STRATEGIC GOALS - Cal Fire

STRATEGIC GOALSWithin a strategic plan arethe high level initiatives (orstrategic goals) necessaryto meet the mission. Thesestrategic goals relatedirectly back to the missionstatement and describe theexternal direction of success,ultimate achievement,and improvement in theDepartment’s performance.Like most governmentalagencies, CAL FIRE isperforming its mission in an eraof rapid change. The changesfacing the Department aredescribed in documents suchas the 2010 California Fire Planand include shrinking fiscal andpersonnel resources and shifting demographics, land use, climate, science, andtechnology. All of these changes impact the reasonably foreseeable futurewithin which CAL FIRE will operate.To maintain and enhance its success as an organization, CAL FIRE must beable to anticipate and adapt to changing internal and external conditions.Typically, decision making needs to be flexible; therefore, information andfeedback are vital. The following goals of the Department’s Strategic Planwere selected with this in mind:• Effectively communicate the Department’s mission and vision toemployees, partners, and stakeholders.• Recognize and scale to changing budgetary, fiscal, and regulatoryconditions.• Seek to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness by shaping,enhancing, and adapting to changing circumstances.• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with stakeholders, governingbodies, cooperators, and the public.• Foster a culture that emphasizes and enhances employee health andsafety.• Promote a highly motivated and well-trained workforce.5

Goal: Effectively communicate theDepartment’s mission and vision toemployees, partners, and stakeholdersObjective: Enhance internal communicationsand facilitate two-way communication at alllevels.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Information TechnologyPrograms (ITS) will continue to develop andupdate an enhanced Intranet. This action isongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will establish aninternal Departmental communicationsprotocol. This protocol will define theprogram responsibility for internal Departmentwide communications. TheExecutive Team will complete this action by Fiscal Year (FY) 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Communications Office will work with ITS to develop, publish, andmaintain an annual internal calendar of events on theCAL FIRE Intranet. The Communications Office will establish criteria forwhat meets the threshold to post, as well as a methodology for color codingrecurring events, and will authorize specific administrators in each program topost events. The Communications Office will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Management Council (MC) will develop tools to teach allDepartment employees that they are part of the total force concept designedto meet the Department’s mission. MC will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s MC will foster timely updates to Department personnel on relevantchanges in statutory, legal, regulatory, program, and policy directives thataffect standards of performance. MC will coordinate completion of this actionannually or at other appropriate time intervals.6

Objective: Enhance external communications.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Communications Office will expandstrategies to educate various stakeholders aboutthe Department and its mission by ensuringmessage(s) tailored to each stakeholder areup to date and readily available for leadership,programs, and employees to use as reference duringtheir interactions with identified stakeholders.Stakeholders include but are not limited to: public,media, internal, elected officials, cooperators,control agencies, and the Administration. TheCommunications Office will complete this actionannually or more frequently, as needed.• CAL FIRE’s Communications Office will continue to establish amessaging and “brand monitoring” function. This function willmonitor external messages and marketing materials to identifyinconsistencies. This action is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s programs will develop strategies for interacting withstakeholders to share information and gather input on programactivities. This action is ongoing. Programs will present thesestrategies to the Executive Team annually.• CAL FIRE’s Communications Office will develop the guidelines forexternal messaging of the Department’s mission and other activities.The Communications Office will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Resource Management Program has implemented acoordinated pilot project to target improvement and efficienciesin the review of timber harvesting documents. The ResourceManagement Program will evaluate and report on the effectivenessof this pilot project to the Executive Team in FY 12/13.7

Goal: Recognize and scale to changingbudgetary, fiscal, and regulatoryconditionsObjective: Implement a systematic way to establish program budgetarybaselines and deliverables and to measure the impact of change.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s programswill seek fundingfor shortfalls and/or establish amethodology forservice cuts orprogram eliminationsas funding dictates.This action isongoing.• CAL FIRE willmaintainand enhanceimplementation ofthe 2010 CaliforniaFire Plan as aprimary planningand reportingdocument to theBoard of Forestryand Fire Protectionand the Legislature.This includescontinuing supportfor assessment,statistical, and analytical functions of the Department. The ExecutiveTeam, through coordination of implementation efforts of its variousprograms, will continue to report annually to the Board and asrequired to other entitites. This action is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Management Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) willestablish a methodology for budget allocation to units, regions, andprograms. MSAC will complete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s programs will identify any base budget shortfalls formandated and unmandated service deliveries as a follow-up to theallocations project. Programs will complete this action by FY 14/15.8

