KENNETH O. BURRIS, JR.
Since October 1997, when a meeting took place among the United States Fire Administration (USFA) staff to discuss organization concerns relating to core mission issues, things have been happening at the USFA. These things will result in a decidedly changed organization, one that will hopefully be better and more focused on organizational effectiveness for our customers.
When the staff first met, many challenges and problems were facing the USFA, and they believed that unless a series of significant steps took place, the organization would increasingly become less effective in advancing the professional development stature of fire/emergency services at a national level. The culmination of this process produced the opportunity for The Blue Ribbon Panel to provide invaluable guidance to the Action Plan Working Group in setting a strategic direction for the USFA. Major facets of this plan address core mission, leadership, communications, and advocacy in developing a more responsive organizational structure. Action Plan recommendations were put forward to change the organizational structure within the USFA from the conventional multilevel structure to one of multiple teams. The old government red tape that involved time-consuming processes and procedures was to be slowly swept away. The team ap-proach to getting things done, which is already being used in many federal agencies, is now underway and a reality at the USFA.
THE TEAM CONCEPT
As chief operating officer, I fully support the development of a team-driven work environment. The team concept collectively organizes like functional elements to create an enhanced focus for organizational resources. Educational Specialist Ed Kaplan has been given the lead for this evolution and is introducing staff members to the concept of working in teams. He has facilitated a number of workshops on teambuilding and breaking down barriers. The workshops have helped to identify the characteristics of successful teams and the benefits and barriers that might be encountered in forming teams. The long-term benefits of the team concept are to
- expand the flexibility of the organization to adjust to rapidly changing priorities, thereby increasing responsiveness to the customer;
- present the opportunity for bringing together a broad range of ideas, perspectives, and expertise, resulting in a better product;
- improve morale, because cooperation is promoted over competitiveness; and
- give accountability and responsibility to the individual.
PILOT TEAMS
The USFA pilot teams initially established could be described as following this definition from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Guide: “A workplace team is a small group of employees (usually between 3 and 15 members) with complementary skills, who share a common purpose, have a common performance goal or challenge, and who are accountable as individuals and team members for the outcome, product or process. As team members, they together plan the work, do the work, make decisions, solve problems, and evaluate their results. Team members share in doing much of the work traditionally viewed as supervising or managing.” (The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, February 1995, 3.)
The four pilot teams-Arson Mitigation, Partnerships, Evaluation, and Emergency Medical Services-presented the first draft of their 45-day action plans to senior staff by the end of September 1999. Their team missions may all be worded differently, but the bottom line is that they want to serve the nation in partnership with the fire protection and emergency service communities. Their main concerns are to contribute to reducing the loss of lives and property and to support the needs of the fire and emergency service constituents. A support team, led by Assistant Administrator Ron Face, was created to give the teams direction and resources to accomplish their goals. The USFA wants to provide the highest levels of professional service for respective customers, both internal and external; to expand the effectiveness of intra- and inter-organizational partnerships and program activities; and to revitalize and enhance the USFA’s initiatives. By working in a team environment, and with an enhanced budget, the USFA will be transformed.
FUTURE TEAMS
Future teams will include the following: Project Impact, Pay Banding, Counter-Terrorism Training Program, National Fire Research Foundation, and a team devoted to the Government Performance and Results Act. Also, groups will be formed to address Core Mission Issues; Leadership and Communications Issues; Staff Development Issues; and Advocacy, Partnerships, and Marketing issues, which make up the four focus areas found in the USFA Action Plan. The Action Plan can be downloaded from the USFA Web site.
A room in one of the buildings at the National Emergency Training Center has been designated as a team meeting room. The “War Room,” as it has been named, is more precisely the brain center of all of the teams’ progressive steps toward developing goals, recording milestones, and fulfilling directives in supporting the fire service communities nationwide. More importantly, the process utilizes critical path methodology to help guide us through our transition. The room is equipped so that meeting information can be recorded directly into the computer for future reference by all other team participants and FEMA staff. This shared computer information will hold the team tracking projects and will be available for transferring presentations when needed.
The purpose of this “War Room” (Building E, Room 120) is to facilitate internal and external communications on where the USFA stands in its transformation process. It is critical that everyone understand our direction and the plans being implemented to obtain our goals. I encourage everyone having occasion to visit the Emmitsburg campus to visit this area to gain a better understanding and greater appreciation of our vision and direction.
In the changing work environments of today, with constant downsizing, streamlining, changing priorities, and unpredictable resources, studies from other government agencies show that a team-based structure has two advantages:
- Agencies can expand workers’ skills and expertise because the workers bring a broad range of problem-solving abilities.
- Agencies can eliminate different departments doing the same job.
The result is that the USFA becomes more efficient and effective, thereby enhancing services delivered to the nation’s fire service. This is an outcome that is in keeping with and is fulfilling the charge given to the USFA by the nation’s fire service.
The USFA is committed to keeping that charge and once again returning the USFA to a position of prominence in leading the nation’s fire service.
KENNETH O. BURRIS, JR., is the chief operating office of the U.S. Fire Administration. He retired as fire chief from the City of Marietta, Georgia. He has an MPA from Kennesaw State University and a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering technology from the University of Cincinnati. He formerly served as treasurer of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
