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Extension Volunteer Fire Department

A structured, functional website designed to provide essential information, improve community engagement, and increase accessibility to fire safety resources.

Challenge

The Extension Volunteer Fire Department needed an online presence to better serve the community. The site had to provide critical safety information, streamline access to burning permits, and ensure residents could easily contact the department.

Task

I designed and built a structured framework and homepage that remains solid today. Even as the site ages, its core navigation and content structure have held up, making it an excellent candidate for a future refresh rather than a complete overhaul. The goal was to:

Establish a clear, user-friendly digital presence for the fire department.
Optimize the site’s location data with schema markup, which significantly increased visibility—resulting in a surge of phone calls for burning permits post-launch.
Design a recognizable, lasting brand identity, including the department’s logo, which remains in use today.

Action

Stakeholder Discovery: Met with the fire department to identify their needs and define deliverables.
Structured Framework & Homepage: Designed a clean, intuitive layout that provides quick access to essential fire safety information.
SEO & Schema Implementation: Integrated location-based schema markup, improving search visibility and increasing permit inquiries.
Custom WordPress Development: Built the site using the Beans framework and Foundation library for speed and flexibility.
Logo & Branding: Designed a timeless logo that remains a core part of their identity.

Result

A long-standing, functional website that still effectively serves the community.
Increased public awareness, leading to a noticeable rise in inquiries about burning permits.
A strong, scalable framework ready for future updates and modernization.

Tools Used

WordPress (Beans Framework), Foundation Library, Aptana Studio, Photoshop, Illustrator

Extension Volunteer Fire Department website, screen capture

Proposed UX: Home & inside page

Extension Fire Department, homepage, mockup graphic

Extension Fire Department, inside page mockup, graphic

Published design

Extension Fire Department, homepage, live graphic

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