Objective: Seek stable funding models to diversify funding sources.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s MC will create a working group to identify alternativefunding sources. MC will initiate this action in FY 12/13, andwork will be ongoing.Objective: Continue to strengthen the grant management process.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will establish a Grants ManagementUnit. The Executive Team will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Grants Management Unit will evaluate anddevelop grant initiation, review, approval, archive, reporting,and governance structures and procedures. The GrantsManagement Unit will complete this action by FY 13/14.9

Goal: Seek to improve operational efficiencyand effectiveness by shaping, enhancing,and adapting to changing circumstancesObjective: Align resources and redesign organizational units, regions, andheadquarters to better reflect operational needs.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will evaluate staffing needs toimplement the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program andreport to the Executive Team. The Fire Protection Program willcomplete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s MC and the Master Staffing Plan Project Team will establisha working group to develop a reallocation plan for the Department.The working group will complete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) will continue toenhance its Pipeline Safety, Arson and Bomb Investigation, andFire and Life Safety Divisions. The intent is to increase staffing andultimately staff these programs fully by FY 14/15.Objective: Ensure an effective and sustainable aviation program that meetsthe Department’s mission.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Programwill develop and publish aspecification for bid that willdocument current and future missionneeds. The Fire Protection Programwill complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Programwill seek funding for replacementof the Department’s current aginghelicopter fleet. The Fire ProtectionProgram will initiate this action inFY 13/14 for implementation byJanuary 2015.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will study alternatives for the nextgeneration airtanker to replace the Department’s current fleet ofS-2T’s. The Fire Protection Program will define the requirements forthe next generation air tanker by FY 14/15.10

Objective: Develop and implement a strategy to reduce CAL FIRE’s $2.4billion Capital Outlay replacement backlog of facilities that have an averageage in excess of 45 years by 40% in the next 10 years.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Technical Services Unit will escalate the number offacility tours to educate the decision makers in the Legislature,Administration, and Legislative Analyst’s Office on the Department’sinfrastructure program. The Technical Services Unit will implementthis action in FY 12/13, and work will be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Capital Outlay Command (CAPCOM) and the TechnicalServices Unit will continue to pursue more efficient project deliverymethods and alternative funding strategies. CAPCOM and theTechnical Services Unit will initiate this action in FY 12/13, and workwill be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Technical Services Unit will work towards the approval of astandard fire station plan. The Technical Services Unit will completethis action by FY 12/13.11

Objective: Identify opportunities to streamline administrative processes andimplement where feasible.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Forest Practice Program will continue to evaluatewatershed level timber harvest documents and/or alternatives. Thisaction is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s MC will develop and recommend strategies to mitigatekey-person dependency within units/programs throughout theDepartment. MC will complete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s MSAC will identify overlapping and duplicative businessprocesses and make recommendations to MC. MSAC will initiate thisaction in FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s OSFM’s Pipeline Safety Division, in conjunction withCAL FIRE’s ITS, will update its database structure to be part of theDepartment’s enterprise Geographic Information Systems (GIS)framework. OSFM and ITS will complete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s Forest Practice Committee and Resource ManagementProgram will implement and expand upon timber harvesting planreview process improvements statewide, as identified during theRedding Pilot Project of 2012-13. The Forest Practice Committee andthe Resource Management Program will complete this action byFY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s OSFM will research and identify technologies related tothe ability to track and collect reimbursable funding and strengthenrecord keeping and information recall. OSFM will complete thisaction by FY 14/15.12• CAL FIRE’s ITS will create and maintain a centralized, online documentlibrary for critical documents. ITS will complete this action byFY 15/16.

Objective: Ensure that information technology software licensing is in place.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s ITS will seek funding to enable an enterprise licensingmodel for information technology software, which will lower costsand improve licensing flexibility. ITS will complete this action byFY 12/13.Objective: Improve the resiliency of Emergency Command Center (ECC)communications.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will research and generate anexecutive report for non-terrestrial fault tolerant communicationoptions, including satellite and the pending California TechnologyAgency (CTA) Telecommunications digital network. The FireProtection Program will complete this action by FY 12/13.Objective: Position the Department to accept next generation 911.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will align the Department toaccept the pending next generation 911 by working collaborativelywith CTA Telecommunications and cooperators. The Fire ProtectionProgram will initiate this action in FY 12/13, and work will beongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will seek grants or other fundsources to incorporate next generation 911 technologies. The FireProtection Program will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will review and adapt operationalprocedures to incorporate next generation 911. The Fire ProtectionProgram will complete this action by FY 13/14.13

