DALLAS, Texas -- Fire departments that only respond to fires will cease to exist within a few generations, suggested I. David Daniels, IAFC official and fire chief of Renton, Wash., during a weekend presentation at Fire-Rescue International.

If departments expect to maintain relevance over time, they're going to have to follow growth industries, he said.

"We advertise at the bottom of the pyramid -- we haven't been fire departments for at least the last 30 years," he said. "EMS -- that is my number one business. It's a growth industry. My other growth industry is emergency management," he said.

By offering a suite of services and promoting that to the community, departments will meet the broader needs of a larger proportion of the community.

"I would argue the traditional, only-going-to-fires fire department will not exist in my grandchildren's lifetime," he said.

"We think we're a really popular group and everyone loves us. Well, maybe. But do you want to be loved or be necessary? ...Emotions shift," he said. Communities could question whether occasional fire suppression is worth the price of maintaining a service.

Daniels spoke about the fire service's rise and fall in popularity depending on public perception and major events, particularly 9/11. With major events being rare, affection can wane.

"It's like Janet Jackson said," he quipped. "'What have you done for me lately?'"

Daniels reminded the audience of the times when General Motors had 40 percent of U.S. auto sales, and Woolworth's was the largest retailer in the world. "My how things change when you don't pay attention," he said.

So what do your "customers" really think, and how do you know? Daniels advised polling communities, and considering the difference between the general response and that from residents who have actually used the department's services.

Departments should consider everything about their public perception, including what happens when someone calls the organization's regular line for a non-emergency inquiry.

Daniels also asked responders to realize that they often expect more emergency service funding in the communities where they work than they would be willing to support in taxes in their own communities.

"Ask yourself how you would like to be engaged if you put yourself in your residents' shoes," he said.

Related:

• IAFC: I. David Daniels