This is going to be either a really quick column to read, or it is going to take you a few minutes longer as you contemplate what to do after you put it down. Let me ask you a question at the outset. Have you received an Assistance to Firefighter Grant? If you have never received a grant, then the rest of this column is not going to make much sense to you. However, if you are a grant recipient, I would like to pursue a couple of thoughts with you about common courtesy.

I am not talking in a general fashion; I am talking to each of you specifically who has received this grant. It matters not whether it was a small one that helped you overcome an obstacle in your department or a huge one such as a new fire station — the amount that was given to your fire department is irrelevant. What I am about to talk about is whether we are doing a good job of letting our federal legislators know that we appreciate their efforts.

So, here is the test: Have you ever written a thank-you letter to your congressman or senator, or to any of the individuals who sit on the various committees that support the AFG program? If the answer is “yes,” then please accept my respect. You have engaged in a common courtesy that wouldn't be much different than your response to receiving a very nice birthday present.

However, if you have received a grant and never expressed any appreciation to those who made it possible, you might be contributing to the reason why there is more and more resistance to ongoing funding of these types of grants. It is probably not very politic to talk about that resistance. As a matter of fact, so many of our leaders are fighting diligently to keep the AFG program alive and moving forward, and I know that they know we appreciate what we have been given.

But what brought this to my attention recently was a speaker who was explaining the AFG program to the gathering. When the event was over, I had a brief conversation with him, during which he revealed a little sensitivity that I want to relay back to you.

Essentially what he said was that despite giving away millions of dollars, there are more complaints than there are compliments. He didn't get very specific, and I didn't pursue specificity. I am quite sure that there are those of you out there who have picked up the phone and expressed your appreciation. I am hoping that some of you even took the time to write letters expressing that same sentiment.

If you haven't, there is an opportunity for you to act now. We should never take the AFG program for granted. While there are numerous people who have expressed concerns about how it is done, the fact is that it is being done at all is important to all of us. We have to have a strong sense of appreciation for just how far the federal government has gone to try to help us solve what is essentially a local problem.

There is no fire department of the United States. As a matter of fact, I am not sure that a monolithic entity that can be called the fire service of the United States even exists. Rather, we represent everything from small rural fire departments in places that might not even have a zip code all the way up to some of the most well organized, well trained and well staffed metropolitan fire departments in the world.

That doesn't exempt us from good common sense. It doesn't hurt to say thank you.

Of course, you have to mean it, as superficial issuance of a compliment may have the opposite effect. What I think we ought to be doing right now is examining two factors. The number one factor is whether the AFG program really has made a significant difference to the American fire service.

If it has, we should start helping the federal government understand that by giving feedback on the specific difference it has made in our communities. The paperwork on your grant application does not terminate with the final financial statement. We all need to follow up further by letting people know how much we appreciate what they have done for us.

My last point regarding common courtesy is that we need to recognize the diligence and hard work of all those who sit on our peer-review committees, and who are part of the bureaucracy that makes this system work. I know that the term “bureaucracy” has a negative connotation. However, without the dedicated staff and a huge amount of volunteer work — as well as the leadership of current and past administrators — the AFG program would have remained a pipe dream.

Take the time to say thank you.

Ronny J. Coleman has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the state of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System.

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