Objective: Improve information technology security.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Information Security Office (ISO) will continue to reviewand enhance directives regarding physical security of informationtechnology equipment. This action is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s ITS will develop and seek funding for network accesscontrol technology. ITS will complete this action by FY 13/14.14

Objective: Review research and development, andleverage the use of evolving technology.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program willresearch and identify technologies (and potential funding) related tothe following fire protection priorities: firefighter health and safety,fireline situational awareness and status (including Automatic VehicleLocation (AVL) technology and supporting software/hardware),and early surveillance (e.g., aerial cameras and drones with thermalimaging and store and record capabilities). This action is ongoing,and the Fire Protection Program will report progress to the ExecutiveTeam annually.• CAL FIRE’s ITS and OSFM Fire and Planning and Risk Analysis willcontinue to develop and work with other parts of the Departmentto create a centralized database and application suite of geographicinformation products that can be utilized both internally and fromthe Internet. Examples would include enhanced CAL Mapper,Pipeline, and other applications now under construction. This actionis ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will develop a policy to addressthe submittal and approval of research and development projectsfrom all levels and across all programs of the Department. The FireProtection Program will complete this action by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Cooperative Fire Protection, Safety, and Training Program(Cooperative Fire) will research technologies (and potential funding)to improve scenario-based training through use of a virtual trainingenvironment. Coop Fire staff will initiate this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s Fire Protection Program will create an internal process fortransitioning the following fireline safety research and developmentprojects into operational models: Wildland Firefighting PersonalProtective Ensemble, and “Next Generation Incident CommandSystem” pilot. The Fire Protection Program will have both projectsfully completed by FY 14/15.15

Objective: Research and use alternative information technology methods toaccess, transmit, and store data for use throughout the Department and by/with our cooperators.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s ITS willresearch and adoptsystem hostingpractices that allowCAL FIRE to place itsexisting applicationsdirectly on theInternet in order toenable end usersand cooperators toaccess and modify keyinformation anywhereInternet connectivityexists without havingto log into theCAL FIRE Intranet.ITS will complete thisaction by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s ITS willresearch and adoptwireless and mobileapplications that willenable end users tosecurely connect toCAL FIRE systemsfrom mobile platforms(tablets and smartphones). ITS will complete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s ITS will research and adopt cloud computing productsand services that enable CAL FIRE end users to exchange informationwith partners and cooperators in a secure manner using off-the-shelfproducts and subscription based services. ITS will complete this actionby FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s ITS and the CAL FIRE Academy will collaborate to researchand adopt distance learning technologies that will enable CAL FIRE todeliver training materials over the Internet to mobile devices. ITS andthe Academy will complete this action by FY 14/15.16

Objective: Revisit upgrades to existing CAL FIRE computing operations inorder to increase capacity and provide much needed data for key commandand control and decision support systems.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s ITS will review the feasibility of increasing the Wide AreaNetwork (WAN) bandwidth capabilities and submit required studiesto support funding requests for a WAN upgrade. ITS will complete thisaction by FY 16/17.• CAL FIRE’s ITS, working the Fire Protection Program, will review thefeasibility of extending existing Automatic Vehicle Locating (AVL),Automatic Flight Following (AFF), and Mobile Data Terminal (MDT)technologies and submit required studies to support funding requestsfor AVL, AFF, and MDT. ITS will complete this action by FY 16/17.17

Goal: Cultivate and strengthenrelationships with stakeholders, governingbodies, cooperators, and the publicObjective: Be responsive and receptive to the concerns and needs of thepublic, as well as local, state, and federal cooperators, the Board of Forestryand Fire Protection, and other stakeholders.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’sCooperative FireProgram willcontinue to ensurethat cooperativeagreements aremutually beneficialto CAL FIRE, ourcooperators, andthe public. Thisaction is ongoing,and Coop Fire willreport annually tothe Executive Team.• CAL FIRE’s OSFM will continue to ensure and enhance a public processto achieve consensus on laws, regulations, and standards affectinglocal, state, and industry issues. This action is ongoing, and OSFM willreport to the Executive Team annually on the steps it has taken.• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will continue to establish priorities and seekto allocate funding and travel authority for participation in local, state,federal, and stakeholder interagency and interdisciplinary training,as well as participation on interagency and interstate committeesaffecting policies critical to the Department’s mission. This action isongoing.• CAL FIRE’s MC will develop a training curriculum to educate programsand regions on the role of control agencies, key contacts withinCAL FIRE, and complex control agency requirements. MC will initiatethis action in FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will continue to foster timely communicationand support of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection in monthlyreports and as appropriate. The Executive Team will initiate this actionin FY 12/13, and work will be ongoing.18

