This book (3rd edition) is a book about organized common sense in the fire service.Section One of the 3rd edition provides support to fire departments that already have a strategic plan and just need to update and revise their existing plan. I have found over my 30 years of consulting with fire department's that they want to accomplish their next iteration of their strategic plan as rapidly as possible.Section Two of the book provides a detailed "How-to" guide to help a fire department create its first strategic plan.Section Two is divided into four parts: (1) Understanding the Department, (2) Understanding the Situation, (3) Understanding the Strategic Issues Facing the Department, and (4) Creating Organizational Change.A new chapter (Chapter 20) provides assistance to those departments having challenges with their strategic plan and obtaining the desired outcomes/results. It adds a new troubleshooting process for those departments having challenges to creating an effective and successful strategic plan.The book is designed to be effective as a manual to develop an individual fire department's strategic plan as well as a textbook for use in upper division college/university courses or as a text for post-graduate courses. The accompanying Instructor's Guide (new with the 3rd edition) is being designed for use in a 15-week semester course.
