Costa Mesa City Council
November 15, 2022

ATTACHMENT 1

This page was intentionally left blank.

J o h n S t e p h e n s , M a y o r
A n d r e a M a r r , M a y o r P r o T e m
M a n u e l C h a v e z , C o u n c i l M e m b e r
L o r e n G a m e r o s , C o u n c i l M e m b e r
J e f f H a r l a n , C o u n c i l M e m b e r
D o n H a r p e r , C o u n c i l M e m b e r
A r l i s R e y n o l d s , Co u n c i l M e m b e r

City Manager ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... Lori Ann Farrell Harrison City Attorney (Contract) ................................ ................................ ............................ Kimberly Hall Barlow Economic Development Services Director ................................ ................................ ............... Jennifer Le Finance Director ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. Carol Molina Information Technology Director ................................ ................................ ................................ .. Steve Ely Parks and Community Services Director ................................ ................................ .............. Jason Minter Public Services Director ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... Raja Sethuraman Police Chief ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... Ron Lawrence Fire Chief ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ Dan Stefano

Message from the Fire Chief
Just over five years ago, our collective team worked together to develop our Costa Mesa Fire & R escue (CMFR) Strategic Plan 2015-2020. The original document was the result of a comprehensive collaboration within our organization, intended to establish a clear roadmap and to help define and guide our Mission, Vision, and Values for the future.

With any successful plan, it is extremely important to develop the plan through engaged and thoughtful collaboration, implement the plan, and then regularly review and assess our progress to ensure we remain on track, adapting and making necessary adjustments along the way. Our team has made extraordinary progress and collectively accomplished so much over the past five years. These accomplishments have been achieved around the foundation and focus of four primary areas. These areas include:

1. Our People (Wellness, Training, Professional Development & Succession Planning);

2. Our Infrastructure (Facilities, Vehicles, and Equipment);

3. Our Service (Appropriate Staffing, Deployment, and Quality Service to the Community); and

4. Our Technology and Innovation (Enhanced GIS Resource & Response Mapping, CAD RMS Upgrades, Technology Advances, Firefighter Safety, and Innovation).

There is no question that we have observed outstanding results and outcomes as the result of our extensive preparations, comprehensive planning, steadfast hard work, and exhaustive execution. These successful outcomes have also been a direct result of the valued, strong support from our City Council, City Manager, City Leadership Team, and the Costa Mesa Community!
With the success of our previous Strategic Plan, we have recently finalized our next CMFR Strategic Plan, 2022-2027. This is a community -based strategic plan developed in alignment with our City Council’s Strategic Goals and Objectives. This updated Strategic Plan will build on the outstanding progress made to date and will serve as an essential road map as we embark on thoughtfully carrying out our next chapters, continuing to elevate the department’s progress and strong upward trajectory.

We will continue to actively pursue and achieve our goals and objectives, as we work on our gaps and areas of improvement, utilizing the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan to help define, refine, and provide a clear direction for o ur organization. We will remain committed to mov ing forward to serve the best interests of the community and each other to the absolute best of our abilities.

This Strategic Plan 2022 -2027 is the result of strong partnerships within our organization and wi th our internal and external stakeholders. This community-driven process was a true team effort, and the valued input provided helped to create an outstanding final product, now memorialized in writing.

This would not have been possible without the participation and efforts of everyone involved engaging and participating at all levels, so thank you!
In closing, I want to thank our City Council, City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, our City Leadership and City Team, our Costa Mesa Fire Family, our incredible Costa Mesa community, and all our partners for the strong support we continue to receive. It is our greatest honor and privilege to serve Costa Mesa with Respect, Integrity, and Compassion - 24/7/365 – and our future is truly brighter than it has ever been!

Daniel A. Stefano, Fire Chief
City of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue

Introduction
Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue (CMFR) provides an all-hazards approach in the protection of the lives and property of the residents, businesses, and visitors of Costa Mesa, California . CMFR is consistently working to achieve and/or maintain the highest level of professionalism and efficiency on behalf of those it serves, and thus, contracted with the Center for Public Safety Excellence ® (CPSE) to facilitate a method to document the department’s path into the future via a “Community-Driven Strategic Plan.” The following strategic plan was written with a basis in the Commission on Fire Accreditation International’s® (CFAI) fire and emergency service accreditation model and is intended to guide the organization within established parameters set forth by the authority having jurisdiction.

The CPSE utilized the community -driven strategic planning process to go beyond just developing a document. It challenged the de partment’s members to critically examine paradigms, values, philosophies, beliefs, and desires and challenged individuals to work in the best interest of the “team.” It further provided the department with an opportunity to participate in the development o f the organization’s long-term direction and focus. Members of the organization’s community and agency stakeholders’ groups demonstrated commitment to this important project and remain committed to the document’s completion and plan execution.

COSTA MESA FIRE & RESCUE | STRATEGIC PLAN
Table of Contents

Organizational Background......................................................................................................................................... 1 Organizational Structure .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Community-Driven Strategic Planning ................................................................................................................... 3 Process and Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. 3 Community Group Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Community Priorities ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Agency Stakeholder Group Findings ....................................................................................................................... 5 Mission ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Values .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Vision ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Programs and Services .................................................................................................................................................. 8 SWOT Analysis.................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Critical Issues and Service Gaps ................................................................................................................................. 9 Strategic Initiatives ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Vision ................................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Performance Measurement ....................................................................................................................................... 24 The Success of the Strategic Plan ........................................................................................................................... 25 Glossary of Terms, Acronyms, and Initialisms .................................................................................................... 26 Appendix 1 – Community Input .............................................................................................................................. 28 Should Change ........................................................................................................................................................ 28 Should Not Change................................................................................................................................................ 28 Community Expectations ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Areas of Community Concern ............................................................................................................................ 30 Positive Community Feedback ........................................................................................................................... 32 Other Thoughts and Comments ....................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix 2 - SWOT ...................................................................................................................................................... 35 Strengths .................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Weaknesses ............................................................................................................................................................... 36 Opportunities ........................................................................................................................................................... 37 Threats ........................................................................................................................................................................ 38 Appendix 3 - Critical and Service Gap Issues Identified by Agency Stakeholders ............................... 39 Appendix 4 - City Council Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................... 41

Organizational Background
Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue was first
organized in 1925 as a volunteer
department in response to several
disastrous fires in the local community.

Over the years, the organization evolved
from its original all-volunteer form to the
present all -hazards resp onse team
approaching its 100th anniversary.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, boasting an ISO
rating of 2, serves an approximate
population of 113,000 residents. In
addition, the local area has thousands of
visitors and many others who are
employed within the community. Growth
and increase in population have and will provide for specific risks for which Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue considers, prepares, and deploys its resources and personnel.

Today, CMFR reflects on its history and remains committed to providing all -hazards emergency services and education to its community with courage, leadership, and duty. Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue continues to honor its community by providing quality services through its proactive fo cus on risks and deployment from six stations located strategically throughout the 16 square miles of coverage area. Staffed to support the community, CMFR embraces its future vision and excellence in service delivery.

Organizational Structure

Community-Driven Strategic Planning
For many successful organizations, the community’s voice drives their operations and charts the course for their future. A community-driven emergency service organization seeks to gather and utilize the needs and expectations of its community in the development and/or improvement of the services provided. A community-driven strategic planning process was used to develop this strategic plan to ensure that the community remains a focus of an organization’s direction.

