The Most Successful Fire Department Is the One That Prevents the Fire We Never Hear About
From my early work at New York City's Office of Management and Budget to managing technology investments at the Department of Correction and maintaining residential properties, I've learned that preventing emergencies can be just as important as responding to them.
By Scott Webber, DrPH, MBA, MPA, MPH
Early in my government career, I worked as an analyst intern with the New York City Office of Management and Budget, assigned to its Fire, Parks and Sanitation Task Force.
Among my responsibilities was analyzing response times for FDNY Emergency Medical Services.
It was one of my first opportunities to examine the relationship between government resources and public safety.
Response times were relatively easy to understand. Someone called 911, emergency personnel were dispatched, and the time required to reach the scene became a measurable indicator of performance.
But as I've gained experience in government budgeting, procurement and public administration, I've come to appreciate something that those statistics cannot fully capture.
Sometimes the greatest success in emergency services is an incident that never happens.
A fire prevented through an inspection doesn't generate an emergency response.
A defective electrical component replaced before it ignites doesn't appear in fire statistics.
A working smoke alarm that alerts a family before a small fire becomes catastrophic may never receive public recognition.
Yet these interventions can protect lives, property and public resources.
After more than two decades in New York City government, I believe we need to give fire prevention the same serious management attention we devote to emergency response.
My Early OMB Experience Changed How I View Public Safety
When I was examining FDNY EMS response times, the assignment naturally focused on what happened after someone requested emergency assistance.
How quickly did the system respond?
What factors affected performance?
What did the statistics suggest about the deployment of government resources?
Those remain essential questions.
But there's an equally important question that deserves more attention.
What could government have done to prevent the emergency from occurring in the first place?
This is particularly relevant to fire protection.
A fire department must maintain the personnel, apparatus, facilities and communications infrastructure necessary to respond to dangerous incidents.
But it also has opportunities to reduce the frequency and severity of those incidents through inspections, code enforcement, education and risk identification.
The public tends to see the response function.
The prevention function is less visible.
As someone who later pursued advanced education in public health, including environmental and occupational health sciences, I find that distinction especially important.
Public health emphasizes identifying hazards and reducing exposure before injuries occur.
Fire prevention follows the same principle.
A dangerous condition corrected today may prevent an emergency tomorrow.
The Property Owner's Perspective
My involvement in residential real estate has given me another perspective on fire safety.
Owning rental properties means recognizing that buildings are more than financial investments.
They're places where people live, sleep, raise families and expect to be safe.
A property owner has responsibilities involving smoke alarms, electrical systems, heating equipment, exits and building maintenance.
Those obligations shouldn't be viewed simply as regulatory requirements.
They are part of providing safe housing.
I also understand the financial temptation to defer maintenance.
When an appliance or building system appears to be functioning, spending money on preventive work may not seem urgent.
But postponing a relatively modest repair can create substantially greater expenses later.
An electrical problem can become a fire.
A malfunctioning heating system can create dangerous conditions.
A blocked exit can turn a manageable emergency into a tragedy.
From a financial management perspective, prevention often represents a rational investment.
The difficulty is that its benefits can be hard to quantify.
If I spend money correcting a hazard and no fire occurs, how do I establish whether that expenditure prevented an incident?
We generally cannot know with certainty.
But uncertainty about the precise benefit doesn't mean the risk should be ignored.
The same logic applies to public buildings, correctional facilities, schools and hospitals.
What Fire Prevention Actually Accomplishes
The FDNY's own figures demonstrate the scale of preventive work.
In 2024, the Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention completed 194,585 inspections, an increase of 15% from the previous year.
Its Fire Safety Education Unit conducted 3,160 presentations reaching an estimated 508,975 New Yorkers.
These are substantial activities.
But I would encourage government to look beyond the number of inspections or educational presentations.
How many dangerous conditions were identified?
How quickly were they corrected?
How many repeat violations occurred?
Were high-risk buildings inspected more frequently?
Did education campaigns produce measurable improvements in behavior?
These questions distinguish administrative activity from public safety outcomes.
An inspection that identifies a hazardous condition is valuable.
An inspection that results in the condition being corrected is even more valuable.
