Legislation and Funding
As part of the FireRescue1 Legislation & Funding topic, we highlight articles that will affect the bottom line of fire department budgets and operations.
Cuts by the Department of Health and Human Services sidelined 185 workers in Morgantown and idled 10,000 scientists nationwide
Mount Pleasant, N.C. was set to receive $4 million for storm protection and revitalization before FEMA scrapped the BRIC program, leaving critical projects in limbo nationwide.
IAFF President Ed Kelly says talks with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have heightened attention on saving some firefighter health and safety programs
Firefighter Cindy Schuenke was burned while trying to rescue a woman from a burning home; a court ordered the department to reinstate and pay her for the four years she was off the job
Michael Barrow said he was helping look for keepsakes on his wife’s family’s damaged property when he was arrested Sunday
The decision comes six years after another jury rejected Jabari S. Jumaane’s allegations of discrimination in the LAFD, a decision that was overturned by an appeals court
This story opens debate to the larger problem of firefighters losing money due to on-the-job injuries
The firefighter was reinstated with full back pay and seniority after a technical filing mistake made by the department
Those outside the fire service have a hard time understanding the costs to equip and maintain a fire department
Since the ladder truck request is already in the town’s budget, officials say it would be difficult to justify the request through the grant program
His charge went from public intoxication to disorderly conduct; he was ordered to pay a $100 fine, plus he has to stay enrolled in an alcohol rehab program
It will come down to local and state authorities to decide which model they choose to follow to provide fire and EMS
She said the county and city’s negligence led to the death of her son after failing to follow proper firefighting procedures
Residents are charged as much as $150 per year for each habitable structure they own; the fee replaces cuts to CalFire’s budget
A long-running contract dispute boiled over when the commission set out to buy apparatus it would use if it broke with the fire department
The ruling strips the county commission of authority to dictate where and how the department can respond
Andrew Cushman, 25, faces a felony charge for allegedly stealing from the department’s bank accounts
This leaves a total of 42 firefighters on staff in the city, and saves the city and taxpayers about $700,000; they will leave the vacancies unfilled
They have been asked to cut $4 million from its budget and rethink protocols, shifting more to a medical focus rather than fires
Three firefighter positions will be eliminated and three lieutenants will be demoted to firefighters to save money
A state audit shows that the responders should receive benefits if they work more than 15 hours per week
Fire departments need to do what it takes to equip themselves, but trouble lies down the road
The firefighters’ union is fighting for their pension by hiring their own team to look at the city’s dire predictions
There are fewer police layoffs, because their union and management have been coming up with cost-saving ideas
City leaders need to look for creative ways to build needed fire stations, even if that means incorporating retail or residential use into building
They unanimously approved including $850,000 for a new truck in its proposed 2014 budget; city officials said it was important to replace for the ‘safety of firefighters’
The El Paso County Commissioner said the “shortsighted” budgets have a major impact on wildfire mitigation
The department is looking for extra income, but city officials say the trucks are not an appropriate spot for advertisements
The overtime could reach $43 million, which is well above the $20 million budgeted by the mayor’s office
Municipal leaders and taxpayers must understand that each element of emergency service comes at a cost
The issue goes back to the spring of this year when the firefighters’ union approached the city about granting automatic promotions
The department is still without a permanent facility to operate out of, more than three months after a tornado hit
“I definitely feel discarded,” said firefighter Brendan Milewski, one of the firefighters featured in “Burn”