Opening The House Is A Win-Win

Building on the success from our center tours, we decided to have a friends and family cookout open house. This allowed families to see where their loved one works, meet co-workers and their family members, and network together. Our family fun day included a cookout, games and fun for the younger kids, touring the various apparatus on scene, and a series of small-group tours to those who wanted to see the dispatch center, the EOC, and what we do. While this one wasn’t for the general public, it let our families and friends see where we work and better understand what we do.

Not all tours and open houses are the same. The variety of people available to give tours and put on open houses, especially when scheduled, makes a difference. Scouts tour for merit badges. Senior community groups get important safety tips. The Prepare Because You Care program always has a tour, as does our local Chamber of Commerce promoting their Leadership Academy. Training classes hosted in our building usually result in tours. Having that public interaction generates a positive influence. I’m a veteran at giving tours and explaining what we do. I’ve shown politicians, VIPs, people from other centers, members of the public, students and children, and prospective employees all about us. They get a face and information; we get positive public interaction.

The most popular things I hear are, “I had no idea,” or “You can see where we are on the map?” followed by, “I couldn’t do your job.” The last phrase is the dawning understanding that it’s not a simple job.

I’m lucky I have a gorgeous center that is the culmination of hundreds of hours of planning. But even in our old center, there was still pride in the center because it gave us the tools we needed to do our jobs and shine. If you need a deep clean, organize a work party and offer a casual day for those who clean. If you can cover it, a couple pizzas while they work. Opening the doors and letting the public, family members, and prospective employees come in only benefits your center by offering a better understanding that ultimately makes your job easier. Your guests will talk about what they saw, which gives you more visibility and standing with the public: a win-win.