Fire department offers survey on service

Design inside the addition designed by James Paris his partner the late Nolan Bingham of Paris/Bingham Partnership for the Columbus Fire Department, Central Fire Station 1, 1101 Jackson Street, Columbus, Indiana, Carla Clark | For The Republic

The Columbus Fire Department (CFD) is asking the community for feedback about Columbus Fire Department service delivery through a Community Stakeholder Survey.

The survey is intended to provide a quick overview of the services CFD provides and give our community members a structured way to express their opinions about the Columbus Fire Department.

Fire department officials said community input is a critical component used to aid in evaluating the services provided by the department for residents and for those who work in Columbus or visit Columbus on a regular basis. Community feedback on services, expectations and priorities for the department will be key, officials said, as the department reimagines how best to provide service to the community.

CFD recently announced the department’s intention to seek fire department accreditation through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The foundation of the accreditation process is agency self-assessment.

Through this effort, community residents are being asked to respond to a 13-question survey.

“Soliciting feedback from the community we serve is a best practice for the Fire, Rescue, & EMS profession; it allows us to identify, in terms of how our community views us, areas that not only require more attention, but also where we are currently excelling. This survey is just another tool we can use to move forward with the Columbus Fire Department’s goal of continuous improvement,” said Paula Honebrink, Columbus Fire Department data analyst and accreditation manager.

Survey respondents will have the opportunity to view the 2022 Columbus Fire Department Annual Report, view maps of current fire department response districts and see a list of services currently provided by the department. An optional section for comments is also available within the survey.

The survey will be made available on the City of Columbus website as well as the Columbus Fire Department Facebook and Twitter pages.

Paper copies are available at the Columbus Fire Department Administrative Offices at 1101 Jackson St. The survey will conclude on May 31. Paper copies are asked to be returned to the Columbus Fire Department Administrative Offices by May 31.