At some time in your life, you probably played the game grapevine or telephone. It started with one person whispering a sentence or statement to the person seated beside him or her, who in turn, whispered it to the next. The process repeats itself until the last person in the sequence announces what he or she heard. It usually ended up nonsensical and nothing like the words whispered to the first person.

The modern version of this game is FWD, or forwarded e-mails. At the end of last year, there were chains of e-mails about increasing budget cuts at the National Fire Academy, the mistreatment of the fire service within the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, and demands to move the U.S. Fire Administration to its own directorate.

In a Command Post editorial, I included comments from a retiring NFA employee what seemed to open the floodgates to even more concerns. The brief, and impromptu, interview stands. He was a dedicated, respected employee who made significant contributions to our nation's fire and emergency services. I consider him a friend. There were many elements of truth in what he said, from his perspective, offered as only a departing employee could risk saying.

This led others to raise questions about the USFA's budget, including members of Congress. In response to a plethora of forwards, the International Association of Fire Chiefs organized a Fire Service Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., held during the last week of February. Eighteen fire service associations, organizations and media outlets participated in what was designed to be a factual presentation of the financial status of the USFA and the NFA with the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to the facts, the summit was to establish a common understanding of other issues, and identify a possible strategy to address the growing concerns.

What did we learn at this summit? A full report is available at www.firechief.com. But in short, U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison presented the funding history from 2002 to 2005 and FEMA's Chief Operating Officer Ken Burris was available to answer questions. Paulison described money that was moved and why it was moved. He explained how the funding of some areas was only intended for one year. For well over an hour, Paulison described the USFA budget, addressed known e-mailed misperceptions, and answered questions. Paulison said, “The numbers are what they are.” After lunch, several Congressional staffers answered questions about the DHS budget, process and appropriations. A few were well-versed in D.C.-speak, while others addressed fire service concerns.

What's the bottom line ? The fire service is not as bad off as the grapevine would have it, at least with respect to the funding of the USFA. There were and will continue to be adjustments to the budget. Even the best budgets are susceptible to a variety of economic factors or situations.

Should the U.S. Fire Administration be moved to another directorate? I don't think so. The fire service needs to be working closely with other agencies involved in disaster management. The National Incident Management System and National Response Plan form a good base.

Is the NFA in decline because federal funding has been slashed? No. I think it's a time of transition, and the NFA must meet the needs of the future leaders. The formation of DHS has forced all public agencies — particularly security, response and safety — to restructure to better prevent, prepare and respond to disasters or incidents never before imagined.

I think the most positive sign, though, is what brought this fire service leadership meeting to fruition. I believe it was the strong voice of the fire and emergency services from across the country. But there needs to be good, direct communication between all involved.

In his opening statement to the summit, IAFC President Bob DiPoli related that he'd had lunch with departing DHS Secretary Tom Ridge. DiPoli said that Ridge made the comment, “You don't realize how much power you have with Congress.”

You have the power. Use it wisely. And if you play FWD, make sure the message you forward to the next person is identical to the message you received.

Keep the communication open.