A str ategic plan is a living management tool that provides short -term direction, builds a shared vision, documents goals and objectives, and optimizes the use of resources. Effective strategic planning benefits from a consistent and cohesively structured proces s employed across all levels of the organization.

Planning is a continuous process with no clear beginning and no defined end. While plans can be developed regularly, it is the process of planning that is important, not the publication of the plan itself. Most importantly, strategic planning can be an opportunity to unify the management, employees, and stakeholders through a shared understanding of where the organization is going, how everyone involved can work toward that common purpose, and how progression and success will be measured.

Community Stakeholders Work Session
The Community–Driven Strategic Planning Process Outline

1. Define the programs provided to the community.

2. Establish the community’s service program priorities and expectations of the organization.

3. Identify any concerns the community may have about the organization and aspects of the organization that the community views positively.

4. Revisit the mission statement, giving careful attention to the current services and programs and those which logically can be provided in the future.

5. Revisit the values of the organization’s membership.

6. Identify the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization.

7. Identify areas of opportunity or potential threats to the organization.

8. Identify the organization’s critical issues and service gaps.

9. Determine strategic initiatives for organizational improvement.

10. Establish a realistic goal and objectives for each initiative.

11. Identify implementation tasks for the accomplishment of each objective.

12. Determine the vision of the future.

13. Develop organizational and community commitment to accomplishing the plan.

Process and Acknowledgements
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) acknowledges and thanks the community and agency stakeholders for their p articipation and input in this community -driven strategic planning process. The

CPSE also recognizes Fire Chie f Dan Stefano and the team of professionals that participated for their leadership and commitment to this process.

Development of this strategic plan took place in April 2022, beginning with meetings hosted by a representative from the CPSE for members of the community (as named in the following table). The department identified community stakeholders to ensure broad representation. The community stakeholders were comprised of some who reside or work within Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s coverage area and some who were recipients of CMFR’s service(s).

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Community Stakeholders
Tom Arnold Mike Decker David Geck Diane Pritchett
Daniel Baume Maurice DePasquale Jon Hampe Michele Richards Robert Braithwaite Kent Ferrin Ron Lawrence Michael Steinke Curtis Cienfuegos Jennifer Friend Wendy Leece Geoff West Mary Coppilin Christian Garcia Mike Paz Jonathan Wilby
Reina Cuthill

Community Stakeholders Work Session

Community Group Findings
A key element of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s organizational philosophy is having a high level of commitment to the community and recognizing the importance of community satisfaction. Thus, the department invited community representatives to provide feedback on the services provided by the department. Respondents were asked to provide a prioritized perspective of the programs and services provided by the department.

Additionally, input was gathered during the meeting that revolved around community expectations and concerns (prioritized) and positive and other comments about the organization. Specific findings of the community stakeholders are provided in the appendix of this document. The agency stakeholders utilized the full feedback from the community stakeholders
in understanding the current challenges
encountered within the organization. Additionally,
the community stakeholders’ feedback provided a
process to ensure alignment with the work
completed on the organizational mission, values,
vision, and goals for improvement.

Community Priorities
To best dedicate time, energy, and resources to services most desired by its community, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue needs to understand what the customers consider to be their priorities. With that, the community stakeholders were asked to prioritize the programs offered by the department through a process of direct comparison. The results were as follows:

Programs Ranking Score
Emergency Medical Services/Rescue 1 167
Fire Suppression 2 134
Technical Rescue 3 121
Emergency Management 4 96
Community Risk Reduction 5 73
Wildland Fire Services and State-wide Mutual
Aid 6 72
Hazardous Materials Mitigation 6 72
Fire Investigation 8 65
Community Emergency Response Teams and
Volunteer Programs 9 55
Public Fire and Life Safety Education 10 45
See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the community findings, including expectations, areas of concern, positive feedback, and other thoughts and comments.

Agency Stakeholder Group Findings
The agency stakeholder work sessions were conducted over three days. These sessions served to discuss Community Stakeholders Work Session

the organization’s approach to community-driven strategic planning, focusing on the department’s mission, values, core programs, and support services. Additionally, focus was given to the organization’s perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The work sessions involved participation by a stakeholder group that represented a broad cross-section of the department, as named and pictured below.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Agency Stakeholders
Steve Airey Justin Horner Fred McDowell Daniel Stefano
Cinnamon Basco Nikki Johnson Jon Neal Kristin Stevens
Morgan Cain William Kershaw Josh Ortega Chuck Torres
Steve Cathey Paul Kim Jason Pyle Maurilo Torres
Cristopher Coates Mark Martinez Lora Ross Taylor Voss
Aaron Davis

Agency Stakeholders

Mission
The mission provides an internal aspect of the existence of an organization and, to a degree, an empowering consideration for all department members. The purpose of the mission is to answer the questions:
 Who are we?
 Why do we exist?
 What do we do?
 Why do we do it?
 For whom?
A workgroup met to revisit the existing mission and, after ensuring it answered the questions, the following mission statement was created, discussed, and accepted by the entire group:

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue is an all-hazard team dedicated to serving and protecting our community through professionalism, leadership, and excellence.

Values
Values embraced by all members of an organization are extremely important, as they recognize the features that make up the personality and culture of the organization. A workgroup met to revisit the existing values and proposed a revision that was discussed, enhanced further, and agreed upon by the entire group:

Respect
Integrity
Compassion

Agency Stakeholders Work Session

Vision
Vision statements can inspire and motivate the organization around con cepts or ideas that establish benchmarks, provide line of sight, direction, and where the organization wants to be over time. The purpose of setting a vison is to institute something on the horizon that is out of the agency’s comfort zone, challenging it to stretch thinking beyond daily functions while being somewhat attainable. It should clearly indicate the direction in which the agency should move, allowing stakeholders to invest in the future with an understanding of purpose. The workgroup of members reviewed and considered the established vision during deliberations that produced the strategic initiatives in this plan Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue is committed to exceeding the expectations of those we serve by being a leader in Fire Protection, Rescue, Emergency Services, and Community Risk Reduction.

The mission, values, and vision are the foundation of this organization. Thus, every effort will be made to keep these current and meaningful so that the y guide the individuals who make up Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue to accomplish the goals, objectives, and day-to-day tasks.

Programs and Services
To ensure a deeper focus exists in determining issues and gaps within an organization, there must be a delineation between core program s and supporting services. Core p rograms are those core deliverables provided by the department. Supporting services are all of the internal and external programs and services that help CMFR deliver its core programs.

The importance of understanding the difference is that issues and gaps may exist in core programs or supporting services, and the department’s strategic approach may bring forth different considerations for improvement. Additionally, supporting services may be internal or external to the organization and requires an understanding of how the difference impacts their location within the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats if identified. Finally, it is important that the agency stakeholders understand that many local, state, and national services support the delivery of identified core programs.

Through a facilitated brainstorming session, the agency stakeholders agreed upon the core programs provided to the community and many of the supporting services that support the programs. This session provided the sought understanding of the differences and the important key elements of the delineation.

