BY BILL MANNING
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“In the sacrifice of soldiers, the fierce brotherhood of firefighters, and the bravery and generosity of ordinary citizens, we have glimpsed what a new culture of responsibility could look like….As I have met the heroes, hugged the families, and looked into the tired faces of rescuers, I have stood in awe of the American people,” said President George W. Bush, in his January 29, 2002, State of the Union address.
Never before have firefighters received such reverential treatment from a U.S. president on this large and important stage. When Congress, stirred by Bush’s words, stood in ovation to recognize you that night, America was standing with them.
You, the President said, as he called on Americans to embrace and extend this new culture of responsibility, are the shining example. “Be like the firefighters,” he seemed to say.
Year after year, you pay a heavy price for who you are and what you do. Year after year, you have toiled in virtual political anonymity. Now, it is your time, American firefighters.
Bush’s bold address, with its notable inclusion of the fire service, set what, hopefully, will be a new tone in Washington regarding domestic response. Washington’s once persistent “fire service is a local issue” mantra, if not silenced, is just a whisper, its sparse articulation one of the results of that terrible day in September.
Now our federal representatives themselves must embrace and extend the Bush culture of responsibility by ensuring that resources and training for American fire departments are consistent with levels of response and risk, which always increase and never decrease.
A White House press release issued January 24, 2002, entitled, “Strengthening Homeland Security: President Bush’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2003,” outlines the Bush Administration’s goal to almost double the spending on secure homeland security. Proposed initiatives include more than $3 billion for local and state WMD training, equipment purchasing, and response planning. The program would be administered by FEMA.
“Police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical teams are America’s front-line soldiers in the event of a terrorist attack,” the release states. “These first responders have the greatest potential to save lives and limit casualtiesellipse. Even the best-prepared states and localities lack adequate resources to respond to the full range of terrorist threats this country faces.” The Bush plan emphasizes that enhancing local response capabilities for WMD incidents would bolster “everyday” response capabilities, with benefits to firefighters and every American citizen.
And the plan would not be a substitute for the federal fire grant program, which is alive and currently stands at $350 million for 2002.
Surely, we are in support of the President’s proposal. Shortly, it will be in the hands of Congress. We must turn up the heat of persuasion, if necessary, to make sure Congress accepts this new culture of responsibility regarding fire department preparedness and response as seriously as President Bush appears to have accepted it-and as seriously as you do. It will be up to us-fire service organizations, line firefighters, and even editors-to apply political pressure to help steer the right amount of money to the right people in the right places in ways it will do the most good.
Until then, take heart in that finally-finally!-our leader has declared, in effect, that what’s good for the fire service is what’s good for America.
For years, firefighters have spilled their blood and done more with less as part of the culture of responsibility that you know only too well. It seems now, given President’s Bush’s aggressive response initiatives and the political climate following 9/11, that Washington is prepared to step beyond the mostly symbolic gestures typically thrown toward the fire service and respond to your needs in meaningful, substantial, and responsible ways.
The President is in awe of you. So, it seems, is Congress. Now it’s time for them to put the money where their respect is. The real support the fire service has needed for so long seems close at hand.
Bill Manning
