What a winter!

   Greetings Minnesota firefighters, families, friends and supporters! Whew- what a winter! It was one for the record books with the many snowstorms, amount of snow, cold spring temps and the feeling it wouldn’t end. We finally had a brief heatwave which melted all the snow in a short time. I serve as a supervisor for the township I live in and had to deal with a couple roads that washed out. Culverts couldn’t keep up with the amount of water that was in the melting snow. It’s early May as I write this with a great week forecast.

   The Minnesota legislative session should be completed by now. The fire service has several asks- one of them an increase in the surcharge on fire insurance premiums from .5% to a return of where it used to be at .65%. This funds the Fire Safety Account which in turn funds our state’s fire service- the Fire Marshal’s office, the MBFTE, Hazmat teams, etc. The increase should generate a few extra million dollars and perhaps raise us a notch on the national rankings. Minnesota is in the bottom 5 in regards to amount per household spent on the fire service.

   On the national scene, AFG and SAFER Grant programs are up for reauthorization by congress. These programs are vital for departments who serve large and small populations across the state and nation. However, my friend and fellow National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) board member Tom Miller from West “By God” Virginia raised some interesting points and questions in a posting recently on the NVFC’s Volunteer Voices:

   After having helped several fire departments with their AFG grant applications and, after over 38 years in Emergency Services, I am going to throw this out there knowing full well that I will have poked a hornet's nest with a ball bat. Although I know it will be hard for some, I would respectfully ask that you argue with facts.  To put this post in perspective, I spent 35 years on a department where, when I started, we had to pass the hat to put fuel in the trucks so we could run the next call so I fully understand, “...poor man's got poor ways...”.

   A Fire Truck is nothing more than a toolbox on wheels. It carries what we need to where we need it to go. NFPA 1901 does establish some minimum standards for those toolboxes but “we” often then take our toolbox and go full-blown “Snap-on” and then wonder why our rig, which used to cost $250,000.00 is now $750,000.00.  The fire service has contributed immensely to the inflation rates that we are seeing in equipment - from our toolboxes to our other tools, including PPE. We “demand” innovation - we literally and figuratively insist on all the bells and whistles, but then bemoan the cost(s).  A review of USFA LODD data shows that all of these bells and whistles haven’t really moved the meter in the right direction.  In fact, if you look at the losses in personnel across both the volunteer and career services - going from 1,300,000 firefighters in 2000 to +/-900,000 today, we are actually losing more firefighters per the total population despite all the “improvements”.  We raise the hue and cry for more public funding but bristle when challenged as to whether or not we are being good stewards of that money. I get tradition - I get pride - I get it, but is it the public’s responsibility to pay for that pride and tradition(s)? Doesn’t expecting that make us seem entitled? Do we really need bells on fire trucks in 2023?...Do we really need goldleaf?...lighting beyond the NFPA requirements?  Can you truly justify it - the need - with hard data, or just conjecture and personal preference? Do we need custom apparatus when you are only getting 2 people out on a call?  Why not get a commercial cab NFPA 1901 pumper and a 4 door pickup truck and save $175,000.00. Oh, I know I will hear the, “...that puts two trucks on the road and increases our risk profile..”. C’mon, anyone can justify anything if the listener buys the goods and isn’t cognizant in the fallacies of the argument. There are +/-45,000 fire stations in the U.S. and AFG is funded at $360,000,000.00 - that is +/- 400 fire trucks across the country at $700k each. Throw in those asking for $1.2-$1.8 million dollar ladders and the pot shrinks. I have sat and watched departments try and justify a truck for the one call they had back 3 years ago and label the truck as a “need” - try and justify the “need” for a ladder truck because they have two (2) buildings over 2 stories in their district - justify a custom cab in the event they have a call on drill night when there are 10 people at the fire station. It happens every time - the first thing that happens when the truck is delivered is someone has turn on all the woowoos as opposed to looking at the practical functionality of the toolbox. How it looks is more important that how it does its job. Lastly, I see so much high dollar equipment bought without going out to bid simply because of a name on a grille or because someone has an undying loyalty to a particular vendor.

   For decades the American fire service has been somewhat immune from its largesse. We were the rulers of our domain and no one really questioned us much as to how we operated. Words like austerity and cost containment were not used much. The realities are now starting to sink in to many and sadly, some of us, especially on the volunteer side, may not survive due to an inability to keep up with inflation - inflation that we helped create. This old salt has seen too much time, energy, and public money going to trying to keep up with the Jones’s or trying to look cool as opposed to taking a realistic risk based approach to the toolbox.

   If you are one who boldly clings to traditions as opposed to progress, science, and the base NFPA Standards, then don’t complain if there isn’t enough money in your coffers to fund your tradition(s) and your pride.  The public only is responsible for supporting your service capability based on actual need, not your wants. 

   Respectfully,
Tom Miller, MA, LPC, ALPS
Fire Instructor III, West Virginia University Fire Service Ext.
NVFC Director, WV
NVFC Haz Mat Response Committee Chair

   You would have to know Tom and how truly intelligent and articulate this West Virginia “hillbilly” is. I certainly would not want to be on the opposing side of a debate with him!

   I do a fair amount of reading as I might have alluded to in past columns. One of my favorite authors is the economist Dr. Thomas Sowell. Dr. Sowell has written many books and countless articles concerning economics, politics, education and race. Many college students, parents and others bemoan the rising cost of a four-year degree. Dr. Sowell makes a good argument that the high cost of tuition is due to loan programs, grant money, questionable majors and “fluff” available at many colleges. College tuition has risen much higher than the rate of inflation. The cost of turnout gear, equipment and apparatus has increased significantly more than the rate of inflation. Why? Could it be that the money being spent is “other people’s money” so anything goes?

   The residents of Minnesota’s townships sets the local tax levy rates at the annual township meeting. This means residents decide how much tax they will assess on themselves to pay to maintain their township’s services. This is the only form of government that operates this way. I along with the two other supervisors who are all elected, are answerable to the residents on how and where we spend their tax dollars. We must be doing an ok job. During the five years I’ve been a supervisor, we haven’t had a room full of angry taxpayers demanding answers. 

   Well, I had better wrap this up. My hope is my column this issue gives you something to think about and maybe ask the hard questions Tom Miller brings up. 

   Enjoy the rest of your spring and stay safe!

Dave Yurczyk,

MSFDA President

 

Blaze Publications, Inc.

Jeff Gargano - Editor
P.O. Box 122
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jeff@blazepublicationsinc.com

News and Advertising: News and advertising deadlines are the 15th of each month for the next month's issue.

 

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