For years, affiliates have battled politicians who make decisions on
how many fire fighters a community has, based on budget figures
developed by number crunchers. In most cases, this flawed approach
leaves the community short of the number of fire fighters needed to
successfully protect the residents and businesses they serve.
In past decades, there were very few tools to make credible arguments
in debates on this issue – beyond our own experience. But over the past
few years, the IAFF has been
leading the charge on scientific research to help community leaders
better understand how to best protect the taxpaying public.
NFPA 1710 is the internationally
accepted standard on minimum crew size and operational staffing for
career fire departments. Telling the 1710 story is difficult, even to IAFF members but this video can be the key to start a discussion.
A new explainer video on the NFPA 1710 Standard
– an essential tool for conveying the message that proper staffing
levels are essential for keeping your community safe - promotes the
science of fire fighting and educating policy makers through leaders and
the media in your community.