Firehouse.com

It is always a very special time in my life when a number of different thoughts which I have created at a variety of times and in a variety of places come together accidently into a really neat new notion. Such is the case here. Let me mention that the beautiful weather which spread across New Jersey recently served as the genesis for a number of trips to my favorite thinking spot: my front porch.
 

Let me pick up where we left off last in my last blog entry. In my community review here in Adelphia I looked at a number of issues. In line with this, a solid plan for the future has allowed us to budget for growth over time. It is better to increase your requests a little bit each year than to be faced with a sudden jump of major proportions. This is particularly critical here in New Jersey where we operate under a four-percent budgetary cap law.

 
Let us look at how each of these might be addressed in a target community.

Over the past several years, I have seen a certain diminution in the level of fire protection that exists in a number of areas. I have seen this in communities of every size. I have seen this in career, and combination, as well as volunteer departments. Far too many appear to be taking a hit from their political and administrative leaders.
 
As an observer of the fire service scene, I have chosen to take a close look at the reasons why fire departments appear to take a disproportionate hit at budget

It has been my privilege to be in the forefront of a number of different educational efforts within the fire service which have long held up the goal of professionalizing our field of endeavor as its primary goal.   Many have been the battles with folks who never could see the need for fire service people to have a college education. However, that did not stop those among us who felt the need for advancing our chose career field.

When I sat down at the computer to begin work on this little session with you, I was torn in a number of directions. Should I write about something interpersonal, something technical, or something from my career in the fire service? I had trouble making the decision. My mind tossed and turned as I battled the demons of writer's doubt. Then it came to me in a flash! If I was having trouble making a decision, then maybe it was time to write about decision-making.