Fire department charts its future

The new Sisters Fire Chief will be holding the department's first-ever public workshop for four days this week.

The workshop is open to all fire service personnel and to the public. It will be a step in the process of developing the fire department's first five-year strategic plan.

"We will plan for the next five years or more for our values and our mission, look at our strengths and weaknesses, and threats and major commitments," said Taylor Robertson, fire chief. "It's a road map to help guide us as a good organization."

When Robertson was appointed fire chief in December 2003, he set out to have a long-range plan and to solicit public input, he said.

"As a new fire chief, it became clear to me that we needed to have a plan to follow," Robertson said. "For the first four to five months, I got to know what was going on and now I'm putting together the plan."

The workshops will be facilitated by Joe Parrott, a retired fire chief from Gresham. Parrott works for Emergency Services Consulting Inc. (ESCI), a Portland-based fire services consulting company.

Members of the department's board of directors, volunteers, officers and community leaders will be at the workshop.

Robertson said the workshops will not shape the 2004-05 fiscal year budget, because it has already been configured, but he said it will "certainly shape future budgets."

Robertson said he is not aware of any particular item of interest.

"It is important to keep a wide-open mind," Robertson said. "I've got my own interests, but I'm just one piece of the process. I'm excited about refining our mission and division. Division is what are our values and what is important to us and where are we going to go."

Robertson has worked for 36 years in the fire service. He most recently worked for 13 years as district chief in Eugene.

The meetings will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 13 (during the board meeting); at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 14; and at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 at the Fire Hall.