By MICHAEL CAPOZIELLO
Today’s fire service, especially the volunteer fire service, is under a lot of scrutiny from the public at large. Everything from pensions and salaries to budgets and spending habits of career and volunteer departments is viewed under a microscope as never before. Maintaining a healthy, trusting, transparent relationship with the community served should be a top priority of chief officers, boards of fire commissioners, fire wardens, trustees, and whoever has a say in which direction your organization is headed.
Have you tried to purchase a new rig or to renovate or build a new station lately? Time and time again, you read about taxpayers voting down such projects. You may very well need a new station to replace the original 1908 station refurbished in 1954 and, again, in 1981, but the voters-taxpayers of your district vote down the project each time it is put to a vote.
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