Lack Of Updates On FD Websites

[x635 4,066]

I'm curious why some FD's pay thousands of dollars to have a custom website designed and hosted, and then never update it? Or don't add information to their site and have "Under Construction" on some sections for years?

It defies logic.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

For the same reason departments buy anything else they think they "need" that they never end up using. Everyone else has one.

[antiquefirelt 994]

I'm curious why some FD's pay thousands of dollars to have a custom website designed and hosted, and then never update it? Or don't add information to their site and have "Under Construction" on some sections for years?

It defies logic.

I can tell you from our small FDs' perspective it becomes a matter of time. We paid a local web developer to put up a site and install the requisite software to maintain it. Due to concerns about who was capable of site management from both an admin view and from the capability point of view the list of "updaters" quickly slimmed to a single person. Having a single person who has multiple other responsibilities ensures that updates quickly get moved to the back burner. We resisted a FB page and now are reconsidering due to the ease of management thus the only concern is who will manage it from a liability standpoint. Yet another issue that has arisen from budget cuts or not growing while the workload does.

[houlidsa 76]

Time. If everyone had spare time they would do more, if everyone had spare time then the equipment would always get checked (correctly), time to recruit more members, time to train, time to take pictures for website, time to.......

Or no one cares except the guy who started it

[FDNY 10-75 640]

Mine is constantly 'under construction' because of time and motivation constraints. I enjoy updating my site but am often busy with work or other, more important things.

[SSweet88MonteSS 0]

Why does it have to be restricted to FDs? People and businesses do it all the time. It happens. And while it may defy logic to an outsider, generally, there's a pretty valid reason for it.

[spin_the_wheel 460]

A couple of thoughts on websites. First they are really not expensive to have created and then maintain. There are a few FD related hosting companies that will create and host your sites for great prices.

The tech age is here like it or not. Every department will want one and every Dept should have one if at all possible. Even if it just posts info on how to contact the department with phone #'s business #, emergency# and a valid email. Also the departments "mission staement" should be on it. (Every department should have a written mission statement)

It's not so much a matter of trying to have everything the "other" guy has, even stuff you wont use, its a matter of keeping up with technology and the day and age we live in. Whats your reaction when you meet someone who does not have an email address? Could be the same reaction from the public when they go to search their hometown department and find no such site exists.

The main reason I think sites are not kept up to date is the time and motivation factor as fdny 10-75 states. The reality is there are not that many people in a given department that is into this stuff. Trying to find a reliable person with the time to dedicate may not be that easy. Just like so many things in the volunteer fire service when you start a committee like a web site committee or a historical committee, you get a dozen people interested. Everyone wants to be a part of the "creation" of the site. To see their ideas and visions come to life on a new site. As time goes by the "glamorous" part of the creation so to speak wears off. The committee now dwindles down to 2 or 3 and finally 1 person. That one person may be busy with other things and does not have the same time or motivation he may have had at the start of the project. The once "cool" job is now boring or a pain in the a**.

Not to mention tech problems, money problems, the one person assigned to keep the site updated is now an inactive member without the passwords now, or a number of other things that can happen.

[PEMO3 523]

Spin_the_wheel I agree that you can pay someone to manage and update your site but the issue is that most people stop there. They then fail to feed the site manager the info needed to keep the site current. Many people think that the info on these sites come out of thin air. Unless you are willing to give you web developer free license to ad content at will without any consequences most are not just going to post any content they see fit. Any nobody in their right mind is going to give someone that sort of license with their name attached. The real issue is people need to understand that when you decide to create a web presence you make a commitment that you will update daily, weekly, monthly, quaterly, bi-annually, yearly whatever but it is your commitment not the web developers.

[PFDRes47cue 653]

I also enjoy when the departments who neglect to keep their websites up to date or even looking somewhat professional and refuse to allow someone to update them or improve them. Social networking via a department website or a facebook/twitter can be so valuable. Seems that some members (older?) are against this. The excuses are always great... 'It will get hacked." "It will get viruses." "No one uses the internet." "I don't use the internet or Facebook." It's 2012...time to upgrade your approach to contacting the public.

Edited October 17, 2012 by PFDRes47cue

[gamewell45 258]

I'm curious why some FD's pay thousands of dollars to have a custom website designed and hosted, and then never update it? Or don't add information to their site and have "Under Construction" on some sections for years?

