Seconds save lives. So does funding.
Six minutes is the amount of time in which brain damage may set in without oxygen. Many people in Westminster lived farther than this from firefighters and paramedics.
In 2025, the City of Westminster Colorado proposed a 0.4% sales tax increase to support first responders with equipment and firehouses and fund road improvements. Population growth and sprawling residential areas meant first responders were having trouble meeting the six-minute response standard; more firehouses were needed. Attaching routine road improvements — rarely a voting priority — to a public safety ballot could give it a much-needed lift.
Public apathy was tangible to city leaders: Just two years prior, a straightforward firehouse budget initiative was rejected by voters.
Additionally, neighborhood streets were in much needed repair. The city would repave neighborhood streets so residents could drive on safe and smooth roads, and the cost would amount to two-cents on a cup of coffee.
The city knew this was a big lift.
A story with emotional weight
Instead of a story about building more fire stations, ours became about the minutes between a 911 call and the moment help arrives. The proximity of firehouses meant life or death. This painted a picture for residents and created a sense of urgency.
And by comparing the cost to repair roads to two cents on a cup of coffee we gave residents something they could relate to and also a sense of ownership.
Combining both issues into one ballot measure was a risk, but the public education campaign informed citizens of the importance.
Media that hit home
We told that unified story across every channel where Westminster residents live. A robust digital campaign connected emergency response with road condition through display, video, and targeted placements, meeting residents where they already spent their time.
Media context matters and we knew holding this story in your hands at home through physical direct mail would be powerful. Emergency response time information at your kitchen table lands differently than an ad served between social posts.
The imperative across all channels was consistency. One narrative, reinforced across every touchpoint. Not repetition for its own sake, but the kind of sustained, cross-channel exposure that moves a message from something a person sees to something a person believes.
Motivation overcame apathy
The combined budget initiative passed narrowly, closing the apathy gap from previous years and was hailed as “a major investment in our neighborhood streets, ability to fight fires, and save lives”.
526,392
Total campaign impressions across digital channels
92.56%
View-through rate — well above the 66.67% industry benchmark
“… An investment in safety, reliability, and the everyday quality of life for Westminster families”
— Mayor Nancy McNally
