Missing Children Program: A Fire Service-Community Project
FEATURES
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
The value of the volunteer fire service is very often underrated by the public it serves. Perhaps your department has saved several lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property in the course of a year. Maybe you have invested in the most thorough training you could afford and your members have been on their best behavior. You’ve served the community in the most responsible way you know how. In your opinion, you’ve done a good job. But does the public feel the same way? Unfortunately, the answer is often no.
Unless people directly need and benefit from your services they have no evidence that you are effectively performing your duties. They see the volunteer fire department as a social club, not as an organization seriously concerned with the public’s welfare.
Missing children program
How can you improve your relationship with the public? One way is to perform a public service. Instead of acting solely in emergency situations, become involved in everyday issues that concern the community.
The Fayetteville, PA, Volunteer Fire Department, in conjunction with the Chambersburg sub-station of the Pennsylvania State Police, did just that. They have organized a program to help parents and police identify and hopefully locate missing children.
Seminars are held in the fire station where police department members instruct parents and children in ways to prevent child abduction. The children are then videotaped by fire department members and fingerprinted by police.
Videotape is effective because it zooms in to capture the child’s features. There is also an audio attachment, which allows the child to state his or her name, age, address, and date of birth.
Parents can either purchase the videotape from the police at these seminars, or they can bring their own. The fire department supplies the other video equipment. The tape and fingerprints are kept at home, and if the child should be abducted, the parents would then bring these to the police. Single copies of the child’s photo can be made for distribution.
Program funding
A missing children program needs little funding. Most police departments should be more than willing to give you the background information you need to get going. They may even help you carry out the project. Many of your neighboring communities may already have similar programs. These can serve as another source of information. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember, you’re not competing with other missing children programs. You’re all striving toward the same goal.
The largest expense is the video equipment, which can be rented or is sometimes donated. If you choose to buy video equipment, remember that it can also be used as a training aide for your department.
Another essential (and often free) ingredient for a successful missing children program is publicity. Let the public know that your program exists, why it is important for them to participate, and when and where the seminars take place. Phone calls to newspaper editors, interviews on radio, talk shows, and speeches to community groups will make people aware of the project and help elicit their support.
Improving community relations
The issue of missing children is a timely one. It is attracting more and more media attention as parents are demanding additional protection for their children. The fire service involvement in this situation shows concern for the community. The project also brings people into your station house, where they can meet your members, perhaps for the first time. Most importantly, this program allows the department to fulfill its number one function: protecting the public.
Many communities are coming to expect public service acts from their volunteer fire departments. Parades and trips to the local school during Fire Prevention Week, although helpful, are no longer enough.
If you start a program of this type, make sure you are prepared to follow through and put all your efforts into accomplishing the goal of locating missing children. You will never gain public support through half-hearted attempts.
The volunteer fire service is closely tied to the public. If it is to continue to receive public support and funding, it will have to become more visible in the community. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through extended public service programs, like the missing children campaign.
