A complete website redesign was exactly what the Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company needed to meet their goals and mission as a department. Ryan Woods, firefighter and technology coordinator, handled the website project with his wife who is also a fellow firefighter.
- Launch: May 2018 / Ongoing Services
- Client: Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Company (MD)
- Services: Website
In his role as technology coordinator, Woods provided technology maintenance and support for the small department that services an approximate 19 square mile area of Washington County, MD. One of his goals was to change their website so that it could be the type that grabs and pulls the viewer in. The previous site was just template that allowed for the department to insert what they needed but it was not “inviting or unique.”
To redo the department’s website, Woods used search engines to find inspiration and when he looked at departments in the DC area, he really liked them because they were enticing and they represented the departments well. This was how Woods wanted Maugansville’s new site to look like and it was CEO and Chief Strategist, Dave Iannone who assured him that First Arriving could help.
“[The people at] First Arriving weren’t just techy guys who sit behind a computer,” Woods said, “but they are passionate about the tech stuff that they do.”
The overall project was an immense undertaking and more than Woods was expecting but the team at First Arriving knew how to do everything.
“First Arriving didn’t just build us a website but they engaged with us in finding the best way of representing our department in our community,” Woods said.
One of the parts of the experience that Woods enjoyed was how First Arriving did more than just tell him what to do but the team gave him suggestions and provided reasoning and evidence for their suggestions.
“They asked for our opinion and went in the direction we wanted but [they] also offered good options,” Woods said. “First Arriving gave us a lot of eye-opening moment to look at things from a different perspective.”
Many people in the department were impressed with Maugansville’s new site and the people who were in charge of funding that were hesitant in the project ended up being blown away with the final project.
The overall goal for the new site was to give the department the best footprint in the community and the new site accomplished this and more. “It helped us manage all of the things we do. First Arriving has helped us automate it.” Woods said about how the site has aided the department in managing themselves internally.
“Dave and Chris are phenomenal at what they do,” Woods said. “They almost become a part of your department because they come to understand the department well and the best direction to go in.”
To view the newly-launched Maugansville website, check out: https://www.mgvfc.org