Goal: Foster a culture that emphasizes andEnhances employee health and safetyObjective: Promote employee physical fitness and wellness and enhanceexisting health and safety programs.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Laborand HumanResourceManagement(LHRM) Officewill explorealternativeoptions topromote physicalfitness andwellness andimplement whereappropriate. Thisaction is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Cooperative Fire Program will continue to evaluate staffingneeds at all levels of the Department relative to the Safety Program.This action is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM will make available to all employees resources onphysical fitness and wellness via webinars, articles, the Intranet, andappropriate social media to promote the health and wellness of ourworkforce. LHRM will initiate this action in FY 12/13, and work will beongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM and Cooperative Fire Program will conduct quarterlymeetings to strategize health, safety, physical fitness, and wellnesseducation topics for upcoming training sessions, handbook revisions,webinars, and updates to the Intranet. LHRM and Cooperative Firewill initiate this action in FY 12/13, and work will be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM and Cooperative Fire Program will utilize statisticaldata from the Injury Assessment and Prevention System (IAPS) andother Departmental data to identify the most critical health, safety,physical fitness, and wellness educational needs of our employees.LHRM and Cooperative Fire will initiate this action in FY 13/14, andwork will be ongoing.20

Objective: Expand safety communications across all programs.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s Statewide Safety Committee will review safetycommunications protocols, develop gap analyses, and recommendstandards, methodologies, and procedures to address a consistentprogram application. The Statewide Safety Committee will initiatethis action by FY 13/14 and complete it by FY 15/16.Objective: Seek actions that maintain and enhance the safety and health ofCAL FIRE employees and those of partner agencies, as well as the public.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s OSFM will continue to promote changes in building andother codes that protect firefighter and public health, safety, andgeneral welfare. This includes updating and integrating codes. Staffwill work with the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection and theBuilding Standards Commission to clarify and integrate material inTitles 14, 19, and 24 of the California Code of Regulations. OSFM willcomplete this action by FY 13/14.• CAL FIRE’s Cooperative Fire Program will seek grant funding toexpedite cooperative acquisition of updated personal protectiveequipment for firefighting personnel. Cooperative Fire will completethis by FY 13/14 and in following years as grant funds are available.• CAL FIRE’s Cooperative Fire Program will develop a funding plan tomaintain and enhance Department-wide safety. Cooperative Fire willcomplete this action by FY 14/15.21

Goal: Promote a highly motivated andwell-trained workforceObjective: Attract, recruit, and retain the best people possible and empowerthose people at all levels of the organization.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s LHRM andEqual EmploymentOpportunity (EEO)Office will workjointly on innovativerecruitmentstrategies to draw inqualified applicants.This action isongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRMwill continue to collaborate with control agencies on developingand revising civil service examination methodoligies to meet futurestaffing needs. This action is ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will develop management and leadershipmentoring programs to address anticipated succession planningneeds. The Executive Team will emphasize cross program experienceas requirements to promote and reestablish leadership courses suchas Supervision 5. The Executive Team will initiate this action inFY 12/13, and work will be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s Executive Team will continue to sponsor a fire fighterreclassification working group tasked with consolidating the existingFire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II classifications into one Departmentspecifictesting classification of “Fire Fighter.” The working group willcomplete its internal review process and submit the Department’sproposal to the Executive Team through LHRM by FY 12/13.• CAL FIRE’s MC will develop and implement methods to communicateDepartment-wide committee processes to employees at all levelswithin the Department. MC will initiate this action in FY 12/13, andwork will be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM will leverage technology to streamline hiringprocesses to eliminate statewide hiring redundancies. LHRM willinitiate this action in FY 12/13, and work will be ongoing.22

• CAL FIRE’s MSAC will review existing policy and recommendadditional low cost methods of recognizing, rewarding, andreinforcing positive behavior. MSAC will complete this action by FY14/15.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM and EEO Office will plan and develop a crosstrainingprogram designed to help future leadership candidatesprepare better for integratedDepartment management roles. Thisprogram will contribute to a formalleadership training system. LHRM andEEO will phase this project in with atarget to complete the action byFY 16/17.Objective: Utilize existing tools to assessemployees and ensure performanceaccountability.To meet this objective:• CAL FIRE’s LHRM will enhance, publish,maintain, and market new employeeorientation materials. LHRM willinitiate this action in FY 12/13, andwork will be ongoing.• CAL FIRE’s LHRM will communicatetimeframes and expectations tomanagers and supervisors concerningannual review of duty statements,expectation memos, and IndividualDevelopment Plans. LHRM will initiatethis action in FY 12/13, and work willbe ongoing.23