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Putting Out the Fire
Centerport Fire District
A Case Study in Community Relations
The Centerport Fire District had a problem: On four separate occasions the community rejected a bond referendum that would finance much-needed safety improvements to its firehouse.
Centerport’s volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel were so discouraged by the series of losses that morale in the department had sunk to a new low. “F.U. P.U.B.L.I.C.,” read a bulletin board outside the firehouse after the last unsuccessful vote. The not-so-subtle acronym above the words “Firefighters United Promoting Unity, Brotherhood and Loyalty in Centerport” was posted by a rogue volunteer. One resident, speaking to the press under the condition of anonymity out of fear that if his “house goes on fire, they’ll pass me by,” was quoted as saying, “It’s childlike, it’s deplorable and it’s sickening.”
What was needed was an immediate community relations effort to heal the wounds and bring Centerport and its volunteer firefighters back together again. HLDPR was retained to develop a strategic public education campaign to explain the real and critical need for expanding the firehouse, and garner support for a new referendum.
The campaign we developed involved a multi-faceted approach that reached the community, elected officials, the media and other stakeholders. The first priority was to restore Centerport’s trust in its fire department. HLDPR created a monthly newsletter highlighting the accomplishments of Centerport’s volunteers, supported by weekly press releases showing the fire department in action or reporting the good deeds of its members throughout the community. In addition, several public events were created to showcase the department’s advanced emergency medical services and offer testament to its life-saving capabilities. Simultaneously, HLDPR worked behind the scenes with elected officials and key community leaders to generate public support for another bond issue.
In preparation for a new vote, and maintaining the priority to improve relations between Centerport and its volunteer firefighters, the agency focused on strategic messaging that emphasized safety. A public forum was held and a phone number established for residents to call and ask questions. We provided vivid examples of the outmoded firehouse, which serves many community groups and is also an emergency evacuation site. In addition, informative fliers were developed that addressed the many concerns of the community, including the cost of the improvements to taxpayers.
Several mailings and “do me a favor” postcards were sent to help get the vote out. Supporters of the bond were identified and phone banks were setup to make sure they got to the polls. The day before the election, volunteers and their friends distributed literature door-to-door and a phone line was manned by the fire commissioners to answer any questions that arose.
The highly unusual confrontation between the community and its volunteer fire department attracted extensive, continuing news coverage, including major stories in Newsday, the New York Times, and on local and New York City-based television and radio newscasts.
The campaign conceived and executed by HLDPR paid off as Centerport residents approved the new safety improvement bond 761 to 590. Among the benefits of helping one community resolve its differences and provide for the safety of its residents was the greatly improved morale the victory generated among its volunteer firefighters. As a bonus, the fire department’s annual fund drive later that year became its most successful ever.
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