SWOT Analysis
An organization candidly identifies its positive and negative attributes through a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat s). The SWOT analysis also provides an opportunity for an organization to evaluate its operating environment for areas i t can capitalize on and those that pose a danger. Agency stakeholders recorded CMFR’s strengths and weaknesses and the possible opportun ities and potential threats. Information gathered through this analysis guides the agency’s more significant issues and gaps . The information gleaned will assist the agency in finding its broader critical issues and service gaps.

Appendix 2 consists of the SWOT data and analysis collected by the agency stakeholders.

Critical Issues and Service Gaps
Following the identification and review of the department’s SWOT, two separate groups of agency stakeholders met to identify themes as primary critical issues and service gaps ( found in Appendix 3). The critical issues and service gaps identified by the stakeholders provide further guidance toward identifying strategic initiatives, which ultimately lend direction for the development of goals, objectives, critical tasks, and timelines.

Strategic Initiatives
Based upon all previously captured information and the determination of critical issues and service gaps, the following strategic initiatives were identified as the foundation for developing goals and objectives.

Technology Staffing Infrastructure
Training Communication Accreditation

Agency Stakeholders Work Session

Goals and Objectives
To continuously achieve the mission of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, realistic goals and objectives with timelines for completion must be established. These will enhance strengths, address identified weaknesses, provide a clear direction, and address the co mmunity’s concerns . These should become a focus of the department’s efforts, as they will direct the organization to its desired future while reducing the obstacles and distractions along the way. Leadership -established w orkgroups should meet and manage progress toward accomplishing these goals and objectives and a djust timelines as needs and the environment change. Regular reports of progress and changes should be shared with CMFR’s leadership.

Goal 1
Upgrade our technological infrastructure by investing in our equipment, systems, and personnel to enhance and sustain high service levels and positively impact our community.

Objective 1A Identify and analyze current levels of funding, resources, and workload indicators related to our technological infrastructure.

Timeframe 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Fire and city budget analysis of current budget allocation related to technical infrastructure.
 Identify individuals responsible for each budget area.  Identify current technology, applications, and capabilities.  Determine what technology can be enhanced, better utilized, replaced, or added.  Analyze all current workload indicators.
 Create and disseminate a report of findings.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 1B Create a needs analysis to prioritize the appropriate funding, resources, and workload requirements.

Timeframe 6-9 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Evaluate and review the current conditions in collaboration with IT specialists and individuals responsible for specific technology elements.  Identify technical infrastructure origination dates, anticipated life span, and the required ongoing support.
 Incorporate qualitative and quantitative assessments.  Conduct a cost analysis of identified technology needs.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 1C Establish and implement action plans for specific outlined areas of priorities from the needs analysis.

Timeframe 9-12 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Allocate and identify roles and responsibilities for collaboration on the plan development.  Update the cost analysis based on assigned responsibilities and the action plan.  Secure necessary funding and approval for the plan. Establish timelines and benchmarks for construction, purchasing, and acquisition.
 Monitor the progress through the construction periods.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 1D Establish a system to identify, validate, track, and measure progress and impact on the community.

Timeframe 12 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Establish metrics and assess capability for the collection of data.  Collect data relative to the effectiveness of the plan upon implementation.  Evaluate the collected data to determine the effectiveness and progress relative to established metrics.
 Analyze the collected data to determine needs, updates, or adjustments.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Goal 2
Evaluate, develop, and execute comprehensive administrative and operational staffing levels that enhance and advance our ability to meet and exceed community expectations, governance, and department objectives.

Objective 2A Evaluate current staffing level efficiencies and effectiveness related to community expectations, governance, and department objectives.

Timeframe 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items detailed below.  Analyze best practices from comparable agencies associated with staffing levels and areas of responsibility.
 Obtain a list of CMFR’s current job descriptions and current areas of responsibility.  Create a survey to identify, at minimum, task processing, commitment times, roles/responsibilities, and critical versus non-critical tasks.  Conduct analysis and create a report of findings and recommendations on the conclusion.  Create a report of findings on the conducted analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 2B Perform a needs assessment to determine adequate staffing to meet and exceed community expectations, governance, and department objectives.

Timeframe 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items detailed below.  Analyze current workload and Areas of Responsibility (AOR).  Create a list of tasks that are must-do versus nice to do.  Create a staffing priority list, including options, and review annually.  Conduct analysis and create a report of findings and recommendations on the conclusion.  Create a report of findings on the conducted analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 2C Develop methods to enhance professional development programs for all staffing levels.

Timeframe 3 months Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items detailed below.  Create a list of subject matter experts (SME) in program delivery areas to create methods of professional development.
 Identify available classes and/or training opportunities for each position.  Use current department processes to disseminate the identified opportunities.  Ensure and encourage members to seek tuition reimbursement per a memorandum of understanding.
 Conduct analysis and create a report of findings and recommendations on the conclusion.  On an annual basis, make needed adjustments to the program based on the results of the analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 2D Procure funding sources for additional staffing as identified.

Timeframe 12 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items detailed below.  Determine financial requirements for any identified additional staffing needs.  Determine the return on investment (ROI) of any additional staff ing needs.  Seek alternative funding opportunities for any full-time equivalents or parts thereof.  Allocate funds based on a prioritization of those staffing needs.  Conduct analysis and create a report of findings and recommendations on the conclusion.  On an annual basis, make needed adjustments to the program based on the results of the analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 2E
Create an evaluation process to develop performance measures that enhance and advance our ability to meet and exceed community expectations, governance, and department objectives.

Timeframe 3-6 months Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Develop focus groups to create metrics to evaluate the efficiencies and e ffectiveness of current and desired staffing levels and AORs.
 Evaluate current RMS to ensure that the metrics are being captured appropriately.  Determine areas that require more focus is needed based on stakeholder feedback.  Conduct analysis and create a report of findings and recommendations on the conclusion.  On an annual basis, make needed adjustments to the program based on the results of the analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Goal 3
Upgrade our infrastructure by investing in our facilities, equipment, and systems to enhance and sustain a high level of service and positively impact our community.

Objective 3A Identify and analyze current levels of funding, resources, and workload indicators related to our equipment, facilities, and systems.

Timeframe 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Perform a departmental budget analysis of current equipment, facilities, and systems budget allocations.
 Identify appropriate individuals responsible for each budget area.  Inventory all current equipment, facilities, and systems.  Create and disseminate a report of findings.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 3B Create a needs analysis to prioritize the appropriate funding, resources, and workload requirements.

Timeframe 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Evaluate and review current conditions in collaboration with the individuals responsible for equipment, facilities, and systems.
 Determine the following for all equipment, facilities, and systems:
 Year built and year delivered
 General condition of each item
 Prioritize need for replacement or upgrade
 Cost analysis and projected workload requirements
 Incorporate a qualitative/quantitative assessment with the subjective/objective data.  Establish the prioritized needs and respective timelines.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 3C Establish and implement action plans for specific outlined areas of priority from the needs analysis.

Timeframe 12 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Allocate and identify roles and responsibilities to collaborate to create a plan of action.  Conduct a cost analysis of the developed program.
 Secure any needed funding.
 Establish timelines and benchmarks for construction, purchasing, and acquisition.  Monitor, track, and report on progress through completion.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 3D Establish a system to identify, validate, track, and measure service level progress and community impact.

