RVFPD 2008-2013 Strategic Plan - San Ramon Valley Fire

San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
STRATEGIC PLAN
2008-2013

I am very pleased to present the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District’s Strategic
Plan for 2008 through 2013. The Strategic Plan is a key foundational document that
serves as a blueprint to build and improve our organization. It is designed to focus our
attention and guide our decision making as we continue to transform the District into a
reference agency of exceptional quality and best industry practices. This plan is the result
of a year-long collaborative effort between all members of our organization and is
intended to begin where the previous strategic plan concluded. Information for this plan
was gathered in both group settings and individual one-on-one meetings with every
employee of the District. The Board formally adopted this plan on February 25, 2009.
In 2012, the District will celebrate its 100-year anniversary. It is our intent to be a CFAI
accredited agency by that time – a goal at the heart of this plan. Accreditation reassures
the citizens we serve and ultimately protects their interest and investment in District
services. It also serves to help us identify areas in need of improvement through a
comprehensive self-assessment process and rigorous external review of our capabilities
and practices. In addition, the accreditation process will assist us in maintaining our ISO
Class 2 rating and creates the environment to evaluate the feasibility of a rating
improvement.
This plan contains five principal goals that can only be accomplished with the full
commitment and combined best effort of our Board of Directors, Management Team,
Union Leadership and each and every member of our organization. We have all begun to
feel the increased demands and commitment that attaining such lofty goals will require. I
believe our personnel are up to the challenge and are motivated and encouraged by our
significant accomplishments to date. The prospect of becoming an organization with even
higher reliability, which provides even more public value than we do today – to truly be
one of the best of the best – is the opportunity which lies before us.
I am confident that the members of this great organization will embrace the challenges
contained in these pages, and that we will be successful in seeing this vision through over
the next five years.
Sincerely,
Richard Price
Fire Chief

One Team, One Mission
In the spirit of our tradition,
we strive for excellence,
respectfully serving all with pride,
honor and compassion
Board of Directors
Nick Dickson, President
Roxanne W. Lindsay, Vice President
Thomas J. Linari, Director
Jennifer G. Price, Director
Kenneth W. Sandy, Director
The Role of the Board
Provide financial oversight and strategic policy direction
to maximize the public value of District services.
Fire Chief
Richard Price
The Role of the Chief
In collaboration with the Board of Directors and in
partnership with all members of the organization,
provide direction, protection and order to the District.

Our Values
HONOR
I am accountable for my professional and personal behavior and
bring credit to the organization through my treatment of others.
I recognize that serving our community is a privilege
and that this District exists solely for that purpose.
I do the right thing even when it is the hardest thing and especially
when I am the only one who will know what was done.
I work in a manner that my actions can be openly revealed because
they are safe, right, legal, moral and have no hidden agenda.
I work in a manner that demonstrates good character,
produces excellence and maintains proper ethics.
I am accountable for my actions and have a
commitment to fulfill my responsibilities.
I am honest in my words, actions and intentions with myself and others.
I work in a manner that generates fulfillment
and satisfaction from my achievements.
RESPECT
I treat myself and others with respect and compassion.
I demonstrate respect and compassion for all the citizens I serve.
I am considerate, tactful and sincere in my actions.
I recognize that each person’s contributions have
value and are key to the success of the District.
I value and respect all employees and support
their efforts to achieve their highest potential.

Our Values
EXCELLENCE
I provide the highest level of service, striving
to produce the best possible results.
I am prepared and available for service and action at all times.
I work for common purposes that bring the organization
together.
I work in a manner that maximizes the efficient use of resources.
I exhibit the highest degree of professionalism and competence
in all that I do.
I help guide others to perform in a manner that enables excellent
results.
I work in a manner that is coordinated with others and I
assure that other affected people are well informed.
I am committed to the development of my
knowledge, skills and abilities.

Our Strengths
• Fiscally sound, fully compliant with District financial policy at all
times.
• Dedicated, well-trained, capable personnel; culture of shared
leadership and common goals; good labor relations.
• Respected, admired organization; effective, professional and
collaborative Board; responsive, talented management team.
• True to its mission; the District provides a very high level of
emergency and non-emergency service to the communities we
serve.
• Personnel and teams with diverse and highly specialized skill sets
to meet the wide-ranging demands of the District.
• Modern facilities and apparatus; advanced Information Technology
infrastructure including Computer-aided Dispatch, Geographic
Information Systems, and advanced Records Management Systems.
• Effective fire prevention activities including notable vegetation and
hazard abatement initiatives, comprehensive code adoption
accomplishments, and significant community risk reduction
programs.

Our Aspirations
• Show others what is possible; create vision and maintain
enthusiasm.
• Get people working together cooperatively; expand what people
believe is possible in themselves and in the organization; build a
cohesive team; be mindful and learn from our mistakes.
• Foster culture of shared leadership and responsibility; take
advantage of shifting locations of expertise in the organization.
• Forge strong, collaborative and long lasting relationships with our
partner agencies and other stakeholders; build and cultivate the
strategic alliances of the District.
• Build repeatable, accountable and well documented organizational
processes.
• Strive for a high production rate; be driven to
execute; have high standards.
• Be diplomatic and kind; open and respectful;
self-reflective.
• Have devotion for the community
and District; be fully committed;
practice “service before self.”
• Create an enduring
legacy of quality and
sustainability.

