From tragedy to strategy: assessing the FDNY's post-9/11 strategic planning process

Abstract

All Fire Department of the city of New York (FDNY) strategic plans have been formulated using the same process, implemented in the post-9/11 environment. The process must be assessed to ensure it supports the FDNY's mission in an environment that has significantly changed and continues to evolve. Since September 11, 2001, significant weather events, including blizzards, hurricanes, and Super Storm Sandy, have challenged the FDNY's capabilities and magnified the threat of global climate change. Terrorism keeps evolving; the use of fire as a weapon and active shooter tactics push the boundaries of the FDNY's response paradigms. Its core responsibilities are changing, with fire-related incidents dropping steadily and medical incidents rising significantly. The FDNY has risen to all these challenges, analyzing and adapting to threats, innovating and adopting new technology, improvising and adjusting tactics, and modifying and amending operations. However, in the twelve years since its first strategic plan, strategic planning at the FDNY has not evolved to include a long-term perspective with future-oriented goals and effective performance metrics to stay ahead of the evolving environment. Implementing the recommendations in this thesis will re-align and update the process, incorporating current concepts that will improve FDNY strategic planning now and in the future.