IS A BOTTOM LINE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A LIFE?

In every community across this great country the existence of a local fire station is a matter of pride and assurance, that if needed, emergency responders will arrive quickly, with the proper equipment and personnel, to bring the incident to a safe and successful end. As our economy keeps putting pressure on the citizens, as well as government officials, that assured feeling may be called into question. Maybe its a department being understaffed, maybe its a city's budget that is the problem. Whatever the reasons are we need to ask ourselves are we doing everything we can to protect the citizens and their property that we swore to protect?

The Insurance Information Institute states that fire remains the leading cause of property loss incurred in the homeowners marketplace. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) reports that there were 515,000 structure fires in 2008. These fires resulted in 2,900 civilian deaths, almost 15,000 civilian injuries and over 15 billion dollars in property damage. We didn't even mention firefighter deaths or injuries there did we? Over the last 10 years fires have caused direct insured losses of more then 120 billion dollars and countless billions in related loses. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods make the news headlines, yet building fires are the daily drumbeat of losses across this country. So are we doing everything we can?

Now in just about every city and community out there they are talking about slashing their budgets. The officials do this with personnel cuts, layoffs, hiring freezes, and reducing staffing levels.

Don't think for one second that the public safety is safe from these cuts. In reality government officials look there first for multiple reasons. One reason is most of the time public safety has a large part of most budgets. Another reason is that these officials do not see the reason to have such a high and effective level of staffing, because emergencies are at a low right now. This mentality is "We don't need them until we need them". This mentality also destroys property and ends lives...Are we doing everything we can?

Now according to the NFPA the nation's fire departments respond to a structure fire on average once every minute. So even with a adequate staffed 911 call center, with the latest technology available, it is minutes if not seconds that saves lives and property. This also takes into consideration that each apparatus has a 4 person crew as the NFPA (which sets the standards that fire departments should be trying to reach) suggests. Are we doing everything we can?

Keep in mind that a fire intensifies rapidly, doubling in size and heat every 30 seconds, so time not only matters it saves lives and property. Any delay in getting water to the fire puts civilians, firefighters, and the property in grave danger. Just ask the New York Fire Department Union President....

OSHA or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that at LEAST 2 firefighters enter a structure for firefighting, while 2 other firefighters are outside the structure ready to enter in case something goes wrong. An apparatus with a crew of only 3 people makes this virtually impossible. Are we doing everything we can?

We here have written before about the study released in 2010 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This study stated that 4 person crew were able to complete 22 essential firefighting and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30% faster then a 2 person crew, and 25% faster then a 3 person crew. Saving time, saving lives, and saving property...Makes sense since that is our job right? So why go to a 3 person crew? Again are we doing everything we can to save the citizens and their property that we swore to protect?

When we as a society decide that a bottom line of some budget is more important then lives and property, we are in trouble...

Are we in trouble???

In any business the goal is to add staffing levels so that you become more effective and more efficient. Let's not go backwards here by reducing staffing levels to fire departments...

Are we doing everything we can???