Brunacini said customer service practices have evolved as fire departments have become more focused on proving emergency medical services in addition to fighting fires. You're bundled up in fire gear . . . When you start doing a lot of EMS, you discover it's a lot more personal. About 10 years ago, the Phoenix Fire Department developed customer service policies that since have become the model for similar programs nationwide. Lasting impressions Residents don't know much about the technical aspects of firefighting, Brunacini said.
Firefighters remember that interaction, too.
Like the time when firefighters at Station 3 on Morgan Street cared for a brother and sister who had been left alone, fifthly and hungry, by their mother. Even before the development of the department's Customer Service Sector, firefighters took the kids in, fed them, gave them showers and clothes and eventually turned the children over to Child Protective Services. Lee Rogers, describing how difficult it was to let the children go. Hopefully, it worked out for the best. G.T. Hinojosa, a 26-year veteran of the Corpus Christi fire department.