Editorial: Here We Go Again

First of all, we want everyone to remember our brave troops risking their lives for us, serving in harm’s way overseas. Some of those troops, many of whom are firefighters, have returned home already and we hope the others return home safely after their tours of duty.

Recently, the fire season began early in Southern California, where a series of fires scorched 29,000 acres. John Hawkins, a veteran chief officer who recently relocated to Riverside County, saw some of the early action. Hawkins was quoted as saying, “We are sitting on a powder keg.” The same factors present in previous years are present now: lower-than-normal precipitation, bug-infested and tinder-dry trees, understaffed firefighting units, and the state and counties short on cash.

In a report made public in May, issues from last fall’s firestorms in California are now being addressed. Many of these issues are not new and can be found in many reports going back decades. It is what elected officials and the public support that makes the difference. The cash-strapped San Diego City Council recently shelved 11 of 12 measures supported by the fire chief regarding brush-clearance rules and replacement of wood-shingle roofs, contending the measures are too expensive. Most of the ballot initiatives involving measures to support the fire service and brush issues in the area have been defeated time and time again. Who’s to blame? The real fact for the coming fire season is that plenty of fuel is still left to burn.

Recently in Los Angeles County, Deborah and Ron Lawrence were promoted the same day to their new rank of battalion chief. Deborah is the first female chief in the department. A few months back, the FDNY promoted Rochelle Jones to battalion chief along with a number of male counterparts to fill vacancies. Also in Los Angeles County, a good friend and frequent speaker for Firehouse®, Mike Bryant, was promoted to the rank of deputy fire chief in charge of the Special Operations Bureau. Congratulations to all.

The 16th annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner, a fundraising event drawing nearly 2,100 attendees, was held on May 5 to honor America’s firefighters and emergency personnel. Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the audience as the keynote speaker. Our own Hal Bruno was the master of ceremonies, marking his first night out since undergoing heart surgery. It was truly gratifying to see the respect paid to Hal by the Vice President and all the senators and congressman who spoke.

A stirring, heartfelt speech was delivered by Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC), author of the Hometown Heroes bill to authorize funding for firefighter families who die in the line of duty of heart attacks and strokes. We should all thank Congressman Etheridge for his hard work in getting this legislation passed.

Speaking of funding, the chairmen of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus all joined together and vowed to make sure the reauthorization of the federal grant program goes forward for another three years at a higher funding allocation.

On page 40, J. Gordon Routley reports on the positive focus of the first firefighter line-of-duty death summit held recently in Tampa, FL. The many causes of firefighter deaths were examined. Attendees worked in six separate areas and developed new initiatives to reduce these deaths.

Also in this issue, we are proud to present Part 1 of the National Run Survey, compiled by Elizabeth Friszell and Kevin Roche. The departments responding to the survey protect millions of people. The remaining parts of the survey will follow in upcoming issues.

On a historical note, Paul Hashagen reports on the General Slocum fire, which occurred in the East River of New York City 100 years ago this month. The fire killed 1,021 people, many of them small children on a boat ride that turned to tragedy.