There is Much You Can Do to Remain Reliable and Viable

By Glenn Gaines
During the 1990s, local and state governments struggled to stay afloat during a recession that required fire and EMS departments to rethink their corporate structure and redefine their roles in government. New terms were created, such as downsize, right size, and delayer, all used to identify strategies that reduced cost. Now we find ourselves in the midst of another more severe recession that has the public and ultimately the media criticizing firefighter salaries and retirement systems. Many fire service leaders wonder why the focus is now on fire departments. The fact is we had been given a mulligan for the first few years of the recession. Many public-safety departments were not significantly harmed during the early stages of this recession. But now, most options for reducing government costs have been exhausted, taking us to this point where every agency, every contingency is on the table. Simply, it is our turn.

With less cash on hand, and possibly even less revenue in the future, it is evident that we have to identify our role in local risk reduction and consider what we can no longer afford to provide as a core service. Closing fire stations and/or restricting the public-education and code-enforcement efforts of a fire department have consequences, e.g., longer response times, that could increase fire losses and risk lives.

The formula for making these determinations cannot be based on a national boilerplate solution. Local risk, demographics, all-hazards death and injury rates, and property loss data all must be considered. These decisions must not be made in a vacuum, inside the walls of the fire station or fire chief’s office. City hall staff, political leaders and community representatives have to be included in analyzing risk and developing strategies that improve efficiencies and reduce costs, while ensuring that the most at-risk and underserved populations are identified and made a high priority.

When planning for downsizing, or reducing/eliminating levels of service, some very fundamental considerations must be addressed and hard questions have to be answered during the process, such as:

• How severe is the projected revenue shortfall for your department and the city/community in the coming year and beyond?
• How are other agencies in your local government impacted by this condition?
• How will changes in demographics — e.g., age, socioeconomic status, unemployment and ethnicity — impact service demand?
• What are the expectations of the political leadership, the community and other agencies in terms of fire and emergency-medical service levels?

Examples of stakeholder expectations for service include not only response times for fire and EMS, but incorporate other lines of business as well, such as hazmat intervention, technical rescue, wildland firefighting, vehicle extrication, public education, and code compliance for business, industrial and multifamily occupancies. However, before implementing any changes to current services, fire-service leaders should measure expectations against actual service demand experience trends, such as determining whether motor vehicle accident injuries are increasing, decreasing or remaining stable in number.
In addition, there are strategies that can be implemented to hold the line on life and property loss due to all-hazards incidents, or stemming from increased risks borne of reduced revenue.

Potential solutions include:

• Challenge community leaders on their expectations.
• Regionalize services whenever possible.
• Be clear in defining the level of specialty services to be undertaken; for example, first responder versus full technical capability.

During the last recession, while I was serving as fire chief, I was asked if we really needed “all those fire stations.” My response was simple yet direct: “Well, how long do we want these fires to burn, how large do we want them to become and how long do we want to wait for emergency medical aid — these are the deciding factors.”

We just do not know what the economic future will bring. The environment fire departments will face in the future is uncertain and to some degree unpredictable. Most forecasters (economic, political and others) now shy away from predicting beyond three to five years. However, we can expect to see certain consistencies.

Interesting dynamics playing into the current situation include the infusion of a large immigrant demographic, 80 million senior citizens from the baby-boomer population, and increasing competition from private fire and EMS corporations.
Technologies in all disciplines will change and provide opportunities for the fire service and EMS to work more effectively and efficiently. Coupled with that, we have seen the number of fires decrease by about 7% per year over the last decade, and that number will continue to trend downward. At the same time, demand for pre-hospital care will continue to increase due to a variety of circumstances — age, demographic shifts, healthcare costs and poverty, to name a few. The economy tends to cycle about every 10 years. Recessions and recoveries will occur. Fire and EMS organizations that plan for and position themselves for these events will be most successful in surviving and benefiting from each of them.

This profession will continue to be dangerous for all members. Physical and mental stress take their toll on humans exposed to products of combustion, chemical releases, instantaneous high-stress situations, physically demanding tasks and increasing pressure to know more and add additional skills.

Fire chiefs and EMS leaders will continue to be under pressure to provide core services at a lower cost and take on additional lines of business to ensure survivability and stave off privatization. Important and proven strategies to deal with all the issues previously listed include seeking partnerships with other local government agencies and with private entities in order to support one another’s core mission, and the regionalization of specialty services such as hazmat response, high-angle and below-grade rescue, and water rescue. Contracting out certain tasks such as EMS standard compliance classes, or requiring applicants to comply with certain minimum qualifications in order to be eligible for employment or membership in a volunteer company — rather than paying for a lengthy recruit school — will reduce costs and speed recruitment and hiring.

As the number of fire incidents continues to decline, fire chiefs must continue to seek other lines of related business to add value to local government and the community it serves. Developing public-awareness campaigns designed to reduce the number of vehicle-related causalities may be an avenue both fire and EMS should consider. Motor-vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of accidental death in most age groups every year. Approximately 30,000 people die from vehicle crashes each year, compared to less than 3,000 due to fire. Fire and EMS are the primary responders to these incidents; however, we do little in terms of preventing and mitigating this extraordinary loss of life.

Seeking opportunities for the fire service related to the emergence of alternative fuels is something that should be considered. Electric-vehicle charging stations, photovoltaic installations, and dispensing stations for hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles all should require permits and inspections, and are but a few examples of opportunities for fire department revenue generation.

Other opportunities for true corporate growth include creating programs to serve and support the baby boomer population, which currently numbers about 80 million. Last year, the first baby boomers turned 65, so most will be with us for at least another 15 years. They will become increasingly frail and will require additional health services and home care, particularly those who either choose not to or cannot afford to be housed in assisted-living occupancies. Fire and EMS organizations should begin working now with other agencies and non-governmental organizations — including faith- and community-based groups, neighborhood watch programs, and private companies that contract to provide health care services — to develop programs that are focused on improving awareness of fire and safety hazards.

Falls are the No. 1 cause of death and serious injury in the senior demographic, followed by kitchen fire hazards. We keep hearing that we don’t have the time or personnel to do home visits, but 80% of our incident responses are EMS, and often an engine accompanies the ambulance. Use this opportunity to conduct home health and safety checks, looking for functioning smoke detectors, slip or tripping hazards, worn or over-loaded extension cords, and grease build-up in kitchens, to name a few.

Many baby boomers will be housed in assisted-living centers. This could provide revenue-generating opportunities for fire and EMS organizations by conducting training courses for center staff in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillation (AED), and occupant emergency evacuation. Fees also can be charged for performing interagency transports. In addition, education in life-safety self-help and accident-and-injury prevention could be provided to this demographic, whether they are living independently, or in retirement, assisted-living, or nursing centers.

On the subject of EMS, fire departments that offer such services had better position themselves to compete with the private sector. Large buyouts of private, for-profit EMS provider organizations such as Rural Metro and AMR are occurring. These companies may be positioning themselves to take advantage of the baby-boomer demographic and their expanding need for EMS and out-of-hospital care. Reducing costs of service to be more competitive will mean fire-based EMS leaders and union officials must bond together now and strategically position their organizations to meet this challenge.

The future brings with it both challenging and opportunistic prospects for the fire and EMS services. There is an old saying that holds true for this condition: If you are looking for a big opportunity, look for a big problem. Fire and EMS leaders have the opportunity to stabilize, protect and grow their organizations for the future. They can do so by breaking down walls and working together in this common interest challenge that impacts employees and volunteer personnel — and, ultimately, the communities they serve.

— Glenn Gaines is the Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator.