How FirePRO changed my view on email forever 

Autumn 2014.

11 years ago. Yes, really.

Taylor Swift had just released the 1989 album that was about to launch her into galactic mega-stardom. England’s footballers had been the laughing stock of the World Cup. And some guy called Keir Starmer had just been chosen to be the parliamentary candidate for the Holborn and St Pancras seat in London.

And in a nondescript hotel in the Midlands my view on email was changed forever.

OK, that particular statement won’t be joining the others on Wikipedia any time soon, but it was a story of its time in its own way.

See, this was social media honeymoon time. We had all been seduced, romanced and fallen head over heels with Facebook and Twitter (as it was) by now.

It was the answer to everything - a comms tool for the masses - instantaneous, interesting, inescapable. At Hampshire Fire and Rescue, my home at the time, even our fire investigation dogs had their own Twitter profile.

The FirePRO conference that year, held at the aforementioned hotel, was basically a social love-in, if my dog-earned notes from the day are an accurate record.

London Fire Brigade presented on the success of their superb social output. Case studies on fires involving Eastbourne Pier and a Manchester dogs home both avidly championed the use of social for warning and informing.

And then a lone voice piped up in defence of email.

“Tweets have a two-hour half-life,” they offered. Hmmm, OK.

“75% of people will own a smartphone by the end of the decade and more people use their smartphone for email than social,” they continued. Now, that’s interesting.

(Terrifyingly, it was closer to 95% smartphone ownership for 16-54-year-olds by 2020, but we digress…)

Slowly, the forgotten digital channel penetrated my consciousness. As the argument built for email’s more engaged followers, greater personalisation and improved engagement, so my view broadened back out.

Shortly after, a visit to our partners at Southampton City Council provided more food for thought. From inconsistent and messy messaging, email had become their core comms channel and their newsletters the central source of information for residents.

And as we embedded the use of email at Hampshire, so the evergreen benefits of the platform became clear - uses which still ring true, even now Kier’s PM and Taylor’s Ruler of the Known Universe.

• Seasonal safety pushes - Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas, summer wildfires, always ripe for email reminders and nudges.

• Smoke alarm checking - the fire service mantra. At least once a month, but an opportunity to throw in annual battery changes and escape route planning too.

• Home safety checks - the national online home safety checker provides a perfect way for people to audit their own homes at a click.

• Inclusive recruitment - showcasing the changing face of the fire service and support with the process and requirements.

So if you’re at FirePRO this October, grab a chat with e-shot - it might just change your life.

James Morton is a former chair of FirePRO and founder of Turn The Page, a creative communications consultancy that uses stories to power comms and campaigns. Say hi to James on LinkedIn.