By TIM PILLSWORTH
How many times have you been in a store and heard a parent tell his child not to grab something or to respect someone’s property because it’s not “theirs”? For firefighters, this can include cars, their home (or firehouse), and so on.
Many fire service leaders do not treat the money given to them to run the fire department as “someone else’s.” However, too many leaders feel it is “theirs,” that they have complete and total control over what it can and will be used for. In years past, we have seen news stories such as a $500 toilet seat or a $1,000 hammer being purchased through government funds. Or perhaps a new tax plan that was devised to create new jobs in the state ends up costing taxpayers $168,000 per job. The attitude may be, “Hey, we have 312 new jobs in our state. Great!” But what happens when we see this money? It is hard-earned money that is collected through taxes for some program or service. Would you purchase a $500 toilet seat for your home if it was out of your own pocket? I think not.
Ask yourself, who is in charge of taxpayers’ money in your district, and how is it being spent? Are your station grounds unkempt, and are your equipment, tools, apparatus, and gear current? Does your department need a new engine, truck, rescue, or chief’s vehicle? Just because the money is there does not mean it needs to be spent on something. Departments need to be funded correctly, but some have too much money at their disposal.
A few years ago in New York state, some departments with very large budgets were spending money on things that they should not have such as expensive apparatus, chiefs’ vehicles, and trips to conventions. In many cases, these departments were in areas with very high property taxes. If you add up the high costs of public schools and town and county taxes, where normal taxes were in excess of $10,000 per year, many taxpayers were growing weary of the cost of living. So, the investigations began.
Local fire departments must be funded correctly; this should come from the local level, not from the state and federal government programs many have relied on today. This funding must cover the apparatus, equipment, gear, and housing for the number and types of alarms to which that department is expected to respond. Part of that money is required – not needed – to fund retirement, health and welfare, and support programs for the members and their families. Training, becoming more and more important, needs the correct funding for its supplies; materials; and travel, including room and board.
It is sad that many departments – volunteer and paid – cannot survive without funding from areas outside their jurisdictions. We should not have to look to outside sources to fund our day-to-day operations. As a leader of your department, you need to use the funding you are given correctly; it is not yours to spend as you see fit!
The Criminal
This despicable type of individual will give any department a horrible reputation for many years. He will make the front cover of the local newspaper, be the headline on a daily Web blog, or be the talk of any conference. Be it from the treasury of a company, a district, or an auxiliary, when someone steals money, it is bad news. Sadly, this happens far too often in many volunteer organizations. Recently, the district treasurer from a department in my area was arrested for stealing $5 million over several years. In the indictment, it was said that he purchased a house, cars, and gifts and worked on his home. The money he used for his personal gain was the taxpayers’ money collected for the membership of his department. What if a member did not get his personal protective equipment replaced when he should have and became injured as a result? Did this theft delay the purchase of a new engine or rescue truck or a building renovation? The outcome of the above case is still up in the air but, most likely, the treasurer will be required to “pay back” what was taken. What are the chances that the public gets its money returned? Some of it, perhaps. But all $5 million? Slim to none. The hard truth is that most of the money is gone and the trust is lost, and both will take many years to regain.
So, how can you reduce the chances of this happening? One person cannot have complete control over the books. You must hire an outside auditing authority to check the books each year. All payments must have a complete bill, a voucher, or some officially accepted method of receipt and be noted in the record (minutes) of a meeting. Many organizations require two signatures for payments of high amounts to increase the oversight. All these methods incur costs, time, and additional efforts by those entrusted with the taxpayers’ money. However, in the end, it is worth it so we don’t lose their trust.
Last, if you think there is something wrong with spending practices, don’t cover them up or ignore them. Sticking your head in the sand will not make the problem go away. It might upset some, but it will keep the department from being in the news for all the wrong reasons.
One-Upmanship
No other civil group has more pride in its equipment than the fire service. We clean and shine our apparatus and are proud of the names of our departments on our backs. However, don’t fall into the trap that if a department in the next town over has a 95-foot tower, your department needs to purchase a 100-foot tower so it has the largest one. Don’t feel that if your current rescue has one full set of preconnected rescue tools you will need a second (or even third) set, or that your rescue needs to be larger with new lights and sirens. Every piece of your equipment should meet the National Fire Protection Association’s minimum standards, but you don’t need gyrating warning or wobble lights, two new bells, or four new electro mechanical sirens on your engine, nor do you need $5,000 in new extras on your truck for a safe response. Spend the money issued to you for equipment that you need to operate safely. It’s always nice to put a bell on the equipment, but don’t go crazy.
Your department must also purchase and train for the hazards in your response area. Spending money just because you have it on a “cool” item is not something the taxpayer wants to hear.1 Also, in many areas, it is required for departments to have a chief’s truck. Perhaps you purchased a quality SUV from the state bid or maybe you received an even better price from the local car dealership that wants to support the fire department. Having members use their own vehicles to travel for training while transporting their dirty personal protective equipment should be a thing of the past. Keeping the previous chief’s vehicle as a support truck is a great idea, but you don’t need to advertise it or have more than one.
