What’s the recession doing to public safety?
As people buy less and their homes fall in value, governments collect less of the taxes that support police and fire departments. Does that make us all less safe?
Pete Franks, a volunteer firefighter in Hastings, Iowa, says it has become more difficult to recruit new volunteers to his department.
There has been, for some time, a decline in volunteer firefighters and volunteer rescue/EMS personnel. This is particularly true in rural/exurban areas like ours. Although I can’t tie it directly to recession, it seems as though fewer people are able to, willing to, or inclined to get involved. Economic concerns and personal stability tend to push volunteer obligations to the margins.
Let’s hear from those who work in paid and volunteer public safety jobs - fire, police, and emergency medical services. How are all the foreclosures, layoffs, and dwindling tax revenues affecting the way you do your job? You can share your insights directly with our newsroom, or post a comment below.
Jeanne Criss, a retired emergency dispatcher from Huntington Beach, Calif. has noticed cutbacks at the department where she still works the occasional fill-in shift.
In the long term, we will never be out of business, but, like the schools, our ability to perform our duties will become more and more compromised until the economy turns around. One thing that has happened is some training has been cut, which can’t be good. And some repairs, upgrades and improvements have been put on the back burner.
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