Timeframe 12 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Collect data relative to our benchmarks.
 Collect historical perspectives for a timeline of equipment, facilities, and systems.  Collect baseline data on community impact and effectiveness.  Collect current and ongoing data for community impact and effectiveness.  Establish mechanisms for inclusive community feedback.  Annually collect and analyze data and make changes as needed.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Goal 4
Collectively and continuously assess, develop, execute, and monitor a comprehensive training plan that strengthens, enhances, and advances the organization’s operational, administrative, and personal goals.

Objective 4A Evaluate the current status of our existing training programs to determine the plan’s current status.

Timeframe 12 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items.  Establish a list of all current training programs.
 Build performance measures for current curriculums and programs.  Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current curriculums and programs.  Publish and disseminate the results of the evaluation.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4B Identify gaps or deficiencies in training programs and procedures in operations, administration, and CRR to improve the training plan.

Timeframe 12 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items.  Using the established list, identify current gaps or areas of concern in programs relative to industry best practices.
 Through analysis, prioritize gaps that have the highest importance to the organization.  Conduct cost analysis on the prioritized program results and any associated needed props and facilities.
 Publish and disseminate results.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4C Implement a plan to strengthen career development for all positions to strengthen skill sets.

Timeframe 3-6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Seek volunteers for assignment to the identified action items listed below.  Seek SMEs to address the list of priorities.
 Have SMEs develop curriculum and determine needed props.  Submit training plans to the training officer for addition to the training calendar.  Deliver new training curriculum, collect feedback from personnel and make adjustments as needed.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4D Identify ways to incorporate training with county-wide agencies to strengthen operational consistencies.

Timeframe 3-6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Determine current training and its effectiveness with county partners for all involved organizations.
 Establish a list of desired training with county partners in a collaborative effort.  Survey neighboring agencies for the desire to engage in multi-agency training.  Create a list of topics each neighboring agency wants to engag e in training.  Participate in a collaborative effort to build a curriculum.  Establish a training calendar coordinated with neighboring agencies.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4E Identify leadership development opportunities to improve the skill sets of organizational leaders.

Timeframe 9 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Create a survey for department personnel to identify the current status of leadership  Create priorities for training based on survey responses.  Develop routine leadership curriculums based on priorities.  Implement the established curriculum.
 Re-survey group to measure improvement after implementation of the curriculum.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4F Develop methods to improve the accountability of supervisors to ensure congruency with the department’s mission and values.

Timeframe 6-9 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Survey personnel to identify the level of accountability of supervisors.  Create a list of strengths and weaknesses in accountability  Create a working group to identify strengths, issues, and challenges.  Develop best practices for accountability
 Train leadership on best practices through focused training and education  Resurvey group to measure the effectiveness of methods.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4G Procure funding sources for training programs, SMEs, and training facilities to meet the plan’s financial requirements.

Timeframe 12 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Assign personnel to source funding options.
 Determine financial requirements needed to operate desired training programs, props, and facilities.
 Seek opportunities and methods for funding specified training programs, props , and facilities.
 Allocate funds based on the prioritized list of training projects/programs.  Make adjustments to the program based on the allocation of funds.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 4H
Create an evaluation process to develop performance measures that strengthen, advance, and enhance the organization’s operational, administrative, and personal goals.

Timeframe 3 months-ongoing Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Develop focus groups to create metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of training in desired areas of improvement.
 Identify industry and agency-specific standards for each desired program area.  Evaluate current RMS to ensure that the metrics are being captured appropriately.  Assess whether we have met our goals for the previous training period.  Determine areas that require more focus is needed based on the analysis.  Review annually and make needed adjustments to the program based on the results of the analysis.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Goal 5 Enhance internal and external communication to provide clarity and alignment with those we serve and serve with.

Objective 5A
Identify and evaluate current and potential communications delivery systems for disseminating information relating to organizational activities and events for public interest.

Timeframe 2-3 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Establish program lead/s for the analysis.
 Identify and list current platforms and applications used in communication .  Identify the audience/end-user of the identified applications and platforms.  Identify the team and areas of responsibility that manage the systems.  Identify alternate platforms that may be appropriate for the department’s use.  Define current content information disseminated and conduct an evaluation,  Utilize the collected community feedback to determine the importance and demand for information.
 Conduct a cost analysis of the identified programs and applications.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 5B Evaluate existing SOPs and operation/organization manuals for applicability and legality.

Timeframe 9-12 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Establish a review committee/ team and point of contact to conduct evaluation.  Explore third-party platform systems contracts (e.g., Lexipol).  Evaluate current and future SOPs for relevance and compliance.  Research and identify third-party records management system options (RMS).  Evaluate it for applicability and select platforms to interface with our syst em needs.  Compile and build a report performance.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 5C Identify and train personnel on the systems used to organize all vital operational information to organizational personnel.

Timeframe 9-12 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Identify and develop SMEs for new systems use and application.  Develop a training curriculum based on SME input.
 Publish a training manual for initial training.
 Establish a train-the-trainer group.
 Implement a training program and evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery.  Adjust the training program based on analysis.
 Based on the effectiveness and training adjustments, build a future end-user guide.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 5D Implement the system to organize and make easily accessible all vital operational information to the organization and support personnel.

Timeframe 2-3 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Establish a rollout timetable.
 Identify SMEs to ensure efficient rollout.
 Identify and allocate potential rollout expenses.
 Coordinate with IT point of contact to mitigate any crossover issues.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 5E Continually obtain feedback to evaluate the clarity and alignment of information and the relevance of the systems used.

Timeframe 2-3 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Create a feedback method to gather information from the end user.  Analyze the collected information to determine if clarity and alignment of information are achieved.
 Make necessary adjustments to the systems in use and determine any additional needs required.
 Establish the frequency for continuous evaluation of the systems, their use , and relevance to department systems.
 Evaluate end-user response for potential program enhancements.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Goal 6 Prepare for, pursue, achieve, and maintain international accreditation to better serve our community and embrace excellence.

Objective 6A Form team or committee structures with management components as needed to pursue and maintain accreditation.

Timeframe 30 days Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Identify the team or committee for the various components of the accreditation process.  Create management oversight positions to lead the teams or committees and overall process.
 Establish team or committee member criteria.
 Determine the composition of the teams or committees.  Solicit participation to meet the composition of the teams or committees.  Develop and complete the workgroup selection process.  Provide the needed educational components available through the CFAI.  Guide the team or committee in constructing a work plan to manage the accreditation process.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6B Develop a community-driven strategic plan.

Timeframe 3 months and ongoing Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Hold an external stakeholder meeting where community members provide feedback on program priorities, service expectations, concerns, and strengths perceived about the agency.
 Provide agency stakeholder work sessions to evaluate/update the mission, vision, and values; determine internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities, and threats.  Identify critical issues, service gaps, and specific strategic initiatives.  Develop goals, objectives, critical tasks, and appropriate timelines, including measurability levels, to achieve improvement over five years.
 Create a department or agency vision statement from the developed strategic plan.  Publish and distribute the formal strategic plan to stakeholders, including the authority having jurisdiction as determined by the organization.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6C Implement the community-driven strategic plan.