And a system that identifies recurring risks before they produce injuries is better still.
The objective of fire prevention shouldn't be maximizing violations. It should be minimizing dangerous conditions.
Source: FDNY, January 8, 2025
https://www.nyc.gov/site/fdny/news/03-25/fdny-commissioner-robert-s-tucker-significant-progress-the-battle-against-lithium-ion
A Government Technology Failure Can Become a Public Safety Problem
One finding I consider particularly important comes from the New York City Comptroller's January 2025 audit of the FDNY's Fire Inspection Revenue and Enforcement System, known as FIRES.
The system was intended to modernize fire inspection and enforcement operations.
However, the audit found that important automation capabilities had not been fully implemented and that inspectors continued to depend on manual procedures.
The audit also identified 49,834 overdue annual inspections in a May 2024 report.
The Comptroller cited several contributing factors, including pandemic-related disruptions, difficulties accessing inspection locations and operational inefficiencies.
As someone responsible for government technology procurement, this example resonates with me.
A technology system may be delivered, installed and placed into operation without achieving all the intended benefits.
The real question is whether the system improves the underlying service.
If an inspection platform cannot effectively schedule, route and track inspections, the consequences extend beyond administrative inconvenience.
Important safety inspections may be delayed.
Potential hazards may remain unidentified.
And government may fail to obtain the full value of its technology investment.
I believe procurement officials should be asking not simply whether a system was delivered, but whether it performs the functions necessary to accomplish the agency's mission.
Source: NYC Comptroller, January 8, 2025
https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit-report-on-the-development-and-implementation-of-the-new-york-city-fire-departments-fire-inspection-revenue-and-enforcement-system/
Lithium-Ion Batteries Demonstrate Why Prevention Must Evolve
Fire risks are changing as technology becomes more widespread.
Lithium-ion batteries power devices ranging from smartphones and laptops to electric bicycles and scooters.
These products provide enormous convenience.
But damaged, defective or improperly charged batteries can create serious hazards.
The FDNY reported 18 lithium-ion battery-related fire deaths in 2023, compared with six in 2024.
The Department attributed the improvement in part to education, inspections and enforcement, although the reduction cannot be conclusively assigned to any single intervention.
More recent figures demonstrate that the underlying risk remains serious.
At a July 2026 briefing, FDNY officials reported investigating 235 lithium-ion battery fires during the year to that point, compared with 138 during the corresponding period in 2025.
That's an increase of more than 70%.
These figures illustrate why government must continually adapt its prevention strategies.
New technologies create new risk patterns.
Fire codes, inspection procedures, and educational campaigns must evolve accordingly.
As a property owner and a parent, I find the practical implications particularly important.
Families increasingly own rechargeable devices.
Apartment residents may store bicycles and scooters in confined spaces.
Building owners need to understand the risks associated with charging equipment near exits or other critical areas.
Public education should make these risks understandable without discouraging the responsible use of beneficial technology.
Sources:
FDNY, January 8, 2025
https://www.nyc.gov/site/fdny/news/03-25/fdny-commissioner-robert-s-tucker-significant-progress-the-battle-against-lithium-ion
amNewYork, July 22, 2026
https://www.amny.com/new-york/nyc-lithium-ion-battery-fires-2026-fdny/
FDNY Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Resources
https://www.nyc.gov/site/fdny/codes/reference/lithium-ion-battery-safety.page
Emergency Readiness Requires More Than Purchasing Equipment
My work at the Department of Correction has reinforced the importance of maintaining operational equipment in environments where failures can have serious consequences.
Security systems, communications equipment, emergency notification devices, and supporting infrastructure must remain reliable.
The same is true of fire apparatus and emergency response systems.
New York City's fiscal year 2026 budget materials identified 357 fire and rescue units, including engine companies, ladder companies, rescue units, marine companies and hazardous materials capabilities.
The City's fiscal year 2026–2035 capital strategy included approximately $1.8 billion for FDNY capital needs.
These investments are essential.
But government should evaluate them through more than acquisition cost.
How reliably does equipment operate?
How quickly can it be repaired?
Are replacement parts available?
What maintenance is required?
Does the agency have sufficient spare capacity?
