Strategic Plan

“Consistency with the right strategic plan is the ultimate key to success.
Yesterday’s action would never make up for today’s procrastination.”
― Edmond Mbiaka

Message from the Fire Chief

UFA adopted its first written three-year strategic plan in December 2017. The UFA spent all of 2017 gathering input from stakeholders on what we do well and how we could do better (there were significant opportunities for us to do better). In January 2017, the UFA received the results of a State Audit with 51 findings and 126 recommendations. Senior leadership was removed, and I was invited to lead the organization. The UFA used the strategic planning process to focus on how we could improve the UFA and provide value for our communities. We established a three-year plan with six overarching goals. The leadership team adopted action items and prepared each year’s budget proposals centered on advancing the organization toward the adopted vision, mission, and goals.

Near the end of the 2018-2020 plan, UFA surveyed the elected officials and professional staff from all municipalities to measure how they think UFA was performing compared to the same survey taken in 2018. Here are a few highlights of the results from that survey:

• 86.4% have a very favorable impression of the UFA compared to 75.3% in 2018.
• 93.2% feel the UFA personnel working in the stations are responsible to them and the community compared to 81.8% in 2018. (6.8% said probably so for a total of 100%)
• 91.5% feel the UFA Liaison is responsive to them and their community compared to 81.8% in 2018. (6.8% said probably so for a total of 88.6%)
• 75.8% feel UFA’s executive leadership is responsive to them and the community compared to 66.2% in 2018. (19% said probably so for a total of 94.8%)
• 74.5% believe the services UFA provides are worth taxpayer dollars compared to 66.2%in 2018. (16.9% said probably so for a total of 91.4%)
• 66.1% strongly agree that UFA feels like my local fire department compared to 62.3%in 2018. (23.7% somewhat agree for a total of 89.8%)

I am proud of the work that has been done and pleased that the people we serve feel we are doing well. In 2020, Division Chief Case and Assistant Chief Pilgrim led a process to gather input to build a new three-year plan that will take us from January 2021 to December 2023. This plan will be posted in all our facilities and drive our resource allocation for the next three budget cycles.

I am confident that we will accomplish the sustaining goals and achieve the key initiatives in this plan. This plan is embraced by the entire organization and will be moved forward by everyone in the organization. Following this plan will allow us to continue placing kind, competent people into the community solving problems and making life better for the people our firefighters and staff interact with.

Dan Petersen, Fire Chief

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