If, as the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it seems fair to say that, of all the city of Columbus departments, Columbus Fire & Rescue most closely resembles a well-oiled machine.
Fact is, our fire department doesn’t make the news very often — and hasn’t in quite some time — for the same reason that planes that don’t crash don’t make news, either.
That is not always the case with other departments, which have had their share of challenges in recent years.
Complaints of poor service are rare and turnover within the fire department — a sure sign of stability — is low.
“Other than retirements, it’s been probably two years since we had to ask someone to leave — and that was a policy matter rather than misconduct or poor performance,” said CFR spokesman Anthony Colom.
Even as demands on the department have risen — from responding to about 1,700 calls annually before 2014, to about 5,000 now — and CFR, like all departments, usually receives less than it asks for come budget time, the CFR has proven to be reliable and trusted by the community.
As the only municipal fire department in the state to have earned international accreditation, the CFR is now required to respond not only to fire emergencies, but medical calls as well. The medical calls account for the dramatic increase in calls since 2014, when the department received that accreditation.
The scope of CFR’s duties have expanded, but we have seen no decline in service, as the department’s two-minute response team to emergency medical calls clearly indicates.
That sort of efficiency doesn’t happen by accident. Credit is due the men and women who serve the city as firefighters, certainly, but also to department leadership, whose emphasis on maintaining equipment, providing training and creating a good working environment continue to reap dividends for the department and, by extension, the community it serves.
Looking back, we also recognize the importance of stability in the top ranks of the departments. When Kenneth Moore retied as chief after 10 years in 2014, assistant chief Martin Andrews was promoted, ensuring a seamless transition and allowing him to build on the momentum Moore had already set in motion.
By the nature of its work, CFR is often “in” the news, but has rarely “been” the news.
And, that is good news for us all.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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