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Mich. FD invites residents to give input on strategic planning

Understanding there is always room for improvement, the Grand Rapids Fire Department is asking residents to let them know how they are doing

By Melissa Frick
mlive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids residents and business owners are being asked to fill out a survey with their thoughts on how the Grand Rapids Fire Department is doing.

The online public survey, which is available at publicinput.com/fdstrategicplanning, will help develop the fire department’s next strategic plan. The survey asks for feedback on what the fire department is doing well, what it could improve, and what it could be doing differently.

The fire department will use the results from the survey to build its new strategic plan, which will be adopted by July 1, 2025 .

“The new Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-28 strategic vision will outline how your Grand Rapids Fire Department operates and responds to the needs of the community,” Fire Chief Brad Brown said. “We operate with a continuous improvement mindset, understanding that there is always room for improvement. Our residents, through this survey, will give us a great understanding of how we can better serve the community over the next three years.”

The survey will be open through Nov. 30 . Respondents will be asked about their experience with the Grand Rapids Fire Department , and what they would like the fire department to prioritize over the next five years.

The Grand Rapids Fire Department employs 193 firefighters, 14 support staff, and has 15 frontline units at 11 fire stations across the city, according to a 2024 strategic plan presentation on the survey website. It operates on a $40.28 million annual budget.


A well-written strategic plan will provide awareness of what’s going on in your specific environment

The department responded to 25,034 incidents in 2023, which included both emergency and non-emergency responses. About 67% of those responses were for EMS services, while less than 3% were responses to fires.

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