Negotiating with Heroes

Public officials are in a very tough spot - - negotiating with heroes.  But in the era of fixing the pothole or the assistant fire chief retiring at 55-years old, society has some soul searching.  Over the last 35 years, the number of fires in the US is down 40%, while the number of professional firefighters is up 40% (Note - the reason fires are down is more related to engineers, improves in material science, build codes, etc.  More firefighters are not the cause of a lower number of fires - - relationship correlation is far different than causality effects.).

Fiscal constraints will produce an era of putting public sector efficiency and productivity under the microscope.  Even the heroes - - both the police and firefighters.  Public safety must and will continue to be the #1 priority of all towns and cities.  But our collective health, safety, and welfare is much broader than just police and fire protection.  It also encompasses the structural health of our bridges, the quality of our drinking water, the economic sustainability of our cities and states.  Our collective vision must be balanced and broad.  The financial funding to support all avenues of public safety must to fair, efficient, and effective. 

Heroes will understand this.