Interact Business Group

The South Metro Fire Rescue Authority—the Successful Merger of Two Colorado Training Departments

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew." -Abraham Lincoln

By Barbara Doepping contact writer
Interact Business Group

May 1, 2008, by intergovernmental agreement, the South Metro Fire Rescue and the Parker Fire Protection District, located in the 176 square mile area of the Arapahoe and Douglas counties in Colorado, consolidated their agencies to form the new South Metro Fire Rescue Authority (SMFRA).

The purpose of this article is to share the vision and on-going transition of the Parker/South Metro's Training Bureau, as experienced and envisioned by J. Michael West, Training Chief. (We wish to thank and acknowledge the Chief for providing the Interact Business Group with the content contained within this report.)

SMFRA graduated its first academy class of 19 new members in December 2008- Photo by Eric Hurst of 5280fire.com

Andy Grove once said, "There is at least one point in the history of any company when you have to change dramatically to rise to the next level of performance. Miss that moment (author's underscore) and you start to decline." These two accredited fire departments (recognized by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International), following a project feasibility study, made the choice to act, and grow, by merging. Consequently, they, as well as the approximate 198,000 people who live in their area, have benefited.

For those of you who are familiar with us, the Interact Business Group, our focus is and will always be to improve training opportunities for public safety agencies by assessing and recommending the best course of action as presented in a Strategic Business Plan for public safety training centers. Our hope is that by sharing the successful efforts of the Parker/South Metro's Training Bureau, other fire agencies across the country will catch their vision, benefit, and grow.

SMRFA's training facility includes a burn building and tower with plans for future expansion- Photo by Eric Hurst of 5280fire.com

"In order to build a viable, realistic plan, the SMFRA training officers called on the expertise of those in the know. The team received valuable input from other departments who had been through similar consolidations, from departments that matched the new demographics of the merged organization, as well as from the internal customers who the training bureau serves. "Their collective past experience helped me clarify my beliefs as I put this vision into words." His words resulted in a mission statement, stated values and a three-year plan. "Training is, in my view, one of the first things the members will see as 'ours.' Not theirs or his or hers, not the east side or west side, not Parker’s or South Metro's . . . it will be 'ours.'" The commitment: shared vision, shared ownership, shared success.

Training and team building efforts paid off at this recent structure fire- Photo by Eric Hurst of 5280fire.com

Right off the bat in 2008, it was necessary to: a) address the 2009 budget, b) combine the Agencies' Records Management Systems (RMS) and c) combine Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG) of both organizations.