An officer from the Las Vegas area told me something I never thought I would hear: Residents have been throwing eggs and spitting at fire trucks. The civil unrest is rooted in money — reduced budgets led to layoffs that led to inadequate staffing.

In nearby Clark County, Nev., residents lodged complaints about firefighters collecting money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The county commissioner subsequently found that firefighters were on duty during the three days of fund-raising and were collecting overtime and call-back pay. The taxpayers wondered, among other things, why the firefighters weren't collecting for a local charity?

Such instances are fanning the flames and creating unhealthy attitudes toward the fire service across the country. Residents not only are pushing back and refusing to approve referendums for fire departments, but they are criticizing any perceived preferential treatment given to fire departments.

The unrest isn't about you; it's about big shiny, chrome-dazzling fire trucks, now even more obvious with broad swaths of reflective tape. It is about newspaper reports concerning firefighters' six-figure salaries and large pensions for working only 10 days a month. It is about the side jobs that many firefighters work while so many others can't find even one job. Wait, maybe it is about you.

When I searched “firefighter layoffs” on the Web, I found thousands of stories of small and large departments suffering from budget cuts. I also found stories about pay reductions designed to save jobs and, ultimately, to keep firefighters safe. Citizens may worry about longer response times, but company officers worry about doing more with less staffing.

Also fueling this controversy is what one fire chief calls “equity immigrants” — urbanites who sell their million-dollar homes, downsize to rural America and expect the same emergency services. Do they realize they are leaving 5-minute response times for 12-minute (or more) response times? Do they realize they are leaving advanced life support for perhaps a basic life support ambulance service in less-than-suburban areas? No, they don't — and won't until they have a problem.

Many residents aren't used to being billed for fire and emergency services. They instinctively believe that their tax dollars should cover a call to 911, full response to a fire or rescue incident, and medical transport. These same residents cause an uproar when a fire department starts billing for response — but what alternative is there in this tough economy? People are willing to pay more for 10 ounces of coffee than a gallon of gasoline, so why do they still expect emergency services to be free?

Whether the U.S. is in a recession or depression depends on the messenger, but the fire department's role has changed from primarily putting out fires to an all-emergency response agency that works the majority of the time in conjunction with police. Both professions demand higher levels of training and professionalism in response to increased risks and hazards.

A city manager in Florida described to me the priorities of his citizens: turn on the tap and get water, have the toilet flush, have the electricity work and receive immediate response when they call 911. So what can a municipality cut from its budget? The city manager — a former fire chief — is particularly hesitant to cut the fire department budget.

Fire chiefs deal with all types of emergencies and disasters on a moment's notice, but the severity of the current budget disaster has caught most by surprise. Many of the chiefs I spoke with now don't expect relief until 2013.

Perhaps it is time to start reaching out to the community and spelling out the facts: Trained staff costs money. Something needs to change — too bad public education often is the first thing cut.