The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) presented Senator Jon Tester (MT) the 2018 CFSI Legislator of the Year. A co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus since 2013, Senator Tester has been a tireless champion on Capitol Hill for the nation’s fire and emergency services.

Perspective and what we focus on influences our outcomes.  As a technician, when a clock doesn’t work, we take it apart and look for that thing, the bad piece, the “bad apple” in the bunch.  We pride ourselves on quickly finding the problem and fixing the clock.  The greater picture, however, might be much more complex than is immediately apparent, much the way the formation of a cloud is many dynamic forces coming together, which ultimately create rain in the sky or a life-changing hurricane.  How we approach our work, looking for that one “bad apple” thing (clocks) or analyzing the big picture forces in a dynamic environment (clouds) will dictate our outcomes.     

New Grant Awards Coming Soon:  Latest word according to FEMA, is that grant awards will begin soon after the 4th of July.

Next Grant Deadline Fast Approaching:  According to the Help Desk, FEMA plans to accept another round of AFG grant applications beginning in August 2018.  Click here for a list of High Priority Funding Items, http://www.resourcesolutionsnow.com/our-services/fema-firefighter-grant-program.  If you need help preparing your next grant, get started early, because the schedules of qualified grant writers are filling up fast!

What to Do if You Received a Turn-Down Letter  Many departments received AFG turn-down letters this Spring.  Now is the time to revise those applications and get them ready to resubmit...

Todays First Responders face a multitude of challenges on a variety of fronts. Technology not only can make our jobs easier, but also may cause complications with recordings, videos, and just plain old computer issues. Litigation is ever present and the explosion of various media sources and blogs can push false narratives or continue placing issues and calls of activism in front of a population for a much longer time than previous generations ever could dream possible. There is Specialized and societal mandated training. Added to what is already a highly stressful work environment - the effects on the First Responder is immense. A career where batting .300 such as in baseball is considered good - doesn’t even come close. Perfection is demanded and expected of us. If not, then people can get hurt or die, lawsuits initiated, and internal investigations opened. Not to mention protests and negative media coverage. Whether law enforcement, Fire, EMS, dispatch, or corrections, all careers face their own special work pressures. We are easily recognizable and if people want to do us harm - all they have to do is call 911 and we offer drive-up service.