Timeframe 3 months, ongoing Assigned to:

Critical
Tasks
 Create a strategic planning subcommittee to carry out the strategic plan.  Determine a work plan to accomplish each goal and implement the plan.  Continuously evaluate and revise the objectives and tasking as the plan is implemented.  Report annual plan progress to community and agency stakeholders.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6D Conduct a comprehensive community hazards and risk assessment and document findings to develop a standards of cover.

Timeframe 6 – 9 months Assigned
to:

Critical
Tasks
 Gather and consider geophysical characteristics data of the jurisdictional responsibilities.  Gather and evaluate population, population demographics, area economics, and socioeconomic data of the jurisdiction.
 Gather and consider physical asset development, service, and transportation infrastructure types in the jurisdiction.
 Describe the department’s programs, services, core deliverables, human and physical resources to establish baseline information.
 Determine an appropriate methodology for dividing the area of responsibility into geographical planning zones.
 Build a methodology that identifies, assesses, classifies, and categorizes risk in the jurisdiction’s response areas.
 Document the information collected and the results of the applied methodologies in the risk assessment process.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6E
Develop standards of cover based on community hazards and risk assessment results and combine results to complete the community risk and standards of cover study document.

Timeframe 3 - 6 months Assigned to:

Critical Tasks
 Evaluate historical jurisdictional emergency response performance and coverage for baseline data.
 Establish benchmark and baseline emergency response service level and performance objectives.
 Develop methodologies and policies for qualifying and validating data sets.  Conduct a gap analysis of performance across classes and categories of risk in each of the established planning zones to illuminate opportunities for improvement.  Build a compliance methodology for monitoring, evaluating, and rep orting delivery performance.
 Utilize the overall system performance data to create short- and long-term plans for maintaining and improving the system’s response capabilities.  Combine and publish the community risk assessment/standards of cover study information, performance data, established objectives, and gap analysis results and  Maintain and annually update the community risk assessment /standards of cover document.
 Present the CRA/SOC study results as updated annually to the authority having jurisdicti on to provide transparency, build consensus, and align expectations.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6F Achieve agency accreditation by the CFAI.

Timeframe 4 months Assigned
to:

Critical Tasks
 Apply for “Candidate Agency” status with the CFAI.
 Prepare for the CFAI peer assessment team visit.
 Upload strategic plan, community risk assessment/standards of cover, and self- assessment documentation for review and comment by the CFAI peer assessment team.  Host the CFAI peer assessment team site visit for accreditation review.  Receive the CFAI peer assessment team recommendation to CFAI for Accredited status.  Review the peer assessment team’s recommendations to determine applicability to agency processes or systems to determine the scope of the annual compliance report process.  Receive vote during the CFAI hearings in favor of accredited status.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Objective 6G Maintain accreditation with the CFAI.

Timeframe Ongoing Assigned
to:

Critical Tasks
 Continue collecting and evaluating all relevant data for continuous improvement opportunities.
 Submit initial required annual compliance reports.
 Participate in as many offerings from CPSE as possible for continued education.  Participate in the accreditation process by providing “peer assessors” for external department review and identification of possible best practices.  Participate in the annual CPSE Excellence Conference for continued education and networking with other accreditation teams and accredited agencies.  Submit annual compliance reports as required by CFAI policies.  Establish succession development of the internal accreditation team in preparation for the next accreditation cycle.

Funding
Estimate
Capital Costs:

Personnel Costs:

Consumable Costs:

Contract Services Costs:

Vision
On the final day of the process, the CPSE presented a strategic plan vision of where the organization will be in the future if the strategic plan is accomplished.

This is not to override the department’s global vision but rather to confirm the futurity of the work that the agency stakeholders designed . This vision is intended as a target of excellence to s trive toward and provides a basis for its goals and objectives.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s 2027 vision is to be an internationally accredited agency that strives for continuous improvement with its all-hazard approach to delivering excellence. As a forwa rd-thinking organization, we will employ and operate modern technology with a fiscally viable approach to the deployment and sustainability of resources. In addition, we will strengthen our relationships with the community, our service partners, and the member stakeholders we serve through comprehensive communication practices.

In recognition of our greatest resource and human investment, we will make every effort to develop, support, mentor, and prepare our members to be the best they can be. Our concept is to achieve this through the use of appropriate staffing models and contemporary professional development. We envision a future agency that recruits, welcomes, and retains new, inventive members with expertise and demonstrative principles of respect and integrity.

We will be an initiative-focused agency that builds a collaborative leadership environment through individual professionalism and organizational accountability to deliver our mission, live our values, and make this vision a reality.

Performance Measurement
To assess and ensure that an organization is delivering on the promises made in its strategic plan, leaders must determine performance measures for which they are fully accountable. As output measurement can be challenging, the organization must focus on assessing progress toward achieving data-driven improved output. Organizations must further be prepared to revisit and revise their goals, objectives, and performance measures to keep up with accomplishments and environmental changes. “Vision is knowing
who you are, where
you’re going, and
what will guide your
journey.”
Ken Blanchard

To e stablish that the department’s s trategic plan is
achieving results, performance measurement data will be implemented and integrated as part of the plan. An
integrated process, known as “Managing for Results,” will be utilized, which is based upon:
 The identification of strategic goals and objectives;  The determination of resources necessary to
achieve them;
 The analy sis and evaluation of performance data;
and
 The use of that data to drive continuous
improvement in the organization.

A “family of measures” typically utilized to indicate and measure performance includes:
 Inputs - Value of resource used to produce an output.  Outputs – Quantifiable data-driven units produced which are activity-oriented and measurable.  Efficiency - Inputs used per output (or outputs per input).  Service Quality - The degree to which customers are satisfied with a program or how accurately or timely service is provided.
 Outcome - Qualitative consequences associated with a program/service , i.e., the ultimate benefit to the customer. Focused on the “why” of providing a service.

The Success of the Strategic Plan
The department has approached its desire to develop and implement a strategic plan by asking for and receiving input from the community and organization members during the devel opment stage of the planning process. To assist in developing this plan, the department used professional guidance to conduct a community-driven strategic planning process. The success of this strategic plan will not depend upon the implementation of the g oals and related objectives but on support received from the authority having jurisdiction, the members of the organization, and the community at large.

Provided the community -driven strategic planning process is kept dynamic and supported by effective leadership and active participation, it will be a considerable opportunity to unify agency and community stakeholders. This can be accomplished through a jointly developed understanding of organizational direction, focusing on all vested parties working to a chieve the mission, goals, and vision. Further consideration must be made on how the organization will measure and be accountable for its progress and successes.

 If you don’t measure the results of your plan,
you can’t tell success from failure.
 If you can’t see success, you can’t reward it.
 If you can’t reward success, you’re probably
rewarding failure.
 If you can’t see success, you can’t learn from
it.
 If you can’t recognize failure, you can’t
correct it.
 If you can demonstrate results, you can win
public support.

Reinventing Government
David Osborn and Ted Gaebler

Glossary of Terms, Acronyms, and Initialisms
Accreditation A process by which an associati on or agency evaluates and recognizes a program of study or an institution as meeting certain predetermined standards or qualifications. It applies only to institutions or agencies and their programs of study or their services.

Accreditation ensures a basic level of quality in the services received from an agency.

