No matter what type of fire department that you lead, your 2012 budget process probably has been one of the biggest administrative challenges that you’ve faced as chief. Most governments — whether federal, state or local — are looking for the utopia of a balanced budget, without new revenue streams, that will have little or no impact on the quality of service. In most cases that desire has become extremely illusive, so the resultant discussions may include such issues as layoffs, station brown outs or closures, and service cuts.

What may be the most unusual aspect of this year’s budget process is that for the first time since the double-digit inflation of the Carter Years (1977–1980), it appears that the budget stress has shifted to the politicians and administrators. They’ve already cut in the usual areas, and they don’t have a clue when the economic downturn will rebound to offer some level of a stable economy to again deliver a consistent revenue stream. The problem for them is how much revenue can be guaranteed to even begin to project a reliable annual budget. Most of the fire service has had difficulties just making it through 2011. So what can we, as fire chiefs, do to offer leadership in this time of uncertainty?

First, we must always be up front and honest with our people, our administrators and our public as to the impact of budget cuts on our service levels. This has to be a realistic assessment of the budgetary impact and does not mean that we just play the “Everyone is going to die” trump card. The scare tactics may have worked even a year ago to help bolster a budget, but most hard-working citizens already are strapped trying to make it through the month and pay their bills — they are tired of and simply not buying into the predictions of gloom and doom.

Second, it is time for us to be innovative and creative. If you haven’t been working collaboratively with some or all of your neighboring departments, now is the time to begin. If you are working collaboratively, then it’s time to try some additional, innovative ideas that may result in the continuation of our core services at our present levels, i.e. fire, EMS, fire prevention, code enforcement and training. You need to think as if the survival of your department depends on your ability to be creative, because more than likely this is year that statement rings very true.

Third, in being creative, we must not sacrifice the safety of our personnel. What does that mean? We have to maintain staffing on each arriving unit and, combined with those from surrounding departments, still meet the minimum number of personnel required for a structure fire, depending on its type and occupancy. Adequate staffing levels may require three engines, a ladder, a rescue and a chief on residential structures or five engines, two ladders, a rescue and two chiefs — or more — on an industrial complex. Where have you traditionally gotten this number of people? If it’s been from your own department, chances might be that your 2012 budget will no longer allow that to happen. One innovative solution is to draw on departments from an increasingly larger area to respond into your jurisdiction. That, however, may translate into further travel distances and longer response times.

So what other options are there for us? One thought is combined staffing. For example if a two-apparatus station is cut from a staff of six to five, it may make sense going forward to adequately staff just one apparatus at that station and detail the fifth member to a neighboring department’s station that only has three on duty. In that way, both apparatus responding to a fire in either jurisdiction have adequate staffing. The catch must be that both departments should agree on a combined SOP so that this swing firefighter doesn’t have to remember what station he is working at on a given day. This SOP should address, at a minimum, mayday procedures, radio communications, rules of engagement, and procedures for determining the assignments for the first- and second-due engines and the initial ladder company.

If you are dedicated to firefighter safety through adequate staffing, then the next set of ideas may hold some credence for you. It is time for the fire service to again consider the use of highly trained reserve, retained or volunteer firefighters to augment our staffing. Many major departments over the past 50 years — and certainly most small- to medium-sized departments — had transitioned at some point from a volunteer organization to a combination or career department. The standard belief was that over time increased work and family obligations would result in increasingly fewer people volunteering for the fire service. Now the truth is that, in these tough economic times, people are looking for part-time, even volunteer work that could eventually lead to a more stable career. No one in the fire service can be assured that the current budget constraints won’t last for several years, but having adequate staffing is the problem we need to solve today.

Let’s look at several past uses of augmented staffing. During World War II, staffing levels in fire departments fell drastically — not only because firefighters enlisted or were drafted into military service, but also because the country’s pool of able-bodied men and women were mobilized to the victory effort. Consequently, large cities openly recruited citizens over the draft age to become highly trained reserve firefighters. These reserve firefighters regularly were assigned to local engine houses and spent countless hours on their own time augmenting the regular crew members. They felt wanted and needed as they were protecting their local neighborhoods. Equally important, by being at the station, they were immediately available to respond with the regular crew.

Equally helpful may be those individuals who do not wish to become trained firefighters, but have EMS skills and ability. If not already qualified, these individuals could be trained to the EMT or EMT-P levels. These individuals, when assigned to an ambulance or a medic unit, may allow a regular firefighter to transition to an engine or ladder to increase that staffing level. For the investment in training and education, you can have them sign an agreement for a minimum amount of time to serve the department as a part-time employee, or they would be bound to reimburse you for the training costs should they choose to leave.

Not happy with the use of citizens in the department? Then what about rehiring retired firefighters on a part-time basis for tasks such as fire prevention and code enforcement? That may free up enough personnel to better staff fire and EMS operations.

Reserve or volunteer firefighters/EMTs coupled with the wider use of automatic aid to assemble the needed staffing and equipment; joint purchasing of standard equipment and supplies; state cooperative purchasing for large-ticket items, from turnout gear to fire apparatus; and sharing of support staff or technical services all are means within our grasp to make it through these tough economic times.

With a little planning and foresight, automatic-aid agreements also may result in significant cost savings — e.g., the elimination of redundant types of apparatus, such as ladder trucks or heavy rescues, in adjourning communities — while providing each department with a specialty unit that can be relied upon by its neighbors in a true cooperative spirit.

So what is the bottom line? These are probably the toughest economic times since the double-digit inflation of the late ’70s and early ’80s. That economic crisis lasted for several years, and there was no quick fix for any level of government. Then, as now, the fire service had to find new and innovative ways to operate. Collaboration coupled with the use of part-time or volunteers to augment the work force may be a way to forgo the other more dreaded “C” word: Consolidation.

Related Stories

• How to Get Your Fire Department Through the Budget Crisis
• Fire Departments Need Public Support in Budget Battles
• Consolidation Forces Fire Chiefs to Rethink Leadership