People a lot smarter than me will have to decide whether the stimulus packages being passed by Congress and signed by the President represent good public policy and make economic sense or are a mistake that the nation will be sorry for down the road. We've read so many conflicting opinions, and listened to so many contradictory explanations by pundits and others, many among us have (understandably) gone into a wait-and-see mode.

Even though the jury may be out on the outcome of these efforts, it's easy to understand that the economic condition of the United States is worthy of the concern we all share for the future. Many (if not most) of our state, county and city coffers are experiencing revenue shortfalls that are forcing reductions to what were in many cases already strained budgets. The same is happening in fire districts. Fire departments are not immune to the fiscal axe, and it's coming down hard in many places. These reductions will have significant ramifications that go beyond their economic impact — they will simply cost people their lives.

Cutting resources from an organization isn't easy. Those who have been in positions to do so would be the first to admit that laying off people cuts to the heart of any caring administrator and the organization as a whole. Eliminating the people in the fire department who are responsible for staff support to the system is a blow to the department's ability to support those who directly perform the mission. It's like reducing the ground crews at an airline and then expecting to avoid any negative impact on the effectiveness and safety of the flights and the passengers. There is a direct correlation between staff and line effectiveness in any organization. Eliminating those who are directly responsible for delivering the line responsibilities of public education, prevention programs and emergency response services will have serious consequences on performing the mission. These reductions to staff and line areas of a fire department have two very real downsides: the safety of the public is reduced; and the safety of the firefighters is compromised. Those two probable outcomes provide more than enough reason for all of us to hope that the efforts underway to boost the economy are successful and that signs of that success begin to present themselves soon.