Retired firefighters should unite
James S. Cizek
Lieutenant (Retired)
St. George, Utah
I am a longtime subscriber of Fire Engineering and was published in your magazine and a few others during my active duty in the fire department. I can no longer sit by without writing to describe my observations concerning all the political double talk that has almost wrecked the fire service. The budget fight with FEMA is like running into a brick wall. They say that the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the grease.
What we need is an organization for retired firefighters who are still interested in helping their fellow firefighters. We represent many votes and with the right direction could help the fire service nationally as well as affect state and city elections. To get anywhere with politicians, you must have an organization.
As things stand now, laws that are supposed to protect firefighters are being passed. Cities say there are fewer fires, so you don`t need as many firefighters. They do not say that there are still civilian deaths and that firefighter deaths are not going down. They do not say how much the fire losses are costing this country.
A retired firefighter is beholden to no one and can express to anyone his thoughts on what needs to be done. We must bring the national and local fire service up to the highest standard possible so that the first response is one that has enough personnel and equipment to stop most fires in their tracks.
I believe that a national organization for retired firefighters can work. My hat is off to the many state organizations that try to keep an eye on their state politicians with regard to pension and disability matters, but they cannot put pressure on the federal legislators as a united group of firefighters can.
