Rylee Allen
When thinking about the fire station and all that comes with it--the trucks, engines, gear, tools, etc--many think
that the budgeting should be lowered, but firefighters at the firehouse can’t even make profit. Instead they
follow the break-even tactic as their best friend. For example, firehouses charge for the service of EMS (emergency medical services),
however the cost of the service is nowhere near the cost for providing the service; they stock up on supplies and
other necessities for providing care, and never fully get reimbursed for those purchases.
Moving on to some specific costs, the gear needed in order to stay safe while fighting an active fire alone costs
$12,010, and this is just the personal protective gear and self contained breathing apparatus. On top of needing
the correct safety gear, the firefighters also need to buy and maintain engines and trucks which can cost up to
$950,000 depending on the type of truck, along with a maintenance fee of around $5,700. Looking at this list of expenses
which go towards
the budget, you can see that this station needs an operating budget of at least $176,732, and this is just for this
station's specific operating procedures in the 2018-19 year.
If anything, with all that the fire service does for the community, the operating budget should be increased, not decreased.
Stations are forced to close when not provided with enough funding, and this then leaves areas of the community
without a close station for when things go wrong. Another issue the fire service faces with funding and operational
budgeting is the population size. More people in a population require more firefighters and EMTs which requires the station
to be spending more money on staffing rather than other essentials such as new tools and equipment or needed gear.
Overall, it’s understandable as to why others would want to decrease the operating budget of the forestations; nobody
likes paying high taxes, but in the end, the fire service is here for all of us when things go bad. They are here for the
community when any member of society is in a vulnerable position, and they risk their lives to save ours. If not increasing
the operating budget to keep gear up to date, purchase new and safer tools, or maintaining engines which help
save lives, at least keep the budget the same in order to prevent these stations from being forced to close due to lack of funding.
Works Cited
Fire Department Budget Strategies | Fire Engineering.
www.fireengineering.com/apparatus-equipment/fire-department-budget-strategies/.
“How Much Does a Fire Truck Cost?” What Is the Price How Much Does a Fire Truck
Cost Comments, www.howmuchisit.org/fire-truck-cost/.
“Tips for Budgeting for Technology in the Fire Service.” PowerDMS,
https://www.powerdms.com/policy-learning-center/tips-for-budgeting-for-technolo
gy-in-the-fire-service.
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