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Firefighters want to know: How'd we do on the job?
By Jason Baker
Almost any place you find products or services, you'll likely find a method of grading their performance or quality.
Restaurants often have survey cards placed near the exit or directly on the table. Internet service providers now follow up technical support calls with an email evaluation. And almost every appliance comes with at least one or two cards requesting your attention and opinion.
But how many people would think to grade the performance of firefighters in an emergency situation?
When a fire ravaged a Saratoga residence on Aug. 19, Santa Clara County firefighters responded in force, extinguishing the fire and preventing the blaze from spreading to other homes. As neighbors and onlookers watched the smoke-eaters complete their dangerous tasks, a sweat-soaked firefighter distributed a small yellow flier to those present, asking them if they had witnessed the event.
The flier, it turns out, is a customer satisfaction survey, formatted to provide witnesses with a method of evaluating the county fire department's performance.
"Recently, you dialed 911 because you needed help or because we came into your neighborhood to render assistance to one of your neighbors," the flier says. "We are all members of the Bay Area community and take pride in the service we provide to you and the community. Constantly seeking ways to improve our service to customers, we ask that you evaluate our level of service by completing the survey and returning it to us."
The survey contains eight areas for grading the department's performance, including the promptness and courtesy of firefighters and 911 operators. The survey even allows witnesses to comment on whether fire department personnel were professional in their appearance.
A county fire department spokeswoman said it began distributing the surveys in January 1998 as a method of allowing residents in the many communities the department serves to evaluate fire personnel and their performance. The surveys are distributed to all neighbors and witnesses to emergency situations. About 35 percent of the distributed surveys are completed and returned, the spokeswoman said.
The survey also allows individuals to provide additional written comments.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
