Most fire departments release strategic plans every five years or so. Because of Buckeye’s exponential growth, however, the Buckeye Fire Medical Rescue Department operates on a three-year plan that’s updated annual.
It’s that time of year again, and the department is requesting community input.
Chief Jake Rhoades described the plan as “community driven,” on a recent social media post, saying he is seeking input on the department’s programs, efficacy of response, professional development and risk assessment.
To garner this feedback from residents, the department has released a Google survey which can be accessed here.
“We like to get out into the community and see what we think of the department,” Rhoades told InBuckeye. “I want that input so we can sit down later in the next month and really look at what our community thinks and what they value as levels of service.”
The seven-question survey asks respondents to evaluate 10 programs and services provided by the department in order of importance, identify what should and should not change, provide a priority ordered list of expectations, provide a priority ordered list of concerns, list perceived strengths of the department and give any general remarks.
In the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, the department identifies its core values in the acronym FIRE: Family, integrity, resilient and evolving.
Upcoming community developments that are salient to the department include, according to the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan:
- Population growth with residential development
- Transportation, infrastructure and core services investments
- Commercial and retail development
- Increased development density
- Increase risk in industrial and commercial development
- Increased use of transportation corridors
- More public events and events facilities
- More calls for services and BFMRD responses
“These impending changes are a critical backstory for the BFMRD Strategic Plan. The importance of investment in growth of the BFMRD cannot be understated,” reads the strategic plan. “But the message must be around the resulting value; it is critical to enable a safe community, influence future investment and development in the City of Buckeye, support regional partnerships, and to attract the next generation of professionals to the BFMRD.”
Read the current Strategic Plan here.
Accommodating growth is at the fore, Rhoades said. With each new department added as the city grows, a minimum of 15 new employees are required. With the 2025 opening of the Teravalis community and should voters green light the General Obligation Bond on Nov. 5, the department will need at least 30 new firefighters.
“As our community grows, obviously we are growing with that, and our capacity to grow as a department and bring on new members, we have to really structurally plan that out,” Rhoades said. “With that, at the same time as we open a new station, we also have to have professional development.”
BFMRD needs leadership staff, as well. Currently, 52% of the department’s firefighters have less than five years of experience, making training a vital focus, according to Rhoades. The department intends on promoting from the inside for those senior positions, but it needs to keep the recruitment and training system strong to provide the level of service needed for a growing city.
Don’t forget commercial development, too. That presents an entirely new training need for a department that once served a primarily residential city.
“And then you throw in mega boxes or specialized hazards such as KORE Power and solar farms, etc.,” said Rhoades. “It just has to increase our training plan.”
A lot has changed in Buckeye — and it’s just the beginning. Which is why Rhoades said he hopes residents will take a few minutes to be part of their city's emergency services development by filling out the survey.
“The importance of feedback is we don’t want to operate in a silo or vacuum,” he said. “We want that community input.”
