Have you ever stopped to ponder the full potential of the American fire service? I'm not talking about its effect on politics or special interests, but of the potential as an industry to do more than make our communities safer. Think of the assets we have: highly skilled paramedics; instructors who could hold their own in any corporate boardroom; executive officers with great vision; and an army of resourceful, innovative workers who can reduce the most ominous of jobs to an afternoon's work. I'm sure you could think of many more examples if you just took some time to identify the people within your own organizations.

Why is this important or even relevant? Think for a moment of the impact the fire service could have if we made a concerted and collective effort to solve problems beyond our traditional scope, problems that will affect generations to come by creating a new environment. Think about the problems within our culture and nation that trickle down and have a negative impact on our own communities, like the strained public health care system, declining economies and public schools, and strained race relations.

Health care premium

I can hear the arguments: “Why are these issues important? They don't affect my pay check.” Wrong. When was the last time you heard that pay increases would be slim to none because of the rising cost of providing employee health care? It affects the fire service in a most significant way because most all our members retire before becoming Medicare-eligible. This leaves many of our own throwing their pension checks at high-deductible, out-of-pocket insurance coverage for themselves, spouses and perhaps some kids who are still living at home.

The cost of health care is a national problem that translates into a local problem, and the fire service could be a positive player in helping to reduce these costs. A major contributing factor to the high cost of health care is attributed to the cost-shifting of coverage from those who don't have health care coverage to those that do. In other words, if an uninsured patient runs up a $1,000 emergency room bill, that cost will be shifted by the coverage providers to the people who pay the coverage premiums.

“So what,” some might say, “we can't do anything about that.” Wrong again. What if we strived to be more diligent as life-safety educators, expanding our scope beyond stop, drop and roll? Call volumes in emergency rooms could be greatly reduced through a strategic planning process that promoted child seat/restraint device safety and protective gear for cyclists and skaters. We could network with local public health officials to provide public vaccinations and assist in efforts such as free community health clinics. We could teach healthy lifestyles in our school programs, speaking about the value of eating right and getting plenty of exercise. Such a campaign delivered nationwide by the fire service could save billions in health care costs and increase the quality of life for our communities and nation as a whole.

Many progressive departments already have adopted these ideals and values with great results, but think about the nationwide impact if the American fire service were in accord on this issue.

Reducing decay

Economic decline for a city large or small will have catastrophic impact on the jurisdiction's ability to maintain its levels of service. The variables contributing to the decline are many and varied, but this reduction in revenue has a root cause: Essentially people aren't spending their money within their own jurisdiction. Larger cities are losing revenue to suburban communities, which are experiencing exponential growth and corresponding retail opportunities for the citizens. While it's good for the economy of a neighboring jurisdiction, the result can be devastating to those who remain in the larger city and rely on those services the larger city provides.

If the cycle perpetuates, the larger city school systems will decline, causing even more people to leave. Eventually you'll have a large city that employs the majority of the people within the region but with fewer and fewer people living there. The school system won't attract new people, who will opt to relocate to the outlying communities with newer housing, newer school facilities and higher test scores. The people who remain in the large city are those families that can't afford to leave or those that are in a more favorable financial condition who can afford to send their kids to private schools. Those citizens without children may remain in the large city, but they are very unlikely to support tax increases on themselves to support a decaying public school system. The cycle perpetuates and the exodus continues.

I can almost hear the critics saying, “There's nothing that the fire service can do about this problem; besides, it's not in my job description.” While perhaps it's not in your job description per se, there is plenty the fire service can do. The fire service could help to reduce the blight through neighborhood cleanup and improvement campaigns. The passion, leadership and can-do attitude of the American fire service can light a fire of enthusiasm that would reverse the cycle of decline and decay.

Picture a fire service that leads the charge to improve a neighborhood by starting with a single home. Local businesses would sponsor such a project, and from that small success, lessons would be learned. Lot by lot, neighborhood by neighborhood, the curse would be reversed and a newfound pride and optimism would grip the city. The school system would have new hope and support not previously enjoyed. Real estate within the city would become a more attractive investment because the values are no longer declining. New jobs are created, attracting more people. The enthusiasm and pride causes more people to roll their sleeves up and be part of something bigger than themselves. This city on the rise will now attract new people, private investment will increase and a legitimate sustained reversal of the cycle can now occur. Picture now a new perpetuating cycle of growth and prosperity. Decay can't survive in this new environment.

I hear someone saying, “You don't understand how under-staffed, under-equipped and overworked we already are! These concepts you've discussed could not happen until we get our department's needs met first.” My response to that is simple. If you employ these methods, the needs that you describe will take care of themselves. Lack can't survive in this new environment.

Repurposed approach

You may have noticed that I have not addressed strained race relations to this point. That's because it can longer exist in this new environment. Picture our diverse fire service membership, with their city's name proudly across the back of those T-shirts, working side by side, not concerning themselves with which politician is going to get the credit, but simply intent on making a difference in the lives of those they serve. Once you get this picture etched in your mind, you too will realize that race will no longer be a barrier, and the citizens that we serve will agree and respond in-kind. Simply put, racism can't survive in this new environment.

The new environment begins when people purpose themselves to make a difference. It always starts small, sometimes with only one person who has idea. Each of us has an ability to contribute to the creation of this new environment. Collectively, the American fire service has the capacity to have this kind of impact if we so choose. What say you?

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Greg H. Neely is currently serving as deputy fire chief of the Broken Arrow (Okla.) Fire Department. He spent 22 years with the Tulsa Fire Department before retiring there as a district chief. Neely has a master's degree in fire and emergency management administration from Oklahoma State University, is a Harvard Program Fellow and is a graduate of the NFA Executive Fire Officer Program. He is an adjunct instructor with the National Fire Academy and Oklahoma State University.