CAD Computer-Aided Dispatch
CERT Citizens Emergency Response Team
CFAI Commission on Fire Accreditation International
COOP Continuity of Operations Plan
CPSE Center for Public Safety Excellence
CRR Community Risk Reduction
Customer(s) The person or group who establishes the requirement of a process and receives or uses the outputs of that process; or the person or entity directly served by the department or agency.

Efficiency A performance indication where inputs are measured per unit of output (or vice versa).

EMS Emergency Medical Services
Environment Circumstances and conditions that interact with and affect an organization. These can include economic, political, cultural, and physical conditio ns inside or outside the organization’s boundaries.

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
GIS Global Information System
Input A performance indication where the value of resources is used to produce an output.

ISO Insurance Services Office
IT Information Technology
MCT Mobile Computer Terminal
Mission An enduring statement of purpose; the organization ’s reason for existence. Describes what the organization does, for whom it does it, and how.

NMUSD Newport Mesa Unified School District
OCFEC Orange County Fair and Events Center
Outcome A performance indication where qualitative consequences are associated with a program/service, i.e., the ultimate benefit to the customer.

Output A performance indication where a quality or number of units produced is identified.

PSAP Public Safety Access Point
RMS Record Management System
SME Subject Matter Expert

SOG Standard Operating Guideline
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
Stakeholder Any person, group, or organization that can place a claim on, or influence the organization’s resources or outputs, is affected by those outputs or has an interest in or expectation of the organization.

Strategic Goal A broad target that defines how the agency will carry out its mission over a specific period. An aim . The final res ult of an action. Something to accomplish in assisting the agency in moving forward.

Strategic Objective A specific, measurable accomplishment required to realize the successful completion of a strategic goal.

Strategic Plan A long -range planning documen t that defines the agency’s mission and broadly identifies how it will be accomplished and that provides the framework for more detailed annual and operational plans.

Strategic Planning The continuous and systematic process whereby guiding members of an organization make decisions about its future, develop procedures and operations to achieve that future, and determine how success is measured.

Strategy A description of how a strategic objective will be achieved. A possibility. A plan or methodology for achieving a goal.

SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
USAR Urban Search and Rescue
Vision An idealized view of a desirable and potentially achievable future state - where or what an organization would like to be in the future.

Appendix 1 – Community Input
Understanding the community’s perspective allows the department to change or bolster processes and strategies to fulfill community needs. The following includes feedback from participating community stakeholders, collected and processed by CPSE on behalf of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue.

Should Change
Respondents were asked to provide one thing the department should change. The data were processed thematically and listed with the number of responses matched the theme, as represented by the number in the parentheses. The following are the responses related to what the department should change:

1. Accessibility and communication of fire department resources available to the community.

Outreach and contact with neighbors adjacent to stations. Great er community-building presence.

More involvement with educators at schools. (5)

2. Increase staffing. Staffing levels. Staffing levels for community outreach. (3)

3. Advanced disaster planning. (1)

4. Publish and discuss key performance indicators. (1)

5. Number of bilingual staff. (1)

6. Social media presence. (1)
Should Not Change
Respondents were asked to provide one thing the department should not change. The data were processed thematically and listed with the number of responses matched the theme, as represented by the number in the parentheses. The following are the responses related to what the department should change:

1. Showing up at community events. Being responsive to our community needs. Your community presence and accessibility. Accessibility of staff to community. Available to contact. (5)

2. Leadership style. Top management. Leadership. (3)

3. Visual appearance of trucks and stations. (1)

4. Management of department and personnel. (1)

5. Their culture. (1)

6. Responsiveness in real time. (1)

7. Decrease in stations. (1)

8. Sending out both trucks and ambulances to the scene of accidents. (1)

9. Customer service. (1)

10. Training. (1)

11. Community-driven performance improvement. (1)
Community Expectations
Understanding what the community expects of its fire service organization is critically important to developing a long-range perspective. With this knowledge, internal emphasis may need to be changed or bolstered to fulfill the community’s needs.

Respondents were asked to list, in priority order, up to five subjects relative to their expectations for Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue . Responses were then analyzed for themes and weighted. The weighting of the prioritized responses was as follows: if it was the respondent’s first entry, it received five weighted points.

Weighting gradually decreased so that if it was the respondent’s fifth entry, it received one weighted point.

The weighted themes were then sorted from the highest cumulative weight to the lowest cumulative weight and listed below. The numbers in the parentheses are the cumulati ve weighted value that correlated with the theme identified. While the themes are listed in prioritized, weighted order, all responses were important in the planning process. The following are the expectation responses of the community stakeholders (in priority order):

1. To be there when the emergency occurs. High-quality and timely response. Absolutely lowest response time in each Costa Mesa neighborhood. Service quickly, I want a quick response. Response times.

Available and timely response when called. Quick and effective response. (32)

2. Community interaction / presence. To evaluate current community engagement after Covid and reengage with the community in things like CERT. Know the community and encourage others to follow by example. Commitment to the community. Community training and communication. Be active in the community, at local events, and provide education at community events. Family-friendly attitude when in uniform to the community. (19)

3. Emergency response. Save life and property. Quality of service. Emergency prevention and mitigation.

To be responsive to emergency needs. (17)

4. Maintain a well-trained and highly capable fire and rescue staff. That they have the training, tools, and equipment necessary to provide excellent service. To maintain a highly trained and professional staff.

Provide best-in-class training for the firefighters and paramedics. Firefighter expertise. (11)

5. Life safety inspections. Fire prevention - both in open areas and in homes and businesses. Fire prevention and mitigation resources. Continually improve fire prevention efforts. (6)

6. Ensure CMFR has the most up -to-date tools and technology available. Fire/medical assistance will be performed with excellence using the highest quality/advanced equipment and technology. (4)

7. Be healthy and ready to do what is needed to save lives. Personnel to be healthy. (3)

8. Medical response. (3)

9. Access/partnership with staff to work through school safety issues or concerns. (2)

10. Costa Mesa Fire Rescue recruits and retains the top of the class. (2)

11. Stay out of politics (city council member campaigning). (2)

12. Support of the city decision-makers to ensure proper resources are provided. Fire rescue will have the resources immediately available to respond to all emergencies. (2)

13. Fire response. (2)

14. Caring, understanding, and being empathetic during emergency situations. (2)

15. Disaster response and leadership implementation of procedures. Disaster planning/response model. (2)

16. Communication. (2)

17. To continue to work collaboratively with other safety organizations. (1)

Areas of Community Concern
The planning process would be incomplete without an expression from the community stakeholders regarding concerns about the organization. Some areas of concern may be a weakness within the delivery system, while some weaknesses may also be misperceptions based upon a lack of information, understanding, or incorrect information.

Respondents were asked to list, in priority order, up to five concerns they have about or for the department.

Responses were then analyzed for themes and weighted. The weighting of the prioritized concerns was as follows: if it was the respondent’s first entry, it received five weighted points. Weighting gradually decreased so that if it was the respondent’s fifth entry, it received one weighted point. The weighted themes were then sorted from the highest cumulative weight to the lowest cumulative weight and listed below. The numbers in the parentheses are the cumul ative weighted value that correlated with the theme identified.

While the themes are listed in prioritized, weighted order, all responses were important in the planning process. The following are the concerns of the community stakeholders prioritized and w eighted accordingly (verbatim, in priority order):

1. Emergency communications staffing vacancies from burnout. Can you hire what you need or will there be a staffing shortage. My hope is that staffing levels are not reduced as the result of any fiscal issu es.

