Fire Chief's Newsletter

3 February 2010

    "Those Shiny Fire Trucks"

    During my 20 + years in the Fire Service I frequently hear people comment on the amount of time that Firefighters seem to spend on washing and waxing fire apparatus. Well there is a valid reason for this seemingly mundane chore.

    Think about your personnel cars, most of you have a car that is probably no more then 10 years old. Most fire engines are at least 20 years old. This means that the fire department has a vested interest in making sure that there are no cracks developing on the body or that there is a build up of body rust. By washing and waxing apparatus regularly that is what is being done.  The Firefighter is looking for the beginning of that type of damage so that it can be repaired early and for a relatively small cost. Remember that preventative maintenance is less expensive then corrective maintenance.

    There is also a second reason for keeping our apparatus clean and shiny. When you call 911 for help and a fire apparatus pulls up in front of your home on a call, do you want one that is covered with dirt or a clean unit? This may seem trivial but in fact when a member of the community sees a dirty fire or EMS apparatus they may question if that is how they take care of their equipment how will they take care of my emergency. This is something that we call perception of service. This same philosophy applies to any business. When was the last time you walked into a store and found it dirty or went to a restaurant and stayed even though the place was filthy? Probably not at all, I know that I would not want to do business with any company that does not keep the place clean and tidy.

    This may seem trivial to some, but to most of us the cleanliness of a fire departments equipment and buildings can tell a lot about how the department may take care of you in an emergency.

  FIREMATICALLY

ROBERT E. HERBST JR.

FIRE CHIEF, BRINNON FIRE DEPARTMENT