"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."
-- Winston S. Churchill
Message from Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet
Working with passionate people who are committed to moving forward is a real reward for me. I am truly fortunate to be part of this organization. In fact, I chose to start my message this year with the quote from Prime Minister Churchill as I believe that it illustrates the mindset that we have adopted as a Fire Department. We rightfully celebrate our achievements, designations, and awards however; we do not rest upon them. We understand that achieving excellence means constant re-evaluation and new effort. It’s one thing to look good on paper; yet another to look good on the street.
What we do is not easy. In fact, it is just the opposite. This fact, more than any other, most clearly illustrates why we tend to be so passionate about “the job”. We work harder than the next guy, we challenge each other to go further. We understand that, as Mr. Churchill stated, failure is not fatal. We do have the courage to continue. We have even gone so far as to incorporate this into our values in our newly adopted Strategic Plan. Within the values statements, the “C” in ICCE stands for Courage. Courage to Act, to Care and to take Ownership. Exhibiting this courage allows us to achieve the “E”: Excellence. We are always getting better, striving to be the best and are recognized for performance.
Values
Values embraced by all members of an organization are extremely important, as the recognize the features that make up the personality of the organization.
Integrity
- Trust
- Respect
- Do the right thing
Courage
- To act
- To care
- To take ownership
Commitment
- To serve the community
- To each other
- To Self
- To the highest level of professionalism
Excellence
- Always getting better
- Striving to be the best
- Recognized for performance
Vision
Is to be widely known for providing exemplary service through protection, prevention and education; and for our excellence in all we do.