Trips and Training
Not long ago, a training line item was included in many of the yearly budgets. The cost of training was taken from another part of the budget and may have been listed as “miscellaneous” or some other form of equipment. However, because of the demands/changes in the job, government requirements of oversight, and a desire for our communities to be protected correctly, our training needs and requirements have increased. Fortunately, we now spend much more on training for our membership. Whether it is in the form of training DVDs, outside training companies, attending local conferences, or traveling to regional or national shows, the costs have increased. Now, there are travel, meal, and lodging costs included. This is where some departments have gotten into trouble, especially with overspending on conference travel. Departments have said to themselves, “We have the money, so why not?” Before you send any member to a conference, find out details about the conference – location, costs, and so on. Then determine if members want to attend to learn or to “party.” Remember, there is a limit of what should and can be paid for.
To keep the taxpayers willing to pay for the best training we can receive, we must spend their money wisely. Sponsor a needed, useful class at your own station, and make sure you can fill the class with students. Having a course on high-rise fires when you don’t have a high-rise building in your response area is likely a waste of money. Train, and pay for training that is required by your community. To ensure the class is full, offer some seats to your neighboring departments. This can help offset the costs of the course.
Rewards for Membership
Although being a volunteer firefighter is one of the most rewarding things you can do, the job has bad hours and no pay, is risky, and takes you away from your family and other pastimes. So, the rewards to the membership are very important. For example, many departments have adopted a retirement program. After many years of service, the community will give retirees a few hundred dollars a month; it’s not enough to retire on, but it’s something to help out.
When this program was first enacted, many taxpayers did not like the idea of giving a volunteer money. I was once asked about the need for this as well as the chief’s truck at my office when a female citizen asked, “Why should I pay for your retirement? You are a volunteer and should not be paid. And why do you get to drive a truck to your home? Who is paying for all the gas?” After a short talk on how many hours we put in preparing to protect her and her family as well as the chief not having to drive across town to get the chief’s truck for an alarm, she started to understand.
Please spend money and support your membership, but make sure what you do is in line with state and local tax laws. Give gifts, but don’t go overboard; that can make the department look bad.
Record Keeping
With the changes made to the New York state financial codes after some questionable spending, many departments were audited. Although many departments did well in the audits, some were found to have issues with their books, the results of sloppy record keeping and incorrect purchasing. Typically, these were honest or unwitting mistakes. In some cases, in-house changes – made with some help from an accountant – corrected that which was done in error.
However, some departments found themselves in hot water for incorrect major purchases. These mistakes included but were not limited to failure to have high-cost items go out for bid, not choosing the bid that matched the specifications issued, and incorrect contracting. These mistakes took a toll on some departments. When your citizens start to question how you spend their money, nothing good comes from it.
For purchases, follow your state’s tax and purchasing rules. If you are not sure of these rules, find out what they are prior to making a purchase. Typically, you can find advice and guidelines on your state’s Web site for fire prevention, from your local or state organization, or from your department’s accountant. Also, be careful when purchasing from members within your department. The purchase may be for a small construction project, snow removal, or new equipment, but it will be the subject of great scrutiny from the public, so ensure you’ve obtained all the correct documentation and state guidance. Support your membership and their businesses and buy local when you can, but don’t allow yourself or your department to be accused of “friendship awards.”
Equipment, Station, and Grounds
It is called a fire “house” because it is your home, a home away from home – a place to spend time, socialize, and train. Some departments are still owned by the membership, but this is becoming increasingly rare. However, most taxpayers do not know or care if the department is owned by the membership or not; they only care that their tax money is going to pay for all or a good part of it. So, treat it with great care. Members must treat their firehouse as if it can or will be taken away if it is misused. Some departments have had massive restrictions placed on the membership because someone did not respect the grounds, whether it was leaving a mess in the day room, a party that got out of control, or sitting on the bumpers of the rigs and yelling vulgarities at passersby.
Also, take care of the equipment. Although you might not have the time to wash the rigs after every call, you must keep them clean. Every station contains hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, so treat it as such. If your equipment is dirty and grimy all the time, you may get turned down for funding for a new engine, for example. The taxpayers see their investments on every run you make.
You also may use a chief’s vehicle for personal tasks, but it is not YOUR personal vehicle. Do not take it for family vacations, off-roading, long commutes to work, or illegitimate or illegal reasons. We have all read or heard the stories of how one bad apple can ruin a job requirement that’s considered a small perk for all.
The district needs to set guidelines on the use of the chiefs’ vehicles such as whether they can be driven to work and, if so, how many miles will be allowed and if someone who is not a member (i.e., spouse, child, or friend) will be allowed to travel or respond in them. If there are smart, clear guidelines, less can go wrong.
When you are entrusted with something, it is your duty to maintain it; protect it; and, most of all, respect it. This includes the money given to your department from the taxes collected from the people you have sworn to protect. All eyes are on the fire service because of our country’s difficult fiscal situation; members must accept that government funding is not “theirs” to spend as they please. Remember, there are eyes, ears, and cell phones everywhere just waiting to catch an unsuspecting firefighter with his hand in the cookie jar.
Reference
1. Pillsworth T. “How Demographics Have Changed the Volunteer Fire Service.” Fire Engineering (February 2016).
TIM PILLSWORTH is a 31-year fire service veteran and a member of the Washingtonville (NY) Fire Department. He began his career as a volunteer in Castleton, New York, and is a former chief of the Winona Lake (NY) Engine Company. He has authored and co-authored articles on engine company operations, target flows and nozzle operations, personal protective equipment (PPE), and volunteerism for Fire Engineering. He was the author of Chapter 9 on PPE for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II. Pillsworth is also a project engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.
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