NCJ Number
206267
Journal
Homeland Defense Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 14-16
Date Published
May 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a training program for nonfirefighters on the staff of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) as well as comments by participants on such issues as fire department staffing problems, financing, and resource accessibility.
Abstract
The 1-day training class called "Fire Ops 101" for nonfirefighters was hosted by Fairfax County (Virginia) firefighters at their training academy. The union's staffers were deemed "recruits for a day" as they were subjected to the physical challenges faced by firefighter recruits, including wearing firefighter outfits, carrying hoses, entering a building through high windows, and controlling a fire inside a blockhouse while flames leaped across a ceiling. The IAFF's General President Harold A. Schaitberger was present for the event. In an interview for this article, he stated that two-thirds of the fire departments in the United States are understaffed, with approximately 40 percent of the unionized departments having just two firefighters to a truck; the standard set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is four. Schaitberger and the IAFF have been highly critical of the Bush administration for cuts in first-responder grants, including firefighters, although representatives of the Bush administration deny that this is the case. Schaitberger claims that although the Bush administration touts homeland security as a Federal responsibility, it has taken the position that firefighting is a local issue. In addition to lack of funding for staff and resources, resource accessibility is also a problem. Hazmat equipment and other equipment is typically backordered, with long delays between an order and the receipt of the equipment.