Comments on The Kitchen Table: Can I have more in my allowance now?

In 1736, Benjamin Franklin started the first fire ...

2008-11-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

In 1736, Benjamin Franklin started the first fire department ever. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was called the Union Fire Company. One of Mr. Franklin’s famous quotes is "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."
The times that are approaching may or may not be financially fruitful. Either way, we as the Fire Service must stand on what built our inheritance. The protection of life and property. If our communities feel their fire departments are apart of their basic needs for existence then we are in a better place when it comes to financial stability. The time to think outside of the box is now! How can we the local fire department apply ourselves to the communities we serve? Most definitely shelter falls under a basic need. How many of our departments are doing regular door to door home inspections? This is something that you hear is available but, we wait for the phone call from Joe citizen before we act. How many departments have a weekly, monthly, or quarterly news letter that is sent to their customers? Sure there is a cost in this endeavor but, the fruits may be more! If we just stand back and watch what the economy hands out, then we must play the hand we are dealt. Let us get in front of the economy so if harder times come, we have the support of our customers. In 21 years as a member of the fire service I have found there are two prevalent views of the fire service. The first view is one of admiration and respect. The second view is a condescending checker playing obese good ole boy. Both of these view’s especially the latter need to be continually worked on. To improve both views, action is the only way to success. I believe in our mission, “protection of life and property.” I believe the times ahead will only forge a better stronger fire service. We as Americans have always thrived when faced with adversity and firefighters are American’s first and have more than enough of what it takes to survive!

Corey Harned
District Chief
South Walton Fire District

Chief Woods, Seems it is the tip of the iceberg. P...

2008-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Chief Woods,
Seems it is the tip of the iceberg. Philadelphia is the latest facing cuts, with the mayor claiming they'll be able to cut 5 engine companies and 2 ladder companies while
"maintaining overall safety."
As well as the folks visiting The Kitchen Table sharing their ideas here, we'll be working to put something together on FR1 on how to manage with shrinking budgets.

I would have to wonder how committed the new presi...

2008-11-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

I would have to wonder how committed the new president-elect is to our nation's fire service when he is not even a member of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus.
320 members and Obama's name is conspicuously missing from the membership list.
At least Biden took the time to join.
In fact, he is a co-chair; right there alongside of John McCain.
If it weren't for fire departments, Obama would have had fewer neighborhoods to organize.
He needs to get on board and join the Caucus.

I think we're just seeing the tip of the Iceberg f...

2008-11-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

I think we're just seeing the tip of the Iceberg for now. On Monday, a Noted TV Anchor commented that "If McCain Wins, the Dow will top 10,000 in a few days. If Obama wins, it will drop anothe 2,500 -4,000 in the next month or two. Here we are on the day after, and the Dow dropped 486.01 to close at 9,139.26 today....... Thing is, I don't see the Economy improving anytime soon, regardless of who is in the White House or Congress. We've always been the "Do more with less" folks, and we'll stay that way. I would offer that maybe we should be exchanging advice, in forums such as this, on how folks manage with shrinking budgets. By learning from each other, we can avoid reinventing the wheel over and over. Good Luck Guys, it's gonna be tough out there.

How about departments get chartered as a bank, mak...

2008-11-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

How about departments get chartered as a bank, make some bad loans, declare a crisis, then look for a bail out worth millions of dollars..?!

Heard today that the FDNY is making big cuts. I do...

2008-11-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Heard today that the FDNY is making big cuts. I do fear this is just the beginning. We're gonna be hearing the same thing at departments all over the country in the next few months.