Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
This is not a new debate…This debate is as old and as tired as smooth vs. fog, vollie vs. paid, and the chicken vs. egg.
The debate is just in a new place, and it is the beancounters debating it.
Why are so many “Fire Departments” called “Fire Departments”?
Here is the answer: because in most places it has been the “Fire Department” for 100+ years and everyone knows the name.
When the shit hits the fan…they call us and we go to work…
DCFD is amid a possible change to the name FEMS…I wrote about that F’ed up ordeal here.
Milwaukee is now on the chopping block.
The Milwaukee Common Council is considering a proposal by Ald. Terry Witkowski to rename the Milwaukee Fire Department as Milwaukee Emergency Response Services. read more
MERS…kinda like… Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)…or Mortage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS)
7%…that is what they claim is the percentage of what we actually do “He said only 7% of the department’s calls are related to fire; the remainder range from paramedic services to chemical cleanups.”
The debate will usually follow that if they knew anything about a Fire Department which also does EMS that we should be called the “Taxi Department”.
An anonymous comment on the STATter911 thread about the FEMS fiasco offered this:
FEMS? what about Hazardous materials, Aircraft Rescue Firefighting, Trench Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Confined Space, Fire Investigations and every other branch of the FIRE DEPARTMENT we arent gonna start running around with DCFEMSHAZMATARFFTRSRCFFI on our backs. Just Keep it simple DCFD.
I believe in the branding…If it has been the Milwaukee Fire Department or the DC Fire Department, then leave it that way. That is what people know and that is what people will call it.
A change now would confuse everyone…It isn’t necessary and typically isn’t welcome.
In addition, I just don’t see how this is a plausible idea considering the economic crunch we are in.
What do you think? After 100 years (give or take) do you think that we are branded enough that people understand that when the Shit Hits the Fan they can count on us?
