Evans
Center Fire Apparatus
is first to be "Internet Ready"
| Mid-Town - October 1, 2000 ---
While fire engines and emergency vehicles responding from the Evans Center Fire Company don't drive down the "Information Superhighway", the next time you see them on your local highway, you'll see that they're armed with a new public relations tool – their web address. In fact, while the construction of their new fire station is in the finishing stages, Evans Center has already built another new firehouse - this time on the Internet. Evans Center launched its own web presence: www.ecvfc.org in April of this year and has grown it to be an integral part of their public information, education and relations effort. |
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And now Evans Center is the first fire department in the area to add their web site to all of the other logos, ID numbers and text labeled on their apparatus – making their Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, the ambulance and the fire chief's incident command unit all "Internet Ready." |
Built from the ground up by OnScene Marketing Services of Angola, New York - www.ecvfc.org sports a fiery background and the department's current emblem. The home page features ECVFC@work providing an at a glance look at recent and future happenings in this busy all-volunteer department.
The home page also links to an on-line membership inquiry form, ECVFCnews -including weekly run reports, a calendar and events page, a department roster, a virtual tour of their apparatus, dispatch and statistical information and a feedback form for site visitors. The roster page includes key contact phone numbers and hyperlinks to those members with e-mail capability.
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Designed as an information center for both the public and Evans Center's growing membership, the site provides timely insight into the department's many activities. Evans Center welcomes visitors and their feedback – not just about the web site, but about their operations and service to the community. |
Future plans include a members-only section for posting department notices, standard operating procedures, training tips, station assignments and much, much more. Members can currently order department apparel through the web site.
Eventually, the public will be able to RSVP online to fire department events, request tours of their new station, and even reserve hall rental dates. 'U1' or 'UnitOne' will provide profiles of Evans Center members and include stats, years of service and personal insights. Members can update their own profiles via the members only section of the web site.
OnScene also distributes an online magazine via e-mail (also called an e-zine) to persons that subscribe via the Evans Center web site. The e-zine is titled ECVFConline and provides periodic updates on what's new with the web site and the fire department.
"The fire station has always been recognized as a safe haven, an information center and even the 'social epicenter' of many communities. We've always had an open door policy at Evans Center - and we want to extend that to our online community as well. Communications is essential to emergency services and this web site is just another way for us to communicate with our customers - the residents, businesses and visitors of the Town of Evans," said Tiger Schmittendorf, Evans Center's Public Information Officer and OnScene Marketing's CIO.
However, their motives are not totally unselfish. By using the Internet as a medium for delivering vital information to their community – this emergency response agency hopes to attract "Internet Ready" Volunteers.
"Being web-savvy and computer literate goes a long way towards understanding the technology we deal with every day - from microprocessor controlled pump panels to thermal imaging cameras to apparatus mounted laptops. That's the direction we're headed in and those are just some of the skills we're looking for," Schmittendorf says. This idea plays into one of the themes that OnScene Marketing uses in its field recruitment campaigns, that "Firefighting isn't just about brawn - it takes brains too." |
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OnScene donates all of the web design and maintenance services for keeping the site looking good and up to date. OnScene is promoted as "the first marketing team responding to the needs of the emergency services community" and offers comprehensive marketing, management and consulting services. Their web address is www.onscenemarketing.com.
The web site is hosted courtesy of The Networking People, Inc. (TNPinc.). TNP offers a wide array of web hosting, network integration and technical services via their web site at www.tnpinc.net. They also offer discounted web hosting and dial-up Internet services to volunteer fire departments in the Western New York area.
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Firefighting is not for everyone – but volunteering can be. Evans Center offers limited duty memberships in the areas of Fire/Rescue only, Fire Police only, Emergency Medical Services Only, Water Rescue only, or Corporate only. Corporate members support the fire department through administrative, technology, fund-raising, clerical and other non-emergency business functions.
If you or anyone you know are interested in volunteering, please do not hesitate to contact the Evans Center Fire Company at 716/549-1221 or fill our our feedback form or e-mail to: info@ecvfc.org
Click here for a press release version of this story.
