Read the Fire Department's Strategic Plan.

The Iowa City Fire Department (ICFD) provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services, hazardous materials mitigation, fire inspection, fire investigation, and public education to the Iowa City community. The ICFD is consistently working to achieve and/or maintain the highest level of professionalism and efficiency on behalf of those it serves, and is currently pursuing reaccreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI).

In an effort to work toward self-improvement, the ICFD contracted with the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) to facilitate a method to document the department’s path into the future - this resulted in the development and implementation of a “Community-Driven Strategic Plan.” The strategic plan was written in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the CFAI Fire & Emergency Service Self-Assessment Manual 8th Ed., and is intended to guide the organization within established parameters set forth by the authority having jurisdiction.

The CPSE utilized the Community–Driven Strategic Planning process to go beyond just the development of a document. It challenged the membership of the ICFD to critically examine paradigms, values, philosophies, beliefs and desires, and challenged individuals to work in the best interest of the “team.” Furthermore, it provided the membership with an opportunity to participate in the development of their organization’s long-term direction and focus. Members of the department’s external and internal stakeholders’ groups performed an outstanding job in committing to this important project and remain committed to the document’s completion.

The ICFD's Strategic Plan sets forth a comprehensive vision and mission statement that provides the agency with a clear path into the future. Additionally, this plan identifies the core values that embody how the agency’s members, individually and collectively, will carry out the agency’s mission. In the following pages, the ICFD identifies its goals, objectives, and strategies that will allow the agency to realize its vision.

The Iowa City Fire Department has partnered with Community Connect - a free platform for sharing critical information about your household or business. By sharing helpful information that residents and business owners feel is important, ICFD firefighters will be better equipped to protect you, your loved ones, employees, and property as efficiently as possible

Interested community members can create a free account here. There are two types of Community Connect profiles: Residents or Business Owners. Once you've created your profile, share whatever information you think may help firefighters responding to your home or business in an emergency based on the categories provided within the platform.

Residents

Those creating a residential profile may include information on their property, who lives in the home and if they have any specific needs, as well as information regarding household pets.

Businesses

Business owners can provide information on fire control systems, emergency contact information, if employees have any specific needs, and any images or documents outlining emergency plans.

All data uploaded to Community Connect is safe and secure and will only be used to aid in an emergency response.

Community Connect gives first responders access to critical information about your home or business while en route to an emergency in order to provide a faster and more efficient response. By knowing information such as garage codes or areas of the building that are difficult to access, ICFD firefighters will be able to develop an action plan to achieve the best possible outcome.

A list of frequently asked questions can be found here. 

For additional questions, contact ICFD Lt. Axel Swanson at ASwanson@iowa-city.org.