear about it. We have a statistician who studies each call and evaluates the dispatch, response and performance times. The numbers don't lie. Every crew knows there are standards, and firefighters race to meet their benchmarks every time they drive out the door.
If we're out in the field and something goes wrong, we know it. And like you, we don't let it pass. We sit down in a classroom and critique it. Those involved in the incident explain what happened and we dissect it. We don't focus on any individual, but on the system, with the goal of making it better.
Every day we're aware we have to win our customers' trust and confidence, and our customer base is quite broad. It includes everyone who lives, works and travels through Carlsbad. And to win that trust, we try our best to integrate with many aspects of the city.
We pride ourselves on working side by side with our counterparts in the Carlsbad Police Department, other emergency responders, and all members of our community. We want you to feel confident that when you dial 911, you'll get the best possible service. That's our goal every time we answer a call.
We want you to think of us as your safety experts.
If you have a safety question, we want you to call us before your question becomes an emergency. That's what we're here for.
The City of Carlsbad Fire Department can be reached at 760-931-2141.