October 1985: In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies

According to the October 1985 issue of Firehouse Magazine, the best-run fire departments in America were Seattle, Miami, Los Angeles City and Palm Beach, FL. That conclusion was based on a research project using the best-selling management book by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman, “In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies,” as a research methodology. The study identified the 25 top fire departments in the country, then measured their performance to determine the top performers.