Step up to the Mic
So this is where we allow you to post your comments about issues that are affecting Michigan’s Fire Service. Below this post you can see an link which says comments, just click on it, fill in the blanks and bring up an issue which is important to you and the fire service here in Michigan.
A couple of ground rules:
- Be nice to each other
- Talk about the fire service or issues which affect us
- Your first post will be held for approval to make sure we keep spam down, don’t worry it doesn’t take to long to get approved
That’s it so step up and give it a whirl, if it works well, we will keep this up!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Let me start this ball rolling, in light of Michigan’s economic time, what is your community doing to be proactive or reactive to the down-turn in the economy?
We just had this talk last night at our officers meeting. We discussed a number of issues, including how we staff and respond to calls, minimizing waste, etc. The reality is that we need to plan for economic peaks and valleys every year and as part of our 5 and 10 year planning. I am fortunate because the leadership of my organization has done that for years. In an overall sense, we need to stick to our plan, which if designed correctly can survive these downturns. That doesn’t mean we aren’t looking to trim fat; we are – but we must make sure that we don’t live beyond our means when times are good either. A couple of things we are doing (and have done in the past:) 1) Re-evaluating how we respond to those incidents requiring a single company 2) Reducing paper generation for meetings, trainings, etc. 3) Meticulous attention to preventive maintenance on apparatus and equipment, etc. 4) We keep the temp in bays low in the winter; (no need to heat them to 72 degrees!) 5) Reducing unnecessary trips to conserve fuel. We have made our officers and firefighters aware that we must always be good stewards of our customers’ money and not appear to be wasteful. That is a very hard image to overcome once it has been perceived as such. Always looking for more ideas from others!
Why does Michigan contiune to lag behind many other states when it comes to job protection for First Responders?
Those of us in rural areas understand the need to have everyone available when the “tones” go off. Yet many are reluctant to answer for fear of losing their jobs if they know they’ll be late for work. Most are unable to leave work for a major structure fire during the day.
Lord knows none of us do this for the money. But having the ability to serve our communites without fear of job loss, would greatly enhance the recruiting and retaining of FFs/EMTs in rural areas of the state.
Bill Great Statement, I see your position on protection, but we also have a post coming out soon on the protection of the position of fire chief and the way the communities don’t seem to care. Is this our own position for us not pushing the issue? Do we need more leadership to continue and get legislation that can protect our firefighters?