When I wrote last month’s column, there was good reason to be pessimistic about the 2002 economic outlook and its impact on the fire-rescue service. It still looks grim at the state and local levels, but all signs indicate that Congress and the Bush...

Article • January 31st, 2002

If nothing else, the great anthrax scare has revealed the few strengths and many weaknesses in this country's ability to respond to a biological or chemical act of terrorism. It re-emphasized the many warnings from fire chiefs that their departments...

Article • November 30th, 2001

A federal judge has ruled that the Washington, D.C., Fire Department cannot enforce its grooming standards against four firefighters who refused to shave their beards or cut their hair. In April, District of Columbia Fire Chief Ronnie Few began...

Article • October 1st, 2001

It has been three years since the U.S. Supreme Court rendered two significant decisions refining the law of sexual harassment. Those decisions require every employer, including fire departments, to provide a work environment that is not hostile because...

Article • August 1st, 2001

While the topic of the need for having a will and estate plan is not directly related to the fire service, I believe it is an important message that every firefighter and emergency responder needs to hear and take seriously. For the past 18 months...

Article • July 1st, 2001

For the first time in its long history, the American fire-rescue service has a national standard covering the deployment and staffing of fire companies on career departments. With labor and management working together, delegates to the National Fire...

Article • June 1st, 2001