Identifying and leveraging trust as a key element in the development, implementation and sustainment of the Salt Lake City Fire Department's intelligence program

Abstract

Laying the foundation for the reestablishment of the Salt Lake City Fire Department’s intelligence program requires several steps: Establishing a need; identifying the stakeholders; developing an implementation and sustainment plan based on the key constructs of successful collaboration; and providing a continued mechanism for evaluation and adjustment. Distilling the constructs of collaboration into a key component of success will provide additional focus to the development and implementation process. The questions this thesis answers are, can trust be identified as a significant factor in successful, collaborative working relationships? And if so, how can focusing on developing trust add value and sustainment potential to the SLCFD intelligence gathering use and dissemination program? The research uses appreciative inquiry in combination with multiple case studies, examining elements of successful and unsuccessful collaborative efforts in the arena of the fire service and national security. This thesis investigates the rise and fall of the Salt Lake City Fire Department’s national security effort for the time period spanning pre-2002 Olympics to 2014. Components responsible for the diminished involvement since the Olympics are examined, evaluating each based on the role of trust. The nexus between those constructs and trust is the foundation for the recommendations for rebuilding the Salt Lake City Fire Department intelligence program. Developing strong, trusting relationships and addressing the concerns of all stakeholders are identified as key components in the successful case studies. Trust has been identified as the underpinning to the recommendations for the redevelopment of an intelligence program in the Salt Lake City Fire Department.