BY DON FRAZEUR
Budgeting is a key component of my job. I've faced the annual budget process for five years. At first, I found the process very frustrating. Why shouldn't the fire department get new apparatus? Why shouldn't we be given a "fire simulator" to train our firefighters in fire behavior? I've discovered that the budget process is not simply about replacement schedules, training needs, and staffing levels. It is about public value, taxpayers, and accountability for tax revenues.
It can be argued that government and, by extension, the fire service are big business. Money, in the form of taxes, is tendered to the government in return for services provided to constituents. Budgets can be sizeable. The Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department alone has an annual budget approaching $600 million, the size of a significant company. However, subtle differences separate the valuation process for a public sector fire department and a comparable private sector "for profit" business.
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