Community Newsletter

[298lieut]

Is there anyone out there that publishes a Community Newsletter about the FD and if so, are you willing to share ideas??

[EdGlaze]

I have searched for fire department newsletters and listed a bunch of links in my department's forum:

Links & Resources - Fire department newsletters
http://forums.delphiforums.com/PMFD/messages/?msg=602.1

I haven't produced any for my department yet but it is something I plan to do. I have a journalism degree, was a college newspaper editor, and published newsletters for various groups over the years so if you have some questions I may be able to help.

[LaFireEducator]

One of the departments I was on had a community newsletter we published 3 times a year.
We had the following sections:

Chief's message.
Public Edication Tips.
Call volume.
"Training Notebook" which talked about both regular and special training
attended .
1-2 memeber profiles.
Recruiting section.
Special articles on new trucks, equipment, etc.
Any news, interesting calls, etc.

[dragonfyre]

We take a column in the Borough's newsletter that goes out quarterly. We use it for seasonal fire prevention tips and any upcoming fundraisers.

[298lieut]

One of the departments I was on had a community newsletter we published 3 times a year.
We had the following sections:

Chief's message.
Public Edication Tips.
Call volume.
"Training Notebook" which talked about both regular and special training
attended .
1-2 memeber profiles.
Recruiting section.
Special articles on new trucks, equipment, etc.
Any news, interesting calls, etc.

Kind of the idea I had. Thanks for the info.

[MonroeTownship]

Our department recently started putting out a newsletter. It is aimed at department personnel moreso than the community, however. It includes recent training highlights, our call log for the month, and a "Chief's Report." It also includes a calendar of upcoming events, including birthdays, and other things. The Member Profiles thing is a good idea! :)

[quaker49]

Hi all, thank you for your ideas of a newsletter - it certainly helped our department get the highest turn out in our community history for a fire commissioner's election and supporting a new LOSAP (retirement) plan.

We were in a difficult situation and our small district is covered by four regional daily newspapers and one weekly. No one paper can reach our voters. We determined to counter the negative political campaign started by a neighboring village (and fire department) against the incumbant Fire Commissioner and LOSAP plan with accusations that our department is 25 years behind the times with a positive newsletter that highlighted the low tax rate, good fiscal management, multiple training courses hosted, and the people behind the department. The candidate from the village did run a good campaign with signs and door to door.

The results were an 86% vote for the incumbant Fire Commissioner and a large 85% for the LOSAP plan. The community has always been a great supporters of our fire district but the newsletter was a very effective method to communicate with the community. Thank you for your suggestions and sharing what you have done in your communities.

Quaker49

[AFD2181]

here are a few links

http://www.deerfieldbannockburnfire.o rg/ under safety info they call it couplings.

www.harlemroscoefire.com under newsletter...very good monthly one.

We did one called Hotspots; featured letter from chief, safety info, stories about dept training, spotlight on a vehicle from fleet, kids safety page with games, puzzles, word search etc.
Came out twice a year....start of summer and 1st week of december.
happy to email if you need it.

[JOSFIREMAN]

Is there anyone out there that publishes a Community Newsletter about the FD and if so, are you willing to share ideas??
Ankeny fire department in Ankeny, Iowa has one. Make sure the pdf is loaded because the newletter can be large at times. They also archive the last few months also. Good luck to you.