Posted on 09/07/2011 8:16:21 AM PDT by The Bronze Titan
According to KVUE-TV, the state of Texas, under Gov. Rick Perry, cut state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires. Firefighters have actually been dipping into their own pockets to fight fires.
Volunteer departments that were already facing financial strain had their funding cut from $30 million to $7 million. There are 879 volunteer fire departments in Texas; 114 are paid fire departments, while 187 departments are a combination of volunteer and paid.
At a press conference Monday, Perry promised to seek federal disaster relief and said that FEMA would be in the state by Wednesday.
While the Texas governor has been highly critical of FEMA in the past, he dodged questions from CBS’ Erica Hill on Tuesday's 'Early Show,' insisting that now was not the time to worry about reforming the agency.
Perry said: “The issue is taking care of these people right now. We can work our way through any conversations about how to make agencies more efficient, how to make Department of Defense equipment, for instance, more available. There are a lot of issues we can talk about, but the fact of the matter is now is not the time to be trying to work out the details of how to make these agencies more efficient. Let’s get people out of harm’s way.”
NEWS ALERT: PERRY RESPONSIBLE FOR HURRICANES AND WILDFIRES!! INVOLVEMENT IN 9/11 ATTACK UNDER INVESTIGATION...
Just enough information for the Democrats to make their own wildfire.
They're more and more desperate...
Isn’t volunteer fire fighter funding more of a county thing?
Perry should have cut that number to zero funding. Why should the state pay volunteer fire depts? Why are the local communities not handling this themselves? If they want fire protection, they need to pony up. If not, then they need to load up on insurance and call it a day.
It’s a local thing. They do get some funding from the state but I believe the majority comes from fundraising. I know I send our local VFD a check every year as I don’t normally attend their annual cook-off and auction that’s held to raise operating money for them.
But, really, this is desperate. If they could figure out any way to blame Perry for the disastrous lack of moisture this year that’s the actual culprit here then I’m sure they’d run that too.
He was for the fire department before he was against the fire departments. That has to count!!!!! Spin machine approaches.
Most funding is derived from taxes from either a designated Fire district or by a village or town. Funding from state is usually used to support training programs that unfortunately Texas is not alone in cutting.
Wilum47
District Secretary of my fire district.
Volunteer fire depts have bake sales BBQ dinners and all kind of fundraisers and always will.
This seems like the machine doing every thing it can to discredit Perry...
He hangs out with strippers and prostitues in Austin too don’t cha know.
Are you going to let your ideological bent get in the way of common sense?
Because not all "local" communities have a sufficient base to cover the needs of emergency response and fire fighting. My son is a volunteer firefighter, he does not get paid 1 cent, and is out on calls almost every night for our town and surrounding towns. Get clue before you make comments like that.
Volunteer firefighters are the backbone of most of the communities in the country. Sorry, but you need money to operate and maintain the resource capabilities for emergency response.
You, my friend are clueless also.
It's understood that you're on a full-blown anti-Perry Jihad, but do you really want to stoop as low as the left did during Katrina?
That’s why we tend not to have firefighters on disability running triathlons and body building like they do up north.
Oops!
Fire Departments are for the most part locally funded, normally, in most states.
What this should say is that of the amount of their funds that comes from the state that Gov Perry oversaw that number being cut by 75%.
Please point me to your posts about the candidate you DO SUPPORT?
According to KVUE-TV, the state of Texas, under Gov. Rick Perry, cut state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires. Firefighters have actually been dipping into their own pockets to fight fires.
Volunteer, sounds like local/county gov’t stuff to me. Not sure that the state pays fire fighting for the cities or counties.
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