Successful fire service leaders know that a fire department that isn't moving forward is dying or, at least, in danger of dying. In this second edition, author Mark Wallace succinctly points out that if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. Fire departments that know where they are going, know the environment in which they must operate, and have identified how to get there have the best chance of achieving their goals and desires. These concepts form the foundation of strategic planning. They challenge fire chiefs to escape from the typical operational thinking, to begin strategic thinking, and ultimately to manage their organizations strategically. Readers will learn about the strategic planning process and why each of the steps in the process is critical if the plan is to succeed. More importantly, while the strategic planning process may be thought of as extremely complicated this book remove the mystery that some think of when considering strategic planning by providing timely advice and easy to use tools to assist in the strategic planning process.