Quality Is the Problem

BY RICHARD MARINUCCI

How can quality be a problem? The pursuit of quality is not a problem. The problem today is that quality has taken a back seat to cost controls and the desire of many policy makers to save money at all costs. The economic woes of many communities have forced everyone to take a hard look at all expenses and reduce expenditures to balance the budget. There is value in fire departments, and departments are not all equal in the services that they provide. Further, while all fire departments offer some level of service, there are differences in the quality provided, which affects the outcomes of emergencies. The problem that many organizations are facing is the challenge to make sure that quality is considered when evaluating emergency services.

Many questions are being asked about the cost of fire departments and their value to the community. Fire departments must be ready to answer questions that arise in such a manner that those not in the fire service can easily understand the answer. This is not easy in that fire departments know how to speak to other fire service professionals but might not be able to communicate their message to those who do not know the intricacies of providing service during emergency situations. Those outside of the fire service have their own perspective on issues and have developed this from their experiences that have not included the challenges facing fire departments in today's environment. They may have never had a need for emergency service so their frame of reference is very limited.