No Silver Bullets

I wish I had a silver bullet that would solve our problems. But the worst recession in decades is putting workers across the United States in the line of fire as jobs are cut and nest eggs vanish. Tax revenues at all levels are down significantly. It’s clear that even public safety — usually one of the last to be hit — won’t be immune from this recession.

The headlines on the cover of this magazine show (you can view dozens more at www.iaff.org) that no one and nothing in the United States is recession-proof — not even the fire service. In many cities, our members’ jobs, wages, benefits and safety are already on the chopping block.

Since economists can barely tell us which way is up these days, we truly don’t know which jurisdictions will be hit hardest, how deep the cuts will run or how long the recession will last.

We do know that 2.6 million U.S. workers lost their jobs last year and that the pace of layoffs picked up in January of this year. Every segment of the economy is vulnerable; neither the private nor the public sector is being spared.

Caterpillar is cutting 20,000 jobs, Pfizer is cutting about 20,000 jobs and Microsoft cut 5,000 workers, to name a few of the largest companies in the private sector. Canada has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs, too.

New York City has shut down fire companies overnight and is considering further cutting crew sizes on some apparatus. Atlanta, Georgia, and Redlands, California, are furloughing fire fighters. In Warren, Ohio, public officials began an indefinite layoff of fire fighters in January. The City of Vallejo has filed for bankruptcy. And those are only a few of many, many examples.

So what do we do? Run and hide? Hell no. However, we also can’t deny that fire department budgets could face the same fate as others in the public sector as a result of decimated tax revenue. I realize that in many communities throughout the United States, our affiliate leaders already are faced with severe budget problems and have been forced to discuss a way out of the mess with their public officials. For the rest of you, be warned: discussions over how to solve your jurisdiction’s potential or current budget crisis are likely a matter of when, not if.

Our Canadian affiliates have so far escaped any widespread cuts, but Canadian employers cut 129,000 jobs in January 2009, the sharpest monthly plunge on record, and economists expect the jobless rate — now at a four-year high of 7.2 percent — to climb further this year, so they aren’t far behind.

As your union, it’s our job to give affiliates a map so you can do your best to avoid the landmines. We need to help you develop a strategy so you are taking the right steps to minimize the potential impact on your members, your affiliate and your city.

The most important first step is for you to get a seat at the table in any talks over local budgets. You will be better off if you are part of the debate over your role in fixing the economic health of your town, city, county, state, province or fire district.

Force your public officials to open their books so you know the full scope of the problem or whether opportunistic politicians are using recession fears to get cuts from employees.

Tell public officials that there are safe, smart, time-limited ways that your affiliate can help your jurisdiction navigate its way out of a crisis. Just as importantly, let them know there are unsafe, short-sighted measures — like cutting staffing — that put lives of fire fighters and citizens at risk, and that you are going to expose dangerous cuts. Being engaged gives you a better chance of convincing public officials to look elsewhere for savings, to help them figure out the right answer and not settle for what appears to be a quick, easy and usually unsafe solution.

For us, protecting our members’ lives comes first, and crew sizes and staffing levels are the most important factors when it comes to your safety.

Use NFPA 1710. Hold it up as the minimum that’s acceptable, even if your jurisdiction is not at 1710 levels now — you should be working toward it, not going backwards and endangering lives.

Engage your fire chiefs in this discussion. Every chief worth his salt will publicly support 1710’s goals and should do everything in his or her power to draw the line at staffing cuts. Those who don’t support 1710 are clearly unprofessional and should not be in charge of our members’ lives or the public’s safety.

Each affiliate must determine the best path to take to protect its members. And know that we are here to help you in that work.

We are lobbying Congress to get additional aid to state and local governments to address budget shortfalls. We are developing a comprehensive online resource to arm IAFF affiliate leaders with information, tools, databases and other means so they can help themselves. We have streamlined the process to access the IAFF’s vast programs and expertise, including our municipal financial analyses, EMS operations assessments, GIS mapping and public relations assistance.

The reality is that there is no silver bullet to fix the economic chaos engulfing North America. But I assure you, this IAFF will do everything it can to help our affiliates and members dodge the bullets that are likely coming your way from this recession.

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