Dr. Richard B. Gasaway talks with Fire Chief Rick Kline and Firehouse.com Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews about a program that the International City/County Manager's Association (ICMA) is presenting to their membership that examines fire department staffing and budgeting. The lecture that Gasaway and Kline attended arms city managers with 20 questions that could be presented to any fire and police chiefs to justify staffing, budgets, workloads and operations.
The two veteran fire officers say that this program is designed to dissect the emergency services based on inaccurate research. Fire and police chiefs who are posed with these hard-hitting questions can present results that may not be what the city managers understand and could have a serious impact on current department operations.
Here how proper education to local government, along with the citizens, can help dispell some of the misconceptions.
Whether or you are a fire chief, commissioner or firefighter, this podcast is a must-listen-to program to learn how to protect yourself and your department's resources from unnecessary cuts.