Gov. Perry cut firefighters budget by 75%: Republican Leadership and Foresight?

[Conservative]

Firefighters in Texas struggle with financial crisis | kvue.com Austin

State funding for volunteer fire departments is taking a big hit. It is going from $30 million to $7 million. Those departments are already facing financial strains.

The State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas represents 21,000 state firefighters. The Association says more than 80 percent of volunteer firefighters are reporting taking a personal hit in the budget crisis. They have started using their own money to help pay for equipment and supplies.

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Gee, I wonder if anyone will ask him about this during the next debate?

Does "prayer" work? Has it worked for Texas? Non believers want to know.

Texas lawmakers are passing legislation. How does this relate to Governor Perry? Did he request that this legislation be enacted?

And from what I have read so far, the budget for the current year is still intact. Can you prove otherwise?

California has slashed their firefighting budgets. Any comment on Democrats who aren't born agains doing the very same thing that the Texas lawmakers are doing?

Oh... well that's very different...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0]Gilda Radner Nevermind - YouTube[/ame]

 

[tinydancer]

see they dont care.

facts mean nothing to them

Is Governor Jerry Brown going to throw a pray a thon for wanting drastic cuts to firefighting budgets?

Facts are your friend.

California’s new Governor, Jerry Brown, facing a budget crisis, is proposing significant reductions in funding for CalFire. Here is an excerpt from MercuryNews:

…Brown’s budget also proposes major changes to the way California battles wildfires. It calls for reducing the number of firefighters on CalFire engine crews from four to three — putting them back to staffing levels that existed before massive wildfires charred the state in 2003. It also would shift a significant amount of fire fighting responsibility that CalFire now oversees to cities and counties.

Currently, fires are fought by three main entities in California. Within municipal areas, city fire departments respond to blazes. Roughly 50 percent of California’s land area is federally owned. There, fire crews from the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies have responsibility.

And on most of the land in between, rural areas across roughly 31 million acres known as “state responsibility areas,” CalFire is in charge.

Brown’s budget proposes that cities and counties take over more fire fighting responsibility in those areas. It says that $250 million could be shifted from the state fire budget to local agencies, and CalFire’s service area reduced. If that money were shifted, it would represent nearly one-third of CalFire’s fire fighting budget from the state general fund.

Have a nice day

California Governor's budget proposal includes major cuts to wildland firefightingWildfire Today

 

[NYcarbineer]

It's part of a 'proposed' cut to the forestry service. A cut of about $34 million. It's in both the House and Senate versions of the next Texas state budget, but has NOT been passed or signed into law yet.

Texas Forest Service, Volunteer Fire Departments Preparing for Grant Cuts

Local volunteer fire departments and the Texas Forest Service are reacting to possible cuts as the Forest Service could lose $34 million in funding over the next two years, as legislators continue to look at ways to balance the budget.

Proposed. Hasn't happened yet.

And that makes it better how?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

If they are "volunteers", doesn't that mean they don't need to be paid?

Sounds to me like they cut a department that wasn't working terribly well.

It's like that here too, we have volunteer firefighters that the community supports.

Rdean see the word "Republican" and goes insane. I pray to God he's not a "teacher"

 

[Sundial]

Volunteer fire departments, which cover much of the state, have also faced a 75% state budget cut this year under Perry and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

"Over the last several days, at the request of the Governor, the Administration has granted eight Fire Management Assistance Grants, making federal funds available to reimburse eligible costs associated with efforts to combat the fires," said a White House readout.

If he becomes president, how much will he cut Federal disaster relief? 75%?

If America catches fire, who will he go to then? The UN?merged

 

[MeBelle]

Volunteer fire departments, which cover much of the state, have also faced a 75% state budget cut this year under Perry and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

"Over the last several days, at the request of the Governor, the Administration has granted eight Fire Management Assistance Grants, making federal funds available to reimburse eligible costs associated with efforts to combat the fires," said a White House readout.

If he becomes president, how much will he cut Federal disaster relief? 75%?

If America catches fire, who will he go to then? The UN?

Link Please?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lakhota]

After Rick Perry Cut Fire Department Funding by 75%, Texas Ravaged by Wildfires | Firedoglake

Rick Perry's Texas cuts firefighting budget while wildfires burn - War Room - Salon.com

Perry slams feds for slow fire aid, after huge cuts to quicker state response | The American Independent

 

[ScienceRocks]

That wasn't very smart...You don't cut "funds" during a drought for fire fighters as you damn well know that the chances for what is currently occurring, goes up. Stupid move.

 

[Charles_Main]

That wasn't very smart...You don't cut "funds" during a drought for fire fighters as you damn well know that the chances for what is currently occurring, goes up. Stupid move.

They are Proposed cuts, NO cuts have gone into effect yet. Besides the Cuts are targeted at Metro Fire Departments. Not usually the ones that Respond to record Drought Caused Wild Fires.

What is happening in Texas right now, would be bad with our with out the Extra Funding. This is a silly gotcha moment for Democrats. Plain Silly.

 

[Wicked Jester]

Volunteer fire departments, which cover much of the state, have also faced a 75% state budget cut this year under Perry and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

"Over the last several days, at the request of the Governor, the Administration has granted eight Fire Management Assistance Grants, making federal funds available to reimburse eligible costs associated with efforts to combat the fires," said a White House readout.

If he becomes president, how much will he cut Federal disaster relief? 75%?

