Workshop on Improving Collaboration Between Fire and Finance

Finance professionals and staff in the fire and emergency services departments both want the best for the communities they serve, but sometimes misunderstandings can get in the way of these good intentions. Finance professionals might not understand the inner-workings of the 24-hour operations of fire service, and fire and emergency services staff might not fully appreciate the difficulties of balancing the budget across several different business units within one organization. To help address these misunderstandings, GFOA and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are working together to develop resources to promote better collaboration between finance officers and fire chiefs. We encourage finance professionals and fire chiefs to attend this workshop to learn more about the pressures your colleagues face and how you can work together to achieve better outcomes for the community.

Who Will Benefit: Budget/finance staff or managers/supervisors/executives who work in or with the fire/EMS department

• Identify challenges and barriers to collaboration between finance and fire professionals
• Identify strategies to improve collaboration between finance and fire professionals
• Outline the different staffing and scheduling models used by fire and rescue departments
• Discuss current challenges related to fire and rescue vehicle and equipment purchases
• Discuss performance indicators for the fire service