EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS
BY TED SISK
The Ashburn (VA) Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) has been undergoing tremendous growth and change. Founded 50 years ago, the department served a rural population of about 1,000 in a community that consisted of working farms, small business, and individuals who commuted to work in the economic centers of Northern Virginia. Until about five years ago, new members were rare; they came primarily from the families of existing members or neighboring towns whose volunteer companies had capped their membership.
In the mid-1980s, the suburban sprawl of Washington, D.C., reached Ashburn, as developers acquired thousands of acres of farmland and began the construction of major subdivisions that ultimately will have more than 16,000 homes, several hundred thousand square feet of office space, and multiple shopping centers. In the past 10 years, this huge influx of new residents has increased the call load 500 percent and forced the acquisition of two new ambulances and a new class A pumper and the refurbishment of another. The average new resident came from the closer-in suburbs where municipal career departments provided the bulk of fire and rescue services and were funded by local tax dollars. Most new residents had little knowledge or awareness of the volunteer system and the amount of community support and participation it requires to be successful.
As you can see, the AVFD has had to address multiple organizational dilemmas such as how to increase active and administrative membership to cope with the ever-increasing load of calls and company business; how to increase the level of contributions to provide for new equipment and facilities; how to help the community understand that the ongoing success of the department depends on each individual resident and not the municipal government; and, perhaps most importantly, how to start and continue the process of effectively communicating with the community.
We immediately recognized that good communication is essential for community awareness and fund-raising; answering the question of how to communicate proved more challenging. Historically, the department has been a social focus within the community, and a large majority of the families in the community had some tie to the membership. These two factors made it relatively simple to stay in touch and keep everyone aware of department news. As the area exploded with new residents, this “grapevine“ became ineffective for reaching the majority of homeowners.
NEWSLETTER THE ANSWER
The answer came as a result of the volunteers` pride in celebrating 50 years of service–a newsletter to all residents. The FIRELINE, weighing in at 2,500 words and four pages in length, was born. It was produced by one member and reviewed by several company officers for accuracy prior to publication. Community response was immediate and positive. Almost 20 new members were recruited through that single issue. A subsequent issue was coordinated with the start of the annual fund drive and open house at the fire station. The community responded again by setting a record for contributions. Our newer neighbors have gained a fresh awareness of the role of the volunteer fire company in the community and have shown an old-fashioned community spirit and pride in supporting it. The 25-member volunteer group of five years ago now has 107 members and is still growing, contributions are up, and the residents are beginning to focus on the AVFD as a cornerstone of the community.
To people in Ashburn, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is not just a newsletter banner for Engine Company 6; it means having a good safe place to bring up their families.
The key to the success of the AVFD newsletter is simple. Each issue has a central theme that forms the basis for every article published. In addition, the FIRELINE includes useful and informative articles on safety awareness. As an example, the first issue described the enhanced 911 system, its operation, and how parents could arrange for their children to make a practice call or could call and verify or add information in the dispatch system.
HOW TO START YOUR OWN NEWSLETTER
Start with a realistic plan and a commitment to follow through. Once the first issue comes out, the community will expect future issues; a lack of follow-though will reflect poorly on the company. Determine the number of times per year you want or can afford to publish and the theme or focus of each issue. This is your opportunity to get your message across, so don`t hide it in a maze of unrelated stories. Planning can help you meet your communication goals by interrelating messages. If, for example, your focus is on raising money and you also want to appeal for more volunteers, you can include data about how much each volunteer costs the department in terms of equipment, insurance, training, etc. Your message that the growth of the volunteer company comes at a cost will be clear without being overbearing.
Invest in a computer and software that will allow the newsletter to be reviewed in a “WYSIWYG” (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) format. We use a program that allows us to review the newsletter in final format and still make changes easily and quickly. The software you choose should be easy to use and contain useful tools such as spell check and auto format.
A significant cost savings can be achieved by providing “final copy” to the printer instead of having an outside firm input and format your articles.
Decrease your creativity burden by planning recurring features. Ashburn has two in the FIRELINE: “Meet a Volunteer” and “A Word from the Chief.” These columns increase readability and entertainment for the reader by bringing out the human element of the company. The general theme of the newsletter is secondary to or not evident at all in the contents of these columns.
Production of your newsletter is another area that needs careful planning. We produce the FIRELINE first as an outline with story ideas and column space laid into the newsletter format. Articles then are drafted and distributed for review to the chief, president, and other members. The intent of this initial review is to ensure the accuracy of the information, not correction of typos or grammar, although they almost always are noted by the reviewers.
Once the comments have been received and incorporated, graphics are added and the publication is edited for typos, grammar, and format. A second draft is produced, and the newsletter is photocopied onto 11 ¥ 17 paper, so it can receive a final review in the same layout that will be mailed to the community. A very limited distribution is made, and comments must be received within a day or two. Recommendations for change are discussed and incorporated (if agreed on), and the newsletter is printed on a graphics-quality laser printer as four photo- quality, 812- ¥ 11-inch pages.
The printing company uses these four pages to produce a “blue line” of the newsletter, which you must review and sign off on as the template for the offset press. Take advantage of the print house`s capability to fold the newsletter and bundle it for mailing. If you don`t, you`ll hate yourself later as you sort and hand-fold several thousand sheets of paper.
It doesn`t take a great deal of expertise to get started. With careful planning and persistence, you can produce a newsletter of which your department and community will be proud.
If you have any questions or would like a copy of the FIRELINE, write to the Ashburn Fire Department, Attention: Ted Sisk, P.O. Box 2, Ashburn, VA 22011. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped (32 cents) envelope if requesting a copy of the newsletter. Good luck! n
TED SISK is a lieutenant with the Ashburn (VA) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. He is a state-certified firefighter and emergency medical technician. Sisk is the publisher of his company newsletter, cochairman of the department`s fund-raising committee, and a member of the Loudoun County Virginia EMS Advisory Council and Loudoun Fire and Rescue Volunteer Assurance Task Force.
