By MICHAEL P. DALLESSANDRO
Scenario: Engine #4 is 20 years old. Clearly, this vehicle has served your volunteer fire department and the community well. You have also, most likely, done your job well as an officer in your department by providing your town with a few years of notice that the rig will need replacing in the near future. The decision to replace this vehicle should be a "no brainer," especially since in most communities police cars, school buses, and highway department of public works (DPW) vehicles are less than 20 years old. However, now that budgets are tighter, your town's city hall questions the replacement request to the point where it seems the hall members do not believe you or trust in your expertise as a fire service professional.
Then, out of the blue, one of your council members suggests retaining the services of an independent consultant to do a fire department study to see if this 20-year-old truck truly needs replacing, perhaps suggesting that you were being dishonest so as to secure a shiny new truck just for the sake of it.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
