Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
Within any agency, operational plans should be in place that ensure adequate volumes of the appropriate
types of resources are deployed to an emergency. Doing so involves:
« Identification of potential risk types;
« Determination of resources needed to mitigate an incident affecting the particular risk type; and
«= A methodology of ensuring that adequate resources are dispatched to an incident via 911 center
protocols.
The development and implementation of rules, regulations, and policies have enabled Nashua to move
forward in an organized and effective manner. In the absence of these documents, an organization will tend
to operate in a random and generally ineffective manner. Currently, Nashua Fire Rescue possesses a series
of documented rules, regulations, and policies to be utilized by members at all organization levels.
Nashua Fire Rescue’s Rules and Regulations require a complete review. The current policy of reviewing and
updating by a committee comprised of uniformed members, administration, and the Board of Fire
Commissioners on an “as-needed” basis has resulted in several years passing since the last full review and
revision has occurred. ESCI suggests that rather than leaving the policy review schedule open to
interpretation of “as needed”, that Nashua Fire Rescue set a review schedule that provides for every policy
to be reviewed and updated no less than every three years. This review should also include an annual gap
analysis to identify the need for new rules and regulations. Nashua Fire Rescue would benefit from having
review of all rules and regulations conducted by an independent third-party to assure compliance with
industry standards and best practices.
General Orders are kept on file in the Administration Office and are available for reference by all members
onthe department's intranet.
Master Planning in the Organization
Master or long-range planning is preparation for Nashua Fire Rescue’s future service delivery effectiveness
based on projections of the future service delivery environment. This long-range master plan focuses on the
big picture perspective, distant future needs of Nashua, and is particularly important in an agency
experiencing growth. The need for stronger planning processes is communicated regularly by members of
the fire service and the community members it serves. Fire service organizations that engage in a long-range
master planning process will be able to utilize this valuable information to answer the following three
questions:
1. Where is the organization today?
2. Where will the organization need to be in the future?
3. How will this organization get there?
Nashua Fire Rescue has contracted ESCI to develop a Master Plan. This Master Plan will give Nashua a clear
idea of where it is today based on an evaluation of current conditions. The Master Plan will also project the
future needs of Nashua Fire Rescue, along with providing the strategies to meet them. A master plan is
designed to provide a view of the organization in a 15-year time frame.
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