Doing More for Less: Cutbacks hit State Fire Marshal
The news we recently received from Minnesota State Fire Marshal Jerry Rosendahl really wasn't that surprising. Cutbacks in his department have resulted in some operational changes, which will impact the region's fire departments. You can read about these changes in either the Fire Wire publication or on the website. I decided to run the entire Memo on the website so you will have this information straight from the source. I won't insult your intelligence by repeating all of this information in this editorial.
Throughout this country, we are seeing huge reductions in government services. It starts at the federal level and goes right down to the locals. You can't escape the cuts, they are reality and you have to deal with them. The reasons for the cutbacks are many. These include a soaring federal debt, tax breaks to certain income earners, increases in health care costs and increases in costs in general.
The cutbacks in the State Fire Marshal's Office are a reflection of these many financial reasons impacting government today. For the local fire departments, the cuts mean we will have to "step up to the plate" and begin training our people in fire investigation. We'll end up working more closely with local law enforcement, which is also feeling the impacts of cutbacks. We will have to do more with less. We will have to meet this challenge head on, just like we have done for years. We are going to get better at fire investigations. We will put together our limited financial resources and build regional fire investigation units, which will work with the State Fire Marshal's Office. Perhaps, when all is said and done, we will have a better, more efficient fire investigation system. Who knows?? We may even set the standard for the rest of the country to follow. Minnesotans are like that, you know. We may complain at first, but then we pick ourselves up and move forward. In the end, we are much better off. Just wait and see. It will take time, but we will get there. We've done it before. We will do it again!