Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 1 C
ATHEDRAL CITY
FIRE & EMS
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER
STRATEGIC PLAN QUESTIONNAIRE
Strategic Plan 2026–2028
Community-Driven • Data-Informed • Employee-Supported “
Understanding the community’s needs is critically important when developing future goals and objectives, ensuring that your fire department shares the community’s perspective. Your input helps prepare for future operational needs, equipment and apparatus upgrades, increased service requests, and personnel staffing.”
— Fire Chief Michael Contreras
CPSE Internationally Accredited Agency • ISO Class 2
Serving Cathedral City with Purpose, Kindness, and Respect
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 2 Your Voice Matters
Cathedral City Fire & EMS is developing a new Strategic Plan that will guide our department’s priorities, services, and investments for the next 2–3 years. As part of this process, we are seeking input from the people who matter most — you.
Your perspective as a community member, business owner, partner agency, or stakeholder helps ensure our goals reflect real community needs — not just organizational assumptions. This questionnaire is designed to capture your priorities, expectations, and constructive feedback so that our next strategic plan is truly community-driven.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
• This questionnaire contains 10 questions and should take approximately 10–15 minutes. • There are no right or wrong answers. We value your honest perspective. • Your responses are confidential and will be combined with other stakeholder input to identify themes.
• Our department’s strategic plan aligns directly with the City of Cathedral City’s Five-Year Strategic Plan — by meeting our goals, we advance citywide priorities. • Available in English and Spanish. | Disponible en inglés y español.
WHO ARE OUR EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS?
We welcome input from all community voices, including residents, business owners, HOA and neighborhood leaders, school administrators and educators, healthcare and hospital partners, neighboring fire and emergency agencies, elected and appointed officials, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and visitors who experience our services. Anyone who lives, works, or invests in Cathedral City has a stake in our future.
OPTIONAL: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
This information helps us ensure we are hearing from a representative cross -section of the community.
I am responding as a: □ Resident
□ Business Owner/Operator
□ Partner Agency (City department, mutual aid, healthcare) □ Community Organization / Nonprofit / Faith-Based
□ Elected or Appointed Official
□ Educator / School Administrator
□ Other: _______________________________
Neighborhood / Area:
Years in Cathedral City: □ Less than 2 □ 2–5 □ 6–10 □ 11–20 □ 20+ Enter your email or phone number for a chance to win dinner for four at the fire station!
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 3 QUESTION 1 of 10
How
would you rate your overall level of satisfaction with the services provided by Cathedral City Fire & EMS?
Please select one rating that best reflects your experience.
Very
Satisfied
Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very
Dissatisfied
Don’t Know /
No
Experience
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
If you have had a direct experience with our department, briefly describe what shaped your rating:
QUESTION 2 of 10
What
do you believe should be the top priorities for Cathedral City Fire & EMS over the next 2–3 years?
Please rank your top 5 in order of importance (1 = highest priority).
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 4 QUESTION 3 of 10
H
ow important are each of the following services to you and your household, business, or organization?
Please rate each service area on a scale from Very Important to Not Important.
Service Area Very
Important
Important Somewhat
Important
Not
Important
No
Opinion
Don’t
Know
Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) / Paramedic
Response
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Fire Suppression and
Structural Firefighting ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Wildfire Preparedness and
Response ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Disaster Preparedness
(earthquakes, floods, severe
weather)
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Community Risk Reduction
(fall prevention, CPR training,
CERT)
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Fire Prevention (inspections,
code compliance, plan
review)
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Hazardous Materials and
Technical Rescue Response ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Community Engagement and
Outreach Events ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Emergency 911 Response
Times ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
QUESTION 4 of 10
I
n your experience, what does Cathedral City Fire & EMS do well? Please share any specific programs, interactions, or qualities that stand out positively. Your observations help us understand our strengths and where to build.
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 5 QUESTION 5 of 10
W
hat areas or aspects of service could Cathedral City Fire & EMS improve? Constructive feedback is essential to our growth. Please be specific about programs, response, communication, or any area where you see an opportunity for improvement.
QUESTION 6 of 10
H
ow well does Cathedral City Fire & EMS communicate with and engage the community? Please rate each area below.
Communication & Engagement Area Excellent Good Fair Poor Very Poor
Don’t
Know
Visibility and presence in the community ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Social media and online communication ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Availability of safety education programs
(CPR, CERT, etc.) ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Communication during emergencies and
disasters ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Accessibility for non-English speaking
residents ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Responsiveness to community concerns and
requests ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
How do you prefer to receive information from the fire department? □ Social media
□ C
ity website
□ E
mail/newsletter
□
In-person events
□ Nextdoor
□ Local news
□ Other: _______________________
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 6 QUESTION 7 of 10
H
ow prepared do you feel your household, business, or organization is for a major emergency or disaster in Cathedral City?
Please select one.
Very Prepared Somewhat
Prepared
Neutral Not Very
Prepared
Not at All
Prepared
○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Which community risks concern you most? (Select all that apply) □ Wildfire / Brush fire
□ E
arthquake
□ E
xtreme heat
□
Flooding / Flash flood
□ Medical emergency
□ T
raffic accidents
□ Hazardous materials
□ P
ower outage / utility failure
□ A
ctive threat / mass casualty
□ Wind event / severe weather
□ Other: ______________________
QUESTION 8 of 10
A
s Cathedral City continues to grow, what emerging community needs should the fire department be preparing to address?
Consider changes in population, development, climate, demographics, service demands, or any trends you are observing in your neighborhood or area of the city.
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 7 QUESTION 9 of 10
H
ow strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about Cathedral City Fire & EMS?
Please rate each statement.
Statement Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Don’t
Know
I trust Cathedral City Fire & EMS to
protect my family and property ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
The department reflects the diversity
of the Cathedral City community ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
The department uses tax dollars and
public resources responsibly ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
The department is professional and
treats people with respect ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
The department is transparent and
accountable to the community ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
The department actively seeks and
values community input ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
I feel safe in my neighborhood
knowing CCFE serves our area ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
QUESTION 10 of 10
I
f you could share one message with the leadership of Cathedral City Fire & EMS as they plan for the future, what would it be?
This is your opportunity to share anything — a priority, a concern, an idea, recognition, or a vision for the department’s role in our community over the coming years.
Cathedral City Fire & EMS | Strategic Plan Development 2026 CONFIDENTIAL | Your feedback shapes our future | Page 8 Thank You
Your time and thoughtful input are deeply appreciated. The feedback gathered through this questionnaire will be combined with responses from fellow community members, city departments, business partners, and neighboring agencies to identify themes that will directly shape the next Cathedral City Fire & EMS Strategic Plan.
This strategic plan aligns with the City of Cathedral City’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, meaning that by meeting our department goals, we also advance the broader priorities set by City leadership for our entire community.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
1. All responses will be analyzed for themes and weighted by priority.
2. Findings will be combined with internal employee feedback and data analysis.
3. Strategic priorities, goals, and measurable objectives will be developed.
4. The completed strategic plan will be published and shared with the community.
5. Progress updates will be reported annually to ensure accountability.
STAY CONNECTED
Website: cathedralcityfire.org
Social Media: Follow us for updates, safety tips, and event information Non-Emergency Contact: (760) 770-8200
Together, Making Our Community a Better and Safer Place for All to Live.
CATHEDRAL CITY FIRE & EMS
CPSE Internationally Accredited • ISO Class 2 • Established 1988 Core Values: Integrity • Diversity • Excellence • Accountability • Leadership