Many fire departments have had to prepare and submit budget requests for 2009. While a majority of departments will undoubtedly have to do more with less, put off or reduce the number of firefighters to be hired, close stations and decrease manpower, some fortunate departments still are able to hire new firefighters, add new stations and purchase new equipment and apparatus. Only time will tell how long this economic crisis will be with us. We are adding a few seminars at Firehouse World in San Diego next month to confront the challenge of doing more with less. We will also focus on group purchasing that can reduce the financial burden on some departments. See www.firehouseworld.com for details.
I hear a lot of firefighters asking whether there will be a spike in arson with so many homes being foreclosed, businesses not doing well, and many stores and commercial buildings lying vacant. One place where you don't have to look very far for arson is Detroit. Recently, Firefighter Walter Harris of Detroit Engine 23 died after a roof collapsed on him while he was fighting an arson fire in a vacant house. I was in Detroit in the mid-1980s and was told there were 5,000 vacant buildings at any given time. Today, I understand there are 80,000. Talk about a national disgrace! It is amazing that more Detroit firefighters haven't been killed or seriously injured in these buildings. How about some domestic spending to knock down these deathtraps sooner than later?
A few days before this was written, the fire service marked the 66th anniversary of the tragic fire that involved the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston on Nov. 28, 1942. Five alarms brought 25 engines, five ladders, a water tower and three rescue companies. There were at least 492 deaths and 166 people injured during the fire. Sixty-six years seems like a long time ago for this tragedy, but just remember The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI, which killed 100 and injured 200 on Feb. 20, 2003.
Speaking of losses, during the recent elections, the Congressional Fire Services Caucus lost 50 members who either lost their re-election campaigns or simply retired. Firefighters around the country have to reach out to the newly elected Senate and House members and explain why they need to join the Caucus to help us with legislation and important funding for the future of the fire service. Fire departments in states with legislative caucuses also need to bring the new state officials on board. It can only be a win-win for us.
We are sorry to report that this month there will be no Fire Politics column. Contributing Editor Hal Bruno is under the weather, suffering from some old fire service injuries. We hope to see him up and around in the near future. From the staff of Firehouse®, our best wishes to Hal for a speedy recovery.
With the recent wildfires fanned by Santa Ana winds, many fire departments in California are declaring that there is no longer a fire season; rather, the fire season is year round. I recently traveled to California and Arizona and passed through one of the areas four days before 500 trailer homes were burned during one incident. Three separate fires created plenty of destruction. Could they have been worse? Yes, but with the help of the civilians who were evacuated, better construction and the application of lessons learned from past incidents, responding police and fire units kept the damage and death toll to a minimum.
We are proud to present the latest installment of "Road Warriors." This colorful display combines the latest and greatest in technology that the apparatus industry has to offer. This nationwide look reflects the newest in safety, fire suppression and mechanical engineering features. See page 68 for the report.
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