Thursday, September 22, 2005

Bob Ladd found this piece of advice in Fire Engineering and it's probably worth following...

The following is an excerpt from a July 2005 Fire Engineering “round table” article regarding what the fire service will look like in 20 years. This is one paragraph from a response by Leigh T Hollins, a BC from Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue, Manatee County FL.

“Most urban areas (small and larger cities) will continue to struggle with staffing and services. Historically, proper staffing and the services provided by the fire department in our cities have been directly tied to the politics of each particular city. What you see is what you get. It is what it is. Until a major change occurs at city hall, the only time you see a drastic change, good or bad, is when the politicians change. I see no reason to expect that the next 20 years will be any different from the past 50. If urban (and metro) firefighters want increases in staffing or services, they had better look for candidates who support their views, or 2025 will look the same as 2005.”

While there are other issues, specifically budgetary, that are affecting our staffing, we need to get more friendly faces on the City Council and State Legislature. Please help support the candidates Local 29 endorses.

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