Our Services

A strategic plan should provide a structured and obtainable path to enable an agency to accomplish its mission. It should specify direction, include measurable goals/objectives and be the guiding document for day-to-day decisions. Ironwood Strategic Solutions’ strategic plan facilitation and development accomplishes all of this criteria far beyond a “check box” and a wish list. Your final document will be a credible and practical road map to elevate your organization’s journey of continued improvement and success. We employ the following elements to accomplish this desired outcome:

A combination of solid foundational strategic planning ideologies with an innovative facilitation and plan implementation approach.

We accomplish this with a professional staff that has a unique skill set that includes undergraduate and graduate level degrees, professional strategic plan certification and extensive strategic planning facilitation/management experience in the Fire/EMS service. Further, we bring expansive experience in organizational communications – a key component in strategic plan development and implementation.

A client-specific approach.

It is our priority to create a truly customized strategic plan that will work for your agency and community. We do not confine our approach to a one-size-fits-all template. Extraordinary effort is made to create a professional and appealing document that both your members and community will want to pick up and read. It is not developed to exist on a bookshelf. The plans we create are often found on desks, in reception lobbies, common area tables and workspaces throughout the organization.

An understanding of your agency’s culture.

Understanding an agency from “within” helps ensure that we facilitate and develop a final product that is unequivocally bound to your organization. This is significant to earning “buy-in” from agency members and a commitment that lends itself to successful plan implementation.

Partnering with your agency to develop a communication plan.

A critical element of the strategic planning process is having an effective communication plan that reaches all organizational members both during the development process and the effective period of the strategic plan. Our team will assist your agency in developing a communication plan that incorporates the best methods to ensure all relevant information reaches members in a timely and efficient manner.

Support after the completion of the document.

A majority of strategic plans that fail do so not because of bad strategy, but because of lack of execution. Upon completion of your strategic plan, we will remain your partner in the effort to implement and execute the plan. This can occur in several formats. We can customize an implementation and execution plan that best fits your agency.

Additional notes

We strive to make strategic plan facilitation and development a cost-effective process for every size agency. We accomplish this by maintaining a small and efficient organizational structure that has minimal overhead.

A comprehensive Community Risk Assessment/Standards of Cover (CRA-SOC) is essential to developing and matching appropriate deployment and response models to mitigate the identified risks in the community. A quality CRA-SOC is a foundational, often paradigm-shifting document for any size fire/EMS agency that wants to elevate service performance to the next level. The development of a CRA-SOC is a challenge for any organization, however the payback for your agency will far exceed the effort to create one. Ironwood Strategic Solutions stands ready to assist you through the process.

You do amazing work. Tell your story. Advance your mission.

As a public safety entity, fostering community trust is vital to your agency’s forward progress. Communicating the actions of your leadership team, the services offered and your team’s daily achievements all stand to reinforce the relevance and credibility of your organization. Your community relations program has the potential to move beyond simply informing and educating the public to creating a comprehensive system of engagement and stakeholder partnerships. High-level communications encourage points of connection and action across the divisions of your organization.  

It’s our belief that a solid community relations program is founded on understanding the perspectives of your stakeholders and consistently connecting with them in a manner that makes the most sense. Ongoing conversations, or two-way communications, allow your organization to continually evaluate and relate to the many audiences of your community.   

You have significant amounts of information going to and coming back from diverse groups, all of which are important to your organization’s progress.

From the residents and businesses of your very different neighborhoods to the water board of a neighboring town, we understand your communications efforts don’t necessarily stop at your jurisdictional boundaries. Then there are regional, state and national players that may be of interest to your organization or hold influence over your services. Each group likely requires different methods of interaction. The bottom line is that these tactics, be it local or international, impact your agency’s image at home.     

Make friends and create ambassadors  

From the brochures that represent your team to the digital applications your team chooses to engage, from the events and public service announcements you create, to the media coverage those announcements generate – your communications efforts can work to create ambassadors within your community and these friends can help move your agency forward.

We partner with your team to develop the framework and tools to tell your story, facilitate two-way communications, foster relationships and assist your organization in achieving its mission.

You do amazing work. Tell your story. Advance your mission.

As a public safety entity, fostering community trust is vital to your agency’s forward progress. Communicating the actions of your leadership team, the services offered, and your team’s daily achievements all stand to reinforce the relevance and credibility of your organization. Your community relations program has the potential to move beyond simply informing and educating the public to creating a comprehensive system of engagement and stakeholder partnerships. High-level communications encourage points of connection and action across the divisions of your organization.  

It’s our belief that a solid community relations program is founded on understanding the perspectives of your stakeholders and consistently connecting with them in a manner that makes the most sense. Ongoing conversations, or two-way communications, allow your organization to continually evaluate and relate to the many audiences of your community.   

You have significant amounts of information going to and coming back from diverse groups, all of which are important to your organization’s progress.

From the residents and businesses of your very different neighborhoods to the water board of a neighboring town, we understand your communications efforts don’t necessarily stop at your jurisdictional boundaries. Then there are regional, state and national players that may be of interest to your organization or hold influence over your services. Each group likely requires different methods of interaction. The bottom line is that these tactics, be it local or international, impact your agency’s image at home.     

Make friends and create ambassadors  

From the brochures that represent your team to the digital applications your team chooses to engage, from the events and public service announcements you create, to the media coverage those announcements generate – your communications efforts can work to create ambassadors within your community and these friends can help move your agency forward.

Shared services is an umbrella term for the variety of organizational methods in which fire agencies can effectively collaborate with other fire agencies. Ironwood Strategic Solutions can assist you with your shared services delivery solutions. Let’s face it, no one can go it alone in this world and a fire agency is no different. The world is changing at a rapid pace given new regulations, biological threats and increased service demands. A shared services solution allows an agency to improve its services or reduce its expenses by becoming a better neighbor.

Shared services can be as simple as participating in a regional dispatch center or as comprehensive as a full merger of multiple fire agencies. Ironwood will work with you to determine which level of shared services will best serve your community. We will outline the advantages and disadvantages of each shared services strategy. We will guide you through the potential operational, administrative and cultural impacts of shared services. Lastly, we will make recommendations on the level of shared services and help you determine if there exists synergistic opportunities for shared services. We understand that collaboration is not as simple as flipping a switch. The process will take time, and we will guide you throughout the process. We pride ourselves on doing follow-up to ensure effectiveness of the chosen strategy.

Videos for public view

It’s a digital world and video is an additional tool to connect with your community. Research indicates a growing number of people like to receive information by video. We encourage you to think about messages you may share on your website and social media channels. We will be with you from start to finish, developing that narrative, conducting interviews, videotaping and editing.

Videos for internal view

Whether it is to deliver a consistent, visual message to employees or for training purposes, videos can provide a significant enhancement to your internal communication plan. Videos offer the opportunity for your employees to view them at a time and place of their convenience. Besides recorded videos, Ironwood can assist your agency with creating effective live virtual meetings and training sessions.

Let us help you deliver your message

In-house video production may be beyond some agency’s capability due to budget and/or technical skill limitations. From scriptwriting and storyboard development, to assisting you with final delivery to your targeted audience, Ironwood will partner with you to create videos that are memorable and serve an important purpose.