And how much does it cost to maintain the equipment throughout its useful life?
In public safety, the lowest initial price doesn't necessarily represent the best value.
A more expensive asset may be justified if it offers greater reliability or lower lifecycle costs.
Conversely, replacing functioning equipment prematurely may divert resources from more urgent needs.
The objective should be maximizing operational readiness within available resources.
Source: NYC Office of Management and Budget, FY2026 Executive Budget
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/omb/downloads/pdf/exec25/mm5-25.pdf
Response Times Matter, but Prevention Should Matter Too
New York City's fiscal year 2025 Mayor's Management Report recorded an average end-to-end response time of five minutes and six seconds for structural fires reported through 911.
That is an important performance measure.
But response times alone cannot tell us whether a community is becoming safer.
Suppose a neighborhood experiences fewer serious fires because of improved inspections, safer building conditions, and effective education.
That would represent a meaningful public safety improvement even if average response times remained unchanged.
Likewise, a fire department might improve response times while dangerous conditions continue to proliferate.
I believe both dimensions deserve attention.
Government should measure how effectively it responds to emergencies and how successfully it reduces preventable risks.
Source: NYC Mayor's Management Report, Fiscal Year 2025
https://home4.nyc.gov/assets/operations/downloads/pdf/mmr2025/2025_mmr.pdf
Fire Safety Begins at Home
As a father of two young children, I believe fire prevention education should begin early.
Children don't need to understand the engineering behind a fire suppression system.
But they should understand the importance of smoke alarms, safe exits, and following emergency instructions.
Parents should think about evacuation routes and whether children know what to do if an alarm sounds.
Property owners should understand their obligations.
Residents should also know how to recognize dangerous conditions.
The FDNY's July 2026 safety guidance emphasized avoiding overnight or unattended charging of lithium-ion batteries and keeping exits clear.
These are straightforward actions that can reduce risk.
The broader lesson is that effective fire prevention depends on more than professional inspectors.
It requires informed residents, responsible property owners, effective regulation, and sustained public education.
Source: FDNY, July 22, 2026
https://www.nyc.gov/site/fdny/news/PI4226/fdny-shares-lithium-ion-battery-safety-tips-following-fatal-queens-fire
Five Changes I Would Make to Fire Prevention Management
If I were evaluating fire prevention from a government budgeting and management perspective, I would focus on five priorities.
First, measure corrected hazards rather than simply completed inspections. Track the time required to resolve serious violations and identify recurring problems.
Second, prioritize inspections based on risk. Buildings and activities presenting greater potential harm should receive appropriate attention while maintaining baseline regulatory coverage.
Third, evaluate technology investments against operational results. Inspection systems should improve scheduling, documentation, enforcement, and accountability—not simply replace paper with electronic forms.
Fourth, incorporate prevention into capital planning. Evaluate building maintenance, electrical safety, detection systems, and emergency infrastructure before deficiencies become emergencies.
Fifth, expand practical public education. Residents, property owners, and businesses should receive clear information about common hazards and effective preventive measures.
These recommendations don't require government to abandon traditional firefighting priorities.
They require recognizing that preventing emergencies is part of the same public safety mission.
The Best Public Safety Successes Are Often Invisible
When I began analyzing FDNY EMS response times at OMB, I was learning how government evaluates the speed and effectiveness of emergency response.
Today, after years of managing public resources and studying public health, I believe that evaluation should go further.
We need to recognize the value of preventing emergencies before they occur.
A fire that never starts doesn't generate a dramatic rescue.
A family that never needs to evacuate doesn't make headlines.
A dangerous electrical condition corrected during an inspection doesn't appear in emergency response statistics.
Yet those outcomes may represent some of the most valuable work government performs.
I have tremendous respect for firefighters who enter dangerous environments to protect people and property.
But I also believe we should recognize the inspectors, educators, maintenance personnel, engineers, and administrators whose work reduces the likelihood that those firefighters will be needed.
The ultimate objective of fire services isn't to respond to more fires. It's to protect more lives.
And sometimes the most successful fire department is the one that prevents the fire we never hear about.
The views expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily represent the positions of the New York City Department of Correction, the New York City Office of Management and Budget, or the City of New York.
