BY RICH BLIVEN
Today’s fire service is evolving. Budget cutbacks have taken a toll on the fire service nationwide regardless of the size of the affected jurisdiction, sometimes resulting in reductions in staffing, service, equipment purchasing, wages, benefits, and so forth. Most of the cutbacks come from state and city budget shortfalls, and we are challenged to make these constraints work without sacrificing service delivery, if possible. The effect depends on our service area’s geographical size and demographics, current staffing/operating levels, and run volume, among other factors. The size of the cutback and how we let it affect us personally and professionally will likely determine its impact.
Although the department I’m a member of is feeling the pinch like most others, our situation is distinct and, I would imagine, unparalleled outside of our state. Kentucky has its share of municipal fire departments, but a large number of departments throughout the state are in tax protection districts. Our revenue is mandated by a 1946 Kentucky law that caps fire revenue for fire protection districts at 10 cents per $100 of property value. Can you imagine running a business in 2014 with a revenue base established almost 70 years ago?
Our cutbacks, therefore, are not driven by budget reductions per se but by the inflationary increase in general operational expenses over the course of the past several years. Labor costs (e.g., wages, health care, pension premiums) and operational costs (e.g., equipment, fuel, maintenance, utilities) have all steadily increased while our revenue has remained flat. Our fire district is very near its maximum development density, and efforts to have the antiquated tax law revised have been unsuccessful. Our department also provides basic life support first response, for which we receive no return in revenue. Our operational expenses are simply outrunning our revenue.
In light of this, we have been faced with organizational changes that affect such things as our staffing levels, which in turn have a ripple effect on how we conduct our business from operational and administrative standpoints.
OPERATIONS
Our district operates an engine and a quint company out of two firehouses in suburban metropolitan Louisville (Jefferson County) on a 24-/48-hour rotation. In recent years, we’ve been able to maintain four-member staffing on the engine and up to five on the quint. Retirements, resignations, and long-term injuries have created vacancies that have been filled, to some extent, with temporary employees.
Unfortunately, given the rising cost of doing business, we have had to reduce our staffing through attrition to three on the engine and four on the quint. We will just not fill the temporary positions at the end of the current fiscal year and allow them to remain vacant. Further reductions are possible in the future.
Operating a three-person engine presents a new set of fireground challenges. We’ve addressed some of these challenges by reconfiguring our engine and making it more user friendly.
We have accepted the fact that our best chance for a successful outcome at a structural fire to which a three-person engine is first due is to go defensive. We have changed a blitz fire configuration by shortening the amount of hoseline attached to it, which in turn makes it something one firefighter can easily deploy in a rapid attack without having to break or make connections in the process. Hence, the company officer will still be able to perform the critical 360° size-up while the pump operator/driver prepares his pump for operations and we can still achieve a quick knockdown on visible exterior fire. This will slow fire growth and spread until additional companies arrive on scene and we can launch a more aggressive interior attack.
We also implemented a strategic change to the engine setup with our preconnected handlines. Our preconnects consist of 200 feet of 1¾-inch hose in four 50-foot sections. We took off two sections (100 feet) at the nozzle end and replaced them with a single 100-foot section. This took out a coupling, which we determined would ease maneuverability for two people (a firefighter and company officer), especially at smaller homes or in hoarder home situations.
These are just a few of the changes we have made; we are considering more. Only after we operate with reduced staffing can we begin to truly evaluate its effect on our companies and make additional necessary adjustments. Following fire industry publications and engaging in dialog with other departments will also play a key role in education, training, and the development of staffing-based changes.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Our district’s mission statement, “Honorable Service for All,” is our driving force. In light of revenue restrictions and the resulting cutbacks, our main focus remains service delivery. Although our emergency medical services (EMS) response garners no revenue, our district maintains an average response time of less than four minutes, significantly less than local EMS providers. Although we could cut EMS service from our budget because we receive no monies for providing it, we believe that this is a service our community deserves, and so eliminating this response is not an option.
We have worked tirelessly to develop our relationships with our customers, including local politicians, business associations, and media, and believe that the people we serve are our biggest allies. Our fire prevention program continues to be a priority, and we also participate in area events such as annual fairs, local parades, and other associated activities. We do not feel that community relationships should fall victim to our current economic climate.
MORE WITH LESS
So we adapt to our environment in that we’ve recognized that reductions in revenue and staffing are probably going to be the standard for some time. Because of staffing reductions, we find ourselves doing the same amount of work or more work with fewer people. This is true from an operational standpoint (fireground tactics) and from an administrative standpoint (day-to-day office tasks) as well. Everyone must take on the lion’s share of the workload for the entire organization to succeed. This means everyone needs to be a team player and needs to take on collateral assignments to achieve the organizational mission goals. Projects become committee-based, and everyone participates to guide the organization in the direction we want to go.
For example, several members worked to develop and implement our wellness policy. Ranging from line firefighters to captains and battalion chiefs, we all worked together, providing input and tailoring a fitness program to meet our department’s needs and those of its members.
Collateral duties within the organization vary from community activism to media relations and fire prevention. Because we cannot afford to assign specific personnel to these types of tasks in a bureau setting, we must all pick up the slack and find ways to fit these duties into our daily routines.
CULTURAL CHANGES
Cultural changes outside the firehouse will dictate the path we take in the fire service. Money and society are the primary driving factors. How these changes occur and the magnitude with which they occur will guide the cultural changes within the firehouse.
Financial culture changes affect our ability to operate at levels with which we are comfortable, which creates stress among the members. Once we might have had the luxury of four-, five-, or six-person engine and truck companies, but these numbers have steadily declined. Today, three-person engine companies seem to be the standard. In some scenarios, there may even be a hybrid staffing solution (e.g., a two-person engine with supplemental staffing from an ambulance), which may or may not produce our desired results. Various reduced staffing models, however they may be configured, produce stressors among the members and administration alike, as staffing reductions directly contribute to an increase in safety concerns and service delivery issues.
Societal culture changes have affected the way we operate within the firehouse in how we act toward each other. Our mission statement applies to our internal customers (the members) as well as our external customers. We have been challenged with the concept of innovative behavioral changes that buck traditional norms, thus creating additional conflict. Managing our attitudes, beliefs, and feelings about the people we work with and the environment we work in presents even more avenues for stress to overwhelm us. Change can be somewhat hazy, which in turn creates an unknown. Fear of the unknown creates internal conflict that can quickly morph into external conflict if not recognized early and managed properly. Having a strong leadership team in place can help steer the ship through these troubled waters.
Therefore, we owe it to ourselves to maintain a healthful lifestyle. How we manage stress and deal with cultural climate changes will be a driving factor in how we perform not only as individuals but as an organization. Routine exercise, a healthful diet, and maintaining our families and friendships outside the firehouse with regular activities are all key ingredients to a healthful lifestyle in and out of the workplace.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Although we cannot control the outside forces that negatively impact our work environment, we can control the impact it has on us mentally and physically. The bottom line is, and will continue to be, fire protection and service delivery.
It is virtually impossible to know what the future holds. It seems certain that our current trend will continue. However, it is imperative that we continue to recognize the potential impact it will have on our organization and the unique situations (some more than others) we find ourselves in and adjust accordingly. Being proactive instead of reactive will make a significant difference in how well members accept those adjustments so the transition will go more smoothly and minimize the effect on service delivery.
After all, dealing with crisis is what we do. Now, we just do more with less.
RICH BLIVEN is a captain with the Lyndon Fire Protection District in Louisville, Kentucky, serving as its public information officer and managing its Web site and social media outlets. He has served the district for 19 years as a volunteer and a career firefighter.
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