If America catches fire, who will he go to then? The UN?

No cuts have been made at this point....Stop the lies, and look at what Obama has done for the firefighters in Texas, California, and many other western states who have just fallen into fire season:

Contract Dispute Grounds Firefighting Planes - HUMAN EVENTS

www.scribd.com/fullscreen/64155147

Why do you lib's fail to address this situation, where Obama has stabbed a large swath of his fellow americans in the back, and will no doubt end up costing the loss of his fellow americans lives?

 

[editec]

I don't see what the big problem is.

So Texas burns down?

We'll still have Oklahoma.

 

[OODA_Loop]

Tell me again how cuts next year affect the resources you have today

 

[Conservative]

That wasn't very smart...You don't cut "funds" during a drought for fire fighters as you damn well know that the chances for what is currently occurring, goes up. Stupid move.

They are Proposed cuts, NO cuts have gone into effect yet. Besides the Cuts are targeted at Metro Fire Departments. Not usually the ones that Respond to record Drought Caused Wild Fires.

What is happening in Texas right now, would be bad with our with out the Extra Funding. This is a silly gotcha moment for Democrats. Plain Silly.

haters hate facts.

 

[Ravi]

According to one of the links, the cuts took effect last week.

The two-year budget that took effect last Thursday includes a 75 percent slash to volunteer fire departments — from $30 million to $7 million — and a one-third cut to the Texas Forest Service. State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) said this year’s fires near the capital city underscore the need to better fund the emergency-services districts stretched thin at the outskirts of Texas’ growing cities.

 

[NoNukes]

That wasn't very smart...You don't cut "funds" during a drought for fire fighters as you damn well know that the chances for what is currently occurring, goes up. Stupid move.

He did ask the citizens of Texas to pray that the drought ended.

 

[Conservative]

According to one of the links, the cuts took effect last week.

The two-year budget that took effect last Thursday includes a 75 percent slash to volunteer fire departments — from $30 million to $7 million — and a one-third cut to the Texas Forest Service. State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) said this year’s fires near the capital city underscore the need to better fund the emergency-services districts stretched thin at the outskirts of Texas’ growing cities.

everything I've seen says this is for the 2012-2013 budget...
Texas Plans To Cut Budget Of Agency Battling Wildfires

But Texas, which has a two-year budget cycle, has a shortfall of up to $27 billion for 2012-2013. Talmadge Heflin, director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, said everybody should share in the cuts.

"We understand the difficulty they have had in dealing with almost unprecedented numbers of fires this year," said Heflin, a former state representative. "We also understand that in order to balance the budget, everybody needs to endure some reductions."

 

[Ravi]

According to one of the links, the cuts took effect last week.

The two-year budget that took effect last Thursday includes a 75 percent slash to volunteer fire departments — from $30 million to $7 million — and a one-third cut to the Texas Forest Service. State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin) said this year’s fires near the capital city underscore the need to better fund the emergency-services districts stretched thin at the outskirts of Texas’ growing cities.

everything I've seen says this is for the 2012-2013 budget...
Texas Plans To Cut Budget Of Agency Battling Wildfires

But Texas, which has a two-year budget cycle, has a shortfall of up to $27 billion for 2012-2013. Talmadge Heflin, director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, said everybody should share in the cuts.

"We understand the difficulty they have had in dealing with almost unprecedented numbers of fires this year," said Heflin, a former state representative. "We also understand that in order to balance the budget, everybody needs to endure some reductions."

I'm not 100% sure, but usually government budgets start in September or October.

According to the article, this budget is now in effect.

This highlights a big problem, IMO. States and cities have almost no choice now but to cut services but cutting services means more people will die and more property will be lost. And we cannot depend on other states to help us as much as they have in the past.

 

[JoeB131]

I saw this. It's basically the Conservative meme. Cut cut cut..and when something doesn't work blame the people that are still trying to do the job.

Happened here during the snowstorm. Santitation department was at it's lowest manpower and when the snowstorm hit..snow removal was slow..understandably.

But right wing papers like the New York Post put out a story that the Santitation Department was doing it on purpose.

Well, that union goon who got caught saying they were procrastinating on purpose was a little suspicious...

 

[JoeB131]

If they are "volunteers", doesn't that mean they don't need to be paid?

Sounds to me like they cut a department that wasn't working terribly well.

Where did the OP mention ANYTHING about pay? It says that their budgets were cut and now have to pay for their own equipment and supplies. Volunteer FDs need training too. Hard to do that without any money.

Sorry Joe, you can't spin this as a positive for your guy.


I think it's just that god hates republicans. Remember Bobby Jindahl talking about how we don't need to fund volcano monitoring...and then a volcano erupted like days later?

A volcano not in the united states, as I recall. I don't think anyone even remembers that exccept you.

The thing is, maybe the legislature (not Perry) realized this program wasn't worth it because a lot of these guys weren't showing up when needed or weren't effective.

I would like to see what organized fire departments spend in Texas compared to this pittance for the volunteers who may not even be showing up. I would also like to see what the amount spent on the National Guard is.

Final note, what real use are these volunteers? If they are trained to fight fires on city blocks, how useful are they in fighting wildfires, which require very specialized equipment to fight.

 

[Stephanie]

What doesn't some people get with, PROPOSED CUTS or POSSIBLE CUTS?

Man the stupid with some libertards. They think they HAVE hit the jackpot of jackpot of SMEARS.