Defending the Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Defending the Budget - Essay Example As at September 2011, the department had 88 firefighters, 42 officers, 6 engines and 2 ladders (Fire-Rescue 2012). Recently, there has been a study stating that the department is inactive and slow at responding to emergency calls. This claim has driven the city manager to propose a reduction of the department’s budget due to the cited inactivity in this fire department. As the fire chief in this institution, I would like to express that this assumption is not true. This is because my department has carried out all its responsibilities and emergency responses with required efficiency. The department has not only attended to many calls in the time of my service to the station but also successfully managed to put out major fires and rescue many people, property and pets from burning houses and buildings. However, contrary to the viewpoint of the city manager, the Medford fire department does not involve itself with fire emergencies only. There are several other activities that we are actively involved in every other day. They include, examining buildings for hazards, evaluating new constructions, setting up car seats for children, offering fire prevention services, heavy rescue, and providing fire station tours. For instance, in the month of March this year, there were regular inspections carried out by officials of the department on fire and life safety division (FLSD) where 92 hazards were noted and immediate action was taken to rectify the situation (Fire-Rescue, 2012). The current amount in the budget is sufficient to cater for the emergency responses and other off-emergency activities the department is responsible for. Currently, my department receives and attends an average of two incidents every week. We have always ensured that the emergencies are attended to in the shortest time possible as saving lives is our first priority. These responses also include fire scares where our department always solves the crisis restoring confidence in people. The f irefighters are very co operative and will attend to their duties at any time of day or night. Their motivation and enthusiasm in their work has helped save lives. This kind of vigilance has been met with proper remuneration extended to all employees and supervisors of the department. In certain occasions, budgeted monetary rewards are also extended to firefighters who have performed best in their obligations. Therefore, in order to uphold the same levels of salaries and rewards, it is important to maintain the budget. Otherwise, a cut may demotivate the employees leading to underperformance. This would put many individuals and buildings in the danger of being consumed by fire. To successfully fight fire, collaboration between the general public and the fire fighters is essential. This collaboration can only be enabled by an effective communication process. The communication devices used by Medford fire fighters are up to date and are effective in accomplishing the objective of pass ing on information to its users. This has helped avoid many deaths that might have occurred during fire incidents. The firefighting team is always ready to take the emergency calls and attend to the fire rescues at any time of day. The maintenance of this efficient communication lines requires funds. Therefore,