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Comment by Joel C Kelley on February 9, 2009 at 6:21pm

Point taken, but there are LOTS of organizations for whom this approach could be a real life and job saver. The real key is to know your organization and be willing to manage it for the best possible outcome. Light bulbs and grocery runs are only part of the picture, and seeing the whole picture and being able to adapt our tactics are one of the hallmarks of our industry. It seems that all too often, adaptive tactics are left on the fireground, when they could be used at every level of dept. management.

Comment by Ben Waller on February 9, 2009 at 6:13pm

Joel,

That might work in places that have the numbers of interested and qualified volunteers to make it work, but there are places that don't have that kind of manpower.

Ben

Comment by Joel C Kelley on February 9, 2009 at 3:12pm

Here's a thought, one that will go over like a fart in church with the union guys, but how about the re-introduction of combination departments?



Not to stick a hot poker in an open wound, but departments who's budgets are bleeding need to cauterize, and the best cautery is to freeze hiring, introduce volunteers into the department, and allow the department to remain a combination department until such time as the money exists to hire again. It should be clear that hiring will only take place from the volunteer pool, and those volunteers who have achieved the highest level of training will make the cut.

This provides incentives all around. City managers can save money, departments have adequate manpower, and rookies have the incentive to train for the department they hope to get hired by, thus creating a finished firefighter without the time and expense of another academy. Companies will receive motivated, well, trained and teachable volunteer rookies and everybody benefits.

IAFF will never go for it.

Comment by Ben Waller on February 8, 2009 at 8:56am

FETC,

I realize that when draconian cuts are required, that doing the simple, basic things aren't going to be enough. However, a 10% cutback IS "pennies on the dollar"...it's exactly 10 pennies per dollar. Even if manpower cuts will be required, doing the basics first may save at least a few jobs.

Equally importantly, if the fire department being cut shows that they are cutting the basics first, it can garner community support that may help reduce the cuts. That's a little different than the Wells Fargo bank getting millions of bailout dollars, then scheduling a multi-million dollar executive junket to Vegas.

Comment by FETC on February 7, 2009 at 9:59pm

Ben,

Great suggestions for it's target audience. Those are fairly common cut backs as you have suggested. The problem is when town or city administrators request a level funded or 10% cutback for the next fiscal year. That is where the rubber meets the road and it is physically impossible to obtain those numbers without reducing manpower, affecting response times or purchasing good PPE.

In reality your suggestions are pennies on the dollar on a 2 or 3 million dollar budget with personnel making up 90-95% of the operating budget.

Comment by BillySFCVFD on February 7, 2009 at 9:46pm

True Ben

We all need to think like we are signing the checks on the front and not just the back.

That was not me on YouTube it was my twin brother. TCSS