Below is a link to the news story as posted by our WebChief:

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/obama-proposes-significant-afg#firegrants

In light of the recent turn of events or in this case, a downturn, I have quoted a portion of a speech that President Obama delivered in January of this year:

Taken from January 8, 2009 speech: …Finally, this recovery and reinvestment plan will provide immediate relief to states, workers, and families who are bearing the brunt of this recession.  To get people spending again, 95% of working families will receive a $1,000 tax cut – the first stage of a middle-class tax cut that I promised during the campaign and will include in our next budget.  To help Americans who have lost their jobs and can’t find new ones, we’ll continue the bipartisan extensions of unemployment insurance and health care coverage to help them through this crisis.  Government at every level will have to tighten its belt, but we’ll help struggling states avoid harmful budget cuts, as long as they take responsibility and use the money to maintain essential services like police, fire, education, and health care…

Through out President Obama’s campaign, he voiced his strong support for public safety-fire, EMS and police.

Once elected, he again-without prompting by special interests or anyone else-voiced his unmitigated support for public safety.

The “impression” that I got from his statements were that; even in an economy that was struggling, we needed to continue essential services and look elsewhere to cut budgets. Again; this is what I took his statements to mean.

So, I either misunderstood or President Obama has since changed his position with regards to cuts to public safety.

With regards to the AFG program, it appears as though we are going to see increases in SAFER, USFA, SHSGP and UASI grants, but what the majority of departments in this country uses-the FIRE Act portion-seeing a 70% CUT in funding. Even with the increases, it is still 56% below the money that was requested in 2008.

So, my sub-discussion to this blog is: why would we give billions to the failing auto industry whose employees, at the very least, would have a long vacation from the assembly line, while drawing unemployment and sub-pay benefits and receiving re-training for at least two years, compliments of the U.S. Taxpayer. The UAW gets 55% ownership in Chrysler that they will sell to the highest bidder and then take the money and pay for retirement and medical benefits for their workers.

WHAT? But if someone else buys the UAW’s stake, then won’t we be dealing with this again, unless the buy-out includes non-union or open shop language? In other words; will the buy-out language stipulate that the UAW will be the bargaining agent for the workers?

And this is private business that we are talking about.

What about the public sector-US?

Fire stations are closing. Firefighters are being laid off. Reduced staffing is raising risk. Smaller, initial response crews are causing delays waiting for back up. Equipment is becoming unsafe, because there is no money to repair/replace it. Retirements aren’t being filled.

Overtime to cover openings is causing stress and fatigue in firefighters.

In many areas of the country, cuts to FIRE Act are going to affect EVERY segment of the fire service.

From volunteers to career; from fire prevention to fire suppression; from PPE to wellness/fitness; from new truck to apparatus replacement and of course, the topic of this blog; the SAFER grant program.

Why SAFER? Because, even though the money is increasing, there will be issues of retention of programs once the grant is awarded and received. What happens after the five years are up and no new money to continue funding the manpower is found? I think we know the answer.

Let’s face it; it is difficult to create new revenue streams, unless you have recently discovered that your city is sitting on top of vast gold reserves.

Either you are barely getting by or just trying to survive. Public safety must continue to provide services unfettered and uninterrupted…

Even if the President won’t back his words with action and encourage Congress to fund public safety at levels to insure that services will see no change from what it has always been: the best in the world.

TCSS.