Staffing to handle the increase in office use residential growth/expansion. (12)

2. Funding. Do you have enough funding for staff and equipment? It does not have the resources necessary to perform all the tasks being asked. Will be able to provide suffici ent dollars so they can meet their mission. Efforts to control costs may not be widely understood. funding is sufficient to modernize and train. (11)

3. Consistency of fire inspections moving forward. Turnaround time for plan check. Need more inspections, on a quarterly basis in the retail corridor. (8)

4. We all know the stations are staffed ; however, there is little to no interaction w ith the adjacent businesses and residents. Fire department holding community -friendly events in neighborhoods to promote fire sa fety. Community -wide initiative such as replacing batteries at every Costa Mesa household, handout fire extinguishers. sufficient time and commitment to build community leadership and relationships. (7)

5. With the growth of the northeast portion of the city, can CMFR handle the response in normal day -to- day operations. Will they be able to stay ahead of safety needs as the city grows? (6)

6. Homeless calls and continued training around mental illness. It is having to use its valuable resources to respond to mental health call/concerns from chronically homeless individuals. (5)

7. That outside forces - politics, legislative measures will hamper their ability to serve. May be vulnerable to political challenges in the future. Internal vision may be constrained by politics or third-party agenda. (5)

8. Disaster planning beyond documentation. Enough equipment and personnel in natural or manmade disasters. (5)

9. Concern for succession planning for key leadership roles. Is there a succession plan in place to fill vacancies in leadership positions as staff retires or moves on? (4)

10. Amount of training to do rescues on trees when people are dying with no way to access the back without a ladder. (3)

11. Response times. (3)

12. Was someone from NMUSD, Orange County Department of Education, or private school system invited today? (3)

13. Aging or outdated technology and or equipment. (3)

14. Do they respond to calls the same in Mesa Verde and the westside? (3)

15. Firefighters knowing community resources when responding to an emergency of individual families at risk. (3)

16. Not clear if objectives are being met. (3)

17. Equipment to climb trees in case of any emergencies. (2)

18. Health/wellness/staffing of your personnel. (2)

19. Employee morale. (2)

20. Are there enough bilingual employees to interact with our large Hispanic population? (2)

21. Understanding of existing location/ building infrastructure. (2)

22. Instructors to teach them about the failure and risk (trees). (1)

23. Other city entities not doing their job , and that results in CMFR having to step into areas they should not. (1)

24. Are there other ways to involve youth in understanding fire safety without having them be members of the explorers? (1)

Positive Community Feedback
The CPSE promotes the belief that the community’s view on the organization’s strengths must be established for a strategic plan to be valid. Needless efforts are often put forth in over-developing areas that are already successful. However, proper utilization and promotion of the strengths may often help the organization overcome or offset some identifie d weaknesses. The following are the identified strengths recognized by the community stakeholders (verbatim, in no particular order):
 Great looking fire trucks and fire stations are very beneficial to the community.  Strong leadership and cooperation with similar departments.  Establish community presence at city events.
 Staff engagement and access while working through issues and concerns.  Emergency response-arriving quickly and professionalism of the staff.  Improved quality of fire inspections being done.
 Very involved.
 On-time and ready for what’s up.
 Trained for all emergencies, except trees.
 They do well with training and succession planning within the ranks and file firefighters.  Our CMFR are personal, friendly, and professional.
 Dan Stefano is an amazing leader; humble, engaging, and politically savvy.  Positive and welcoming attitude by Chief Stefano, humble, access able, and professional.  Professional attitude and service by CMFR, even during difficult times.  They do love their job of saving lives.
 Staff and employees – firefighters are kind and willing to help.  The response time at night has been swift.
 The department is trying to do more community outreach.  Station crews are always great to work with.
 The fire marshal’s office is always responsive.
 Great community partner.
 Rapid response time.
 Positive community role modeling through opportunities for greater community building.  Excellent community service attitudes with all department individuals that I have encountered.  Extremely well-led.
 Excellent community presence.
 Very responsive, not only to emergencies but to requests in general.  Thank you for including us in this process.
 OCFEC is proud to be a neighbor and partner.
 When you engage with CMFD personnel they are professional and present a unifie d front -everyone smiles!

 The chief/management play a very visible and active role in the community.  The mutual aid system works well when other departments are needed to assist.  Outstanding leadership at all levels.
 Excellent community outreach and a positive reputation.  Highly skilled and well-trained staff.
 Excellent and caring personnel.
 Overall passion for providing good service.
 Having worked at Orange County fairgrounds for the past 18 years, the communication and partnership has been great.
 Response time.
 Leadership.
 Past emergency/non-emergency response was fast and effective.  Personnel interactions were professional.
 Fire marshal and CERT resource assistance was/is extremely valuable.  Outstanding leadership.
 Excellent communication with the community, great outreach.  Proud of their image among peer groups.
 They stop and say hi to kids and hand out stickers.
 Always friendly interaction with staff.
 Positive social media presence.
 Great team! Fire specialist team is top-notch and very assessable to answer questions and meet on-site.  The fire department personnel are very helpful, professional, and friendly.  If the staff does not have the answer, they look for it in the fire code books and are seasoned to view the situation in spirit of the code.
 Well regarded and respected by many in the business community.  Community involvement on all levels.
 Thorough building and business inspections.
 Resiliency of the team during the last 2+ years.
 Willingness by the leadership and department to be transparent and search for a higher vision, purpose, and level of performance.
 Apparent healthy relationship between the elected, the city manager, and the fire chief. Very important to have genuine alignment and commitment.

Other Thoughts and Comments
The community was asked to share any other comments they had about the department or its services. The following written comments were received (verbatim, in no particular order):
 Two gardeners on my street passed away from climbing trees around electrical conductors. We need to educate our community and firefighters of all risks.

 They are effective at resourcing , engaging, and mobilizing the community for emergency response contingencies (CERT).
 My friend Debbie Magnussen started Project Cuddle here in Costa Mesa - she wants every fire and police station to have a safe surrender sign for women in crisis.  Love the flags on the trucks.
 I would love to see more community events where families are able to interact, buy shirts/hats.  CMFR is doing a great job and I am thrilled they are undertaking this process.  Community training and other interaction.
 I could not be prouder of our CMFR department-they are professionals and leaders in their profession.  I am proud to be a Costa Mesa resident and protected by these men and women.  Thank you for all you do and taking the time to go through this community input process.  It would be helpful to know when fire is dispatched to an emergency on Vanguard University campus when the call/emergency was not generated by Vanguard.
 It is my perception that the City of Costa Mesa is in good hands with the CMFR organization.  Share my community fire hazards that are preventable.

Appendix 2 - SWOT
Strengths
It is important for any organization to identify its strengths to ensure that it can provide the services requested by the community and that strengths are consistent with the issues facing the organization.

Often, identifying organizational strengths leads to the channeling of efforts toward primary community needs that match those strengths. Program s that do not match organizational strengths or the organization’s primary function, should be seriously reviewed to evaluate the rate of return on staff time and allocated funds.

