Are Professional Firefighters Needed Today or a Drain on Resources?
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A recent ‘Washington Post’ op-ed has sparked a robust discussion about the economics and realities impacting first responders.
A recent Washington Post op-ed written by University of Miami law and economics professor Fred S. McChesney put forth a curious question: Are modern professional firefighting operations really needed in a world where there are fewer fires?
McChesney paints a sluggish and wasteful portrait of today’s fire station:
The crew will probably be there, lifting weights or washing down the already gleaming red engines. Career firefighters usually live at the firehouse for a day or two, then take as many as three days off. Between eating and sleeping at the station, they mop floors, clean toilets and landscape the yard — with a few hours set aside daily for training and drills. Mid-morning, you’ll find several of them at the local supermarket doing the day’s grocery shopping.
The professor points out that modern building standards, the expanded use of smoke detectors and fire-resistant materials, mandates for sprinkler systems and other factors are making professional firefighting crews outdated just as the professional firefighting ranks are expanding and straining local government budgets.
McChesney, a former associate director for policy and evaluation at the Federal Trade Commission, argues that returning to a model relying on volunteer firefighting—the professor notes that “[m]any of the American revolutionary patriots were volunteers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Paul Revere”—could meet the fire response need and be more cost effective for cash-strapped local governments.
Not unexpectedly, the professor’s op-ed sparked a vibrant discussion within the firefighting community.
Dave Statter of the STATter911 blog described McChesney’s piece as “[t]ruly one of the dumbest articles every written about firefighting” and said “The Washington Post should be embarrassed for posting such drivel.”
In his detailed take-down, Statter points out a few realities:
- Yes, sprinkler systems save lives and properties, but local governments have a hard time mandating sprinkler systems: “Advocates in the fire service and elsewhere continuously fight the home building lobby and their big contributions to politicians” who often thwart tougher regulations.
- Although there are certainly great and highly effective volunteer firefighting companies around the United States, “[v]olunteer fire departments are desperately trying to recruit new members and, unfortunately, many (but not all) of them aren’t succeeding.”
- Also: “Career firefighters are replacing volunteer firefighters who are no longer there.”
A response to Statter’s blog post turned into a call to action for local governments to figure out ways to improve the numbers of volunteer firefighters.
As written by David Gustavson, a certified EMT-Basic who holds an associates of science in fire technology from Folsom Lake College in California:
The answer lies within the city/town government officials. If a city or rural area can’t get volunteers say due to age, then why not put an incentive on becoming a volunteer? Use grant money to put up a scholarship fund. That would attract younger generations to become volunteers. Create a Fire Explorer program as several departments do here in California. Teach them to get involved with the community. Broaden the fire district lines so more people are available to recruit, are just a few examples. In my opinion, that would solve the issue of needing warm bodies to fill out the ranks.
McChesney does point out an important facet of modern firefighting: “In practice, these [local fire] agencies have become emergency medical responders.”
In many places, that’s very true. The fusion of fire response and emergency medical response has been going on for years.
That consolidation has been successful in many jurisdictions. But it’s been a huge challenge for local government, too—including where I live. (The District of Columbia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services has faced years of unfortunate internal struggles between the previously separate firefighting and emergency medical service cultures and been the subject of headline-grabbing EMT failures and subsequent litigation.)
And that is surely to be the subject of years of future discussion …
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty.
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