It defies logic.

As we say in Japanese.........L....A....Z....Y.

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

I also enjoy when the departments who neglect to keep their websites up to date or even looking somewhat professional and refuse to allow someone to update them or improve them. Social networking via a department website or a facebook/twitter can be so valuable. Seems that some members (older?) are against this. The excuses are always great... 'It will get hacked." "It will get viruses." "No one uses the internet." "I don't use the internet or Facebook." It's 2012...time to upgrade your approach to contacting the public.

What the hell do you mean "older" and what the hell is "hacked" or "Facebook" ?????

[Bnechis 3,961]

How many depts. have trouble getting 4 trained interior firefighters to a call in a timely manor?

Yes having a up to date website is nice, but how many depts are struggling (do to lack of time and personnel) just to cover basic response?

[Remember585 815]

How many depts. have trouble getting 4 trained interior firefighters to a call in a timely manor?

Yes having a up to date website is nice, but how many depts are struggling (do to lack of time and personnel) just to cover basic response?

Barry, that poor horse is glue by now.

We are unveiling a new site very soon. Our current site has had issues so we've been using Facebook to show everyone our latest stuff.

www.facebook.com/crotonfire

[Bnechis 3,961]

Barry, that poor horse is glue by now.

We are unveiling a new site very soon.

Sad to say it really is not.

Thats great,

[DaJollyVolley 6]

As I am a web developer on the side, I have created websites for the department which I am currently with (Monroe, CT FD), and which I was a part of (Glenville FD, Greenwich CT), and one thing that I have managed to see is that there is more interactions from the social networking standpoint (Facebook, Twitter, etc..) ; not to mention, I think it also depends on the call volume of the department (nobody needs to know breaking news of all the alarms we go on), but of the things that may rarely happen that may be of interest (MVAs, Fires, etc)..

And not to mention, I think it depends on the population of where you are. In Greenwich, they have their own news sources, News 12, Greenwich Time, Greenwich Post and Greenwich Citizen. Up in other places, you may have one or two news sources which get minimal information out, and especially where say you have a fully volunteer department or response system vs. where you have a career staff; people want to know the latest news. With the sites that I manage, I try and update them weekly, if not daily, because people want to know what the latest scoop is.

My two cents..

[Tommy_Scanners 3]

We are unveiling a new site very soon. Our current site has had issues so we've been using Facebook to show everyone our latest stuff.

The CFD's new site will be out of this world!

[nfd2004 750]

How many depts. have trouble getting 4 trained interior firefighters to a call in a timely manor?

Yes having a up to date website is nice, but how many depts are struggling (do to lack of time and personnel) just to cover basic response?

For the same reason departments buy anything else they think they "need" that they never end up using. Everyone else has one.

Agreed, Agreed !!!

[miami222 62]

I view my departments website as a tool for recruiting and to show the public and Politicians what is going on. I try to get our drills up and any interesting calls to show people we are out there doing things even if you don’t see or hear us. I have had politicians from both Cortlandt (Westchester) and Philipstown (Putnam) comment on our site and how well it is kept up to date (so yes they are keeping tabs on what we do for the money they give us). The only time we get any news coverage is when we send an article to the papers so I feel it is important to have a source that people can go to and see hey they do exist and do respond to calls.

I created our departments first website myself but do to the popularity and the amount of time to do all the updating we decided to go with Firehouse Solutions. You do pay a lot for their services but any member can write a news story and submit it for approval so all the site managers have to do is look over the content and approve it or reject it before it goes up on the web. It also comes with a load of other features that in my opinion make it worth the investment.

www.continentalvillagefd.org

Edited October 18, 2012 by miami222

[thebreeze 194]

Who really cares? Maybe departments should worry about having up to date equipment and training before they worry about updating their websites. I hear more complaints at meetings about no one submitting articles for the website than I do about the fact that we only have one six foot hook. People's priorities are so out of whack its not even funny. Not to mention that most people in volunteer departments have families and jobs that take up most of their time. Taking time out of their day for a call or a drill is already secondary to that(or should be), and worrying about the website comes in at best a distant third, more likely way further down. The best thing would be to pay someone to keep it updated, but since money is tight and budgets are under intense scrutiny everywhere, this isn't really feasible or practical. Most departments have a lot more to worry about than their website, so do most of us(hey did anyone know its an election year?), so let's not worry too much about it either.