Through a consensus process, the agency stakeholders identified the department’s strengths as follows:

Department’s recognition processes; social media,
employee of the month, and awards
Commitment to service through the
empowerment to do good deeds
Awareness and priority of our succession planning that
builds redundancy in the agency
Individual commitment, involvement, and
volunteerism of our members
Positive stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally
Equipment is well maintained, with new
equipment on order
Probationary firefighter training, mentoring, and
academy Communication
Operational adaptability in our deployment model Professionalism The welcomed outcome data from our EMS training Regional and state involvement Teamwork exampled by peer-to-peer communication People (our fire family) Existence and application of a department-specific
COOP Professional development (i.e., education)

Weaknesses
For any organization to either begin or continue to move progressively forward, it must be able to identify its strengths and those areas where it functions poorly or not at all. These areas of needed enhancements are not the same as threats to be identified later in this document but rather those day -to-day issues and concerns that may slow or inhibit progress. The following items were identified by the agency stakeholders as weaknesses:

Lack of a comprehensive, user-friendly, easily
accessible administrative procedure manual
Lack of procedure to update site maps and printed
map books
Lack of performance measures / CQI Lack of arson investigation capabilities Applications and programs used for data
collection and reporting are owned and managed
by external agencies limiting agency control of
data
The reliance on functions managed by volunteers,
such as EMS supplies, and tools, may impact their
passion for participation
Program area(s) workload balance between shift
stations and crews
Confusion between the application of
management vs. leadership
SOP manual out of date Lack of multi-company drills
Lack of appropriate compensation for additional
workload from program area assignments
Lack of training with our neighboring agencies
and Costa Mesa Police Department
Lack of hazmat specialist Lack of empowerment in decision making Lack of administrative staff (executive, EMS,
training)
Budgetary mechanism to identify money in and
out
Lack of an IT strategic plan on the fire side USAR equipment and training Communications – email vs. policy/procedure
objectives being worked on by multiple people
and don’t know it
Lack of comprehensive formal mentorship and
professional development training for all
positions in the organization
Insufficient staffing to provide needed reliable
administration support
The need for appropriate mission-critical support
vehicles
Lack of formal and documented career path involvement process for members of the organization

Opportunities
The opportunities for an organization depend on identifying strengths and weaknesses and how they can be enhanced. The focus of opportunities is not solely on existing service but on ex panding and developing new possibilities inside and beyond the traditional service area. The agency stakeholders identified the following potential opportunities:

Evaluation and expansion of the current
regional ambulance operator program
PSAP position growth to improve communications,
911 call-taking, and dispatch processes
Determining IT / GIS software processes or
systems to update mapping
Enhancing current/future external stakeholder
relationships
Increase opportunities for fire
department/state incident management teams
Enhance the relationship between OCEHD and the
department in the management of the hazmat
program
Need for improved city fleet management SOP Need for additional emergency vehicle technician Increase funding to assist in meeting agency-
appropriate standards
Current COVID/COOP level prevents us from
engaging the public (schools, open houses)
Enhance grant opportunities Increase in participation in outside state fire committees
Determine opportunities for external funding
sources other than grants
Identify external training opportunities (other fire
departments, FEMA, state, etc.)
Staffing to allow dual company fire stations
that increases presence in the community
(money)
Increase funding to provide for more subject matter
expert use in agency development

Threats
By recognizing possible threats, an organization can reduce the potential for loss. Fundamental to the success of any strategic plan is the understanding that threats are not entirely and/or directly controlled by the organization. Some of the current and potential threats identified by the agency stakeholders were as follows:

Changes in the economic variables of inflation,
interest rates, property values, sale tax revenue,
etc.

The policies and agendas produced through
political activities
Supply chain IT limitations
Domestic and international terrorist acts Commercial/industrial demographics/evolution Natural and manufactured disasters Social influences/movements/generational ideology
The impact of unfunded state mandates on the
organization
Shrinking candidate pool due to multiple agencies
hiring and a decrease in qualified candidates
Ambulance patient offload time during busy times Increasing call volume Homeless / mental illness /facilities Privatization of fire and/or EMS service delivery Commercial/residential development impact on
call volume
Retention issues causing the loss of employees to
other agencies
Relocation of the workforce to greater distances
and/or out of state
Legislative changes at the local, state, and federal
levels impacting the organization
Pandemics Paramedic school product quality
Population density changes that may drive political and legislative changes that negatively impact the organization

Appendix 3 - Critical and Service Gap Issues Identified by Agency Stakeholders
The following information is the raw data comprised from the deliberation of the two workgroups. The information in each table is linked to a strategic initiative that the overall group, by consensus, determined was something that the department should pursue for change and continuous improvement.

Initiative
Link Group 1 Group 2
Technology
Technology
o Lack of funding
o Grossly deficient mapping program
o Outdated RMS program
o Lack of contemporary CAD and MCT
technology
o Lack of department clearance with inter-
departmental functions
o Lack of real-time data/dashboard
o F-drive overhaul
Technology
o RMS
o CAD
o GIS/mapping
o Inspections
o Telestaff
o Payroll
o Communication
o Data collection/control
o Training
o Vector solutions
o Program availability
o Billing
Staffing
Staffing
o Lack of administrative staffing
o Forecasting/proactive approach for
staffing needs
o Arson staffing
o Specialty staffing for committees, special
events, and areas of responsibility
Staffing
o Lack of admin support staff
o Lack of SMRs
o Funding needed
o Qualification/experience
o Recruitment/retention
o Employee development/opportunity
o Overload
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
o Continuing issues with ambulances
o Lack of a real-time asset management
system
o Lack of completion on modernizing the
fire stations
o Lack of modernization of training tower
for EMS and USAR
o Lack of a contemporary information
technology program
o Lack of mission support vehicles
Equipment/facilities
o Funding
o Outdated equipment and facilities
o Lack of supply availability
o Procedural process
o Project bid/management process
o IT.
o Organizational structure/ownership

Initiative
Link Group 1 Group 2
Training
Training
o Lack of multi-company drills
o Lack of training with neighbor departments
o Lack of USAR training
o Wide range of topics to cover
o Lack of funding for training
o Identify and develop/strengthen subject
matter experts
o Strengthen career development
o Lack of driver education
o Implementation of new training programs
o Leadership development
o Accountability of chiefs and company
officers
N/A
Communication Organizational Information Management
o Lack of structure
o Lack of succession planning
o Lack of an evaluation process
o Lack of updated manuals/best practices
o Lack of contemporary SOP/SOG library
o Lack of time and funding for the overhaul
o Lack of access to special notices/training
bulletins
Communication
o Email
o Policies
o Objectives
o Social media with the public
o RMS
o Organizational accessibility to
information (F-drive)
o Continuity
The following information is the raw data comprised from the deliberation of the t wo workgroups. The information in each table is not linked directly to a strategic initiative but remains important. The department is best served to understand and embrace this other information as it moves forward for deliberative purposes and consideration of support of the strategic initiatives.

Topic Group 1 Group 2
Leadership
N/A
Leadership
o Roles and responsibilities
o Subject matter experts
o Mentorship
o Decentralized command
o Empowerment
o Relinquishment of control
o Communication
o Ownership/responsibility vs. management
o Facilitation of internal/external relationships

Appendix 4 - City Council Goals and Objectives
The following information is a reference to the Costa Mesa City Council’s Goals and Objectives.