IN RESPONSE TO THE DEMAND FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT CUTBACKS
Editor’s note: Fire departments face severe budget restrictions and cutbacks. All too often we hear of fire company closings, firefighter layoffs, and officer demotions. Fire service executives require the information and the tools to help forestall these drastic measures. Here is one such tool. Written in the form of an open letter by one of the nation’s leading fire managers, this article should provide you with sufficient data to nullify any rational arguments presented by the city to cut either the number of companies or the number of firefighters in each company. Adapt it to serve your own specific needs.
