In Thursday’s general session at FDIC, IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger hinted that he’s close to working out an arrangement with Congress that could bring a wave of new funding to the fire service.

By now it’s widely known that the stimulus package contained only $210 million in direct funding for the fire service, allocated to fire station construction. Nearly $9 billion was set aside for discretionary funding, some of which could be directed to the fire service, but that will be up to the whims of the state governors. (See my earlier post here and here.)

Schaitberger was clearly very disappointed with these results. “We didn’t get what we need, what you need, what this profession deserves,” he said. “I want to see the result of the leadership we helped elect.”

Those are powerful words from the leader of a union that represents more than 292,000 firefighters, and Schaitberger clearly knows it. He promised that there’s a “solution ready to go forward, we’re just waiting for the right vehicle to push it through.” That vehicle might be a separate bill or an add-on to another measure already in front of Congress.

What the solution will be remains less clear. Schaitberger referred to “hundreds” of laid-off firefighters being brought back on the job, and not surprisingly, his remarks stressed staffing above other concerns. Acknowledging the differences within the fire service, he nevertheless called on firefighters to project a unified message about the need for increased funding for staffing: “We must not just weather the storm,” he said. “We’ve got to act, to turn our words into deeds, protect our own. The line we must draw: adequate staffing. We cannot be shy about it—for those already understaffed, additional cuts are a death sentence. We cannot give up a spot on the rig.”

Could Schaitberger, then, be talking about additional funding for SAFER grants? Or is there another, more creative approach in the works? Following the session I heard some rumors about what he was referring to, but none that I could substantiate enough to share.

I’m eager to hear more, but nonetheless, the fact remains that the economic crisis, and the subsequent pressure on fire departments budgets, is probably here to stay for at least another couple budget cycles. That underscores the point FireRescue Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach makes in his May editor’s letter—that the most effective leaders will not be those who stamp their feet and claim that civilians will die because of staffing cuts, but those who work with city managers and councilmen and leaders at all levels of the department to craft budgets and solutions that make the most of their resources.

Take that a step further to the company officer level: In some cases, budget cuts will require an adjustment in tactics (and training as a result) to compensate for less-than-adequate staffing. Company officers have a responsibility to make those adjustments, just as Schaitberger and other senior leaders in the fire service have a responsibility to continue fighting for increased funding.

Let’s hope we hear about that funding soon!

Shannon Pieper is managing editor for FireRescue magazine.