What’s the Priority?

What’s the Priority?           

            Rick Perry lives in Austin, Texas, he’s the Governor.  Well Yeah, you might say, of course, why?  This matters because as FEMA statistics for 2008 ahows in areas with 25,000 or fewer people 39% of the US population is protected by at least 86-96% volunteer firefighters.  Perry lives in an area where there are mostly career fire fighters.  Like New Mexico in the early summer, Texas is burning.

            Still he is the Governor of a mostly rural state, this makes one wonder why he, fully backed by his state legislature, felt it appropriate to cut $34 million over the next two years from the Texas Forest Services. Specifically 75% of the funds that go to Volunteer Fire Fighters has been cut from $30 to $7 million. To clarify he's cutting the 80% of the force that fights 90% of the wildfires are volunteers.

            Ben Wemund from Reuters sited that since 2002 the Forest Service has given out $153 million in grants paying for 44,000 sets of protective clothing, 1,200 fire engines and funded training for 34,000 fire fighters.  A helmet runs between $200-$500 or more.  If a volunteer had to buy his or her equipment that alone would be a huge reason not to volunteer.

            Sunday September 11^th, the Texas Forest Service reported that 95% of the state is in extreme drought, and it’s expected to worsen.  In the last week alone the Forest Service reported 141 fires for 34,933 acres. 

            We need fire fighters. Fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined. Sadly in 2008, 118 Firefighters were killed while on duty in the US.  Districts around the country are having a hard time retaining volunteers.  FEMA provides grants to fire departments to offer incentives to gain and retain people who might do a whole range of jobs to support the needs of the community. 

            Rick Perry needs to reassess his priorities…anti-federal rhetoric or support of the state lands and rural communities.  We also need to be sure that we remember all of the firefighters that battled to save New Mexico wild lands this summer, and think about supporting our local fire departments by volunteering any number of our own skills.