Our Vision
Goal 1
Financial sustainability to provide the highest level of service possible
in the present while planning and acting for the ability to maintain
these ideals indefinitely.
Strategic Priorities
1. Maintain a thorough understanding of the financial status and
future needs of the District; assess the long-term capital project
requirements of the District and the impact such expenditures may
have on future operations.
2. Identify and implement financial strategies that allow the District
to achieve its mission today and in the future; develop effective
strategies to address the expected future cost of retiree health care
promises including possible advance funding options.
3. Adherence to District Reserve Policy at all times; create and
manage budgets in a manner consistent with the reserve policy;
carefully manage long term budget risks such as the East Bay
Regional Communications System (EBRCS) and Other Post
Employment Benefits (OPEB).
4. Adherence to District Investment Policy at all times; invest funds
not required for immediate day-to-day operations in a manner that
seeks to ensure the preservation of capital, maintains sufficient
liquidity to enable the District to meet all foreseeable operating
requirements, and attempts to obtain an acceptable rate of return.
Goal 2
Personnel development through mentoring, training and supportive
policy to assure the District has well qualified personnel to meet
current and future needs.
Strategic Priorities
1. Maintain and develop programs and strategies to ensure that all
District personnel have the skills necessary to deliver the highest
quality services possible to the citizens we serve.

Our Vision
2. Strive for a well educated, well prepared workforce; work to extend
partnering policies that support higher education and leading
industry training.
3. Support principal fire service leadership programs including Chief
Fire Officer (CFO), Executive Fire Officer (EFO), and California State
Fire Marshal certification tracks.
Goal 3
Provide organizational clarity by fully understanding the District’s role
in providing public value for our communities, continually evaluating
our programs and practices, and commitment to individual
responsibility toward the success of our goals.
Strategic Priorities
1. Conduct comprehensive program review across all divisions.
2. Fine-tune organizational structure; increase accountability.
3. Implement best practices throughout the organization.
4. Eliminate/revamp unnecessary or underperforming programs;
redefine/focus out-of-step practices.
5. Further develop culture of personal responsibility and shared
leadership; evangelize “leading without a title.”
Goal 4
Information-led Management (ILM) that emphasizes high accountability
at all levels of the organization, strategic response to organizational
challenges that rapidly remove impediments to high performance, and
capitalization of the expertise and input of all District personnel.
Strategic Priorities
1. Consolidate all key District databases on a robust integrated
platform establishing a sound, long term records management
infrastructure.

Our Vision
2. Develop an ILM framework that provides relevant and accurate
work product information to managers in real-time.
3. Train managers to use compiled statistics to better guide
operations and develop personnel. Data will include response time
metrics, incident trends and patterns, controlled substances
accountability, hydrant inspections, preplan activity, company
performance standards proficiency, apparatus and facility
maintenance records, training activity and records, among others.
4. Conduct “ILM meetings” with front line personnel on a regular and
recurring basis to exchange information and intelligence.
Goal 5
Achieve Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI)
Accreditation by thoroughly assessing District practices and
comparing our effectiveness next to the best practices in the industry.
Strategic Priorities
1. Place considerable focus on quality improvement through a
continuous self-assessment process.
2. Conduct a comprehensive Standards of Cover analysis.
3. Develop a comprehensive Disaster Plan to serve as the basis for
effective response to any hazard that threatens the jurisdiction;
improve regional planning and coordination efforts by
strengthening and growing our emergency and disaster
management partnerships.
4. Use the new ILM framework to create a daily environment rich in
relevant data coupled with solid industry practices.
5. Communicate the benefits of fire service accreditation to all
members of our organization. Connect that the work being
accomplished in all the goals of this plan dovetail well into
industry accreditation and ISO Public Protection Class maintenance
and possible improvement.

About Us
The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District is an autonomous Special
District as defined under the Fire Protection District Law of 1987, Health
and Safety Code, Section 13800, of the State of California.
A five-member Board of Directors, elected by their constituents and each
serving a staggered four-year term, govern the District. The Fire Chief
oversees the general operations of the District in accordance with the
policy direction prescribed by the Board of Directors. The Fire Chief also
serves as the Treasurer for the District.
In 2008, the District employed nearly 200 personnel, in addition to
approximately 50 volunteers serving in four separate volunteer
programs. The District maintains ten fire stations and one administrative
office building, all strategically located throughout the jurisdiction. The
District staffs fifteen companies, including structure and wildland
engines, ladder trucks, ALS ambulances, and specialized Haz Mat, Rescue,
Communications and other support units. The District also operates its
own nationally accredited (NAEMD) 9-1-1 communications center.
The District’s service area encompasses approximately 155 square miles,
covering the communities of Alamo, Blackhawk, the Town of Danville,
Diablo, the City of San Ramon, the southern area of Morgan Territory and
the Tassajara Valley. Within the boundaries of the District are expansive
wildland areas, large single-family homes and multi-family residential
complexes, hotels, a regional hospital, numerous convalescent/assisted
living facilities, equestrian areas, hiking trails, rock climbing areas, and a
facility housing a low-level nuclear reactor. The District is also bisected
by a major interstate highway (I-680).
The total population served by the District in 2008 exceeded 160,500. On
business days, this figure grows by another 30,000 to include the
personnel employed in the Bishop Ranch Business Park. Bishop Ranch is
a 585-acre development with nine million square feet of office space
located in San Ramon. The business park is comprised of over 300
diverse companies, ranging from large, well known Global 500 companies
to innovative start-ups.
The major revenue sources of the District are property taxes (91%),
ambulance service fees and interest income. Total income for the year
ending June 30, 2008 was $54,601,652. The Comprehensive Annual
Financial Report (CAFR) provides complete financial statements for the
District.

San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
1500 Bollinger Canyon Road
San Ramon CA 94583
www.srvfire.ca.gov