Inform Citizens & Grow Fire Department Community Engagement

Learn how fire department community engagement software helps keep citizens informed and improve your community services and relationships.

October 3, 2022

Article Highlights

  • The problem: Manually informing citizens
  • The solution: Community engagement software
  • The benefits: Using a citizen notification system can help improve your community relationships

The problem: Manually informing citizens

During emergency responses, fire departments need to quickly and effectively inform citizens with service updates and instructions. With today’s many technology advancements, citizens now expect real-time communication, especially during a public safety crisis. Unfortunately, most departments don’t have an efficient way to communicate directly with citizens during and after emergency situations. Traditional methods for informing citizens usually require too much effort, wasting your departments’ limited time and resources. 

Ineffective communication with citizens can cause frustration and negatively influence community sentiment. Citizens become disappointed with your department, turning community interactions sour and negatively impacting firefighter morale.

The solution: Community engagement software

PowerDMS’s fire department community engagement software, PowerEngage, helps fire departments engage with citizens during and after emergency response. 

Updates and communication

The software sends citizens step-by-step updates via text, keeping them apprised of response delays, pre-arrival information, and more. This ensures citizens stay informed every step of the way, without requiring an administrator or excess time and effort from your fire staff. 

Fire department customer service surveys

After interactions with your department, PowerEngage also automatically sends community feedback surveys to certain callers, victims, and witnesses based on CAD and RMS data. These text surveys give citizens the opportunity to say “thank you” to firefighters and provide feedback about their experiences. Because these timely surveys are sent directly to each respondent's phone, departments typically see a 50% response rate – five times higher than other traditional survey methods.

Public relations kit

PowerEngage also includes a free press kit and social media guide, giving your department easy-to-use templates for media announcements. This helps you distribute important public safety information more quickly and without requiring additional staffing resources.

The benefits of a citizen notification system

With PowerEngage, you can improve your fire department community engagement and strengthen community relationships. Proactive communication not only keeps citizens informed and updated – it also makes them feel valued and heard. Show your department cares and builds goodwill between your fire department and community with the best fire department software.

The platform’s automated communications also save time. Because updates and community feedback surveys are sent automatically, your fire department can interact more directly with citizens without requiring additional resources. What’s more, hearing positive feedback from citizens shows your firefighters they’re valued and motivates them to continue providing excellent service. 

Learn more

PowerEngage supports improved community engagement and relations. Learn more about how PowerEngage can benefit your department by scheduling a free demo today.

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