Fire services are still suffering from the down economy, but there were a few glimmers of improvement discussed during the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s Annual National Fire & Emergency Services Dinner & Seminars on April 25. During a session titled, “Responding to the Call During the Economic Downturn,” Chief Mark Light from the International Association of Fire Chiefs reported that business was better for many of its corporate partners.

By Dave Malone

When the Washington D.C. Council decided to give themselves a 2.2 percent cost-of-living raise this year, as reported in The Washington Examiner, law enforcement and fire service representatives were none too pleased.

The Microsoft Worldwide Public Safety Symposium, held at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. on March 13-15, was an opportunity to hear some of the biggest challenges facing public safety agencies today. One of the panel sessions focused on the challenges of public safety agencies effectively using social media platforms to monitor, as well as communicate with, the public.

By James McLaughlin

When I attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at the Kennedy School at Harvard in July 2010 there was a statement made by the program chair that I will never forget, which was “true leadership challenges the status quo.”

By Leischen Stelter

Governor Rick Snyder is facing a lot of big problems as the state of Michigan continues to flounder on several fronts. Its overall unemployment rates remain above national averages, hovering around 9%, but several of its cities are faring much worse. In Detroit, foreclosures dropped by 31% in 2011, but remain at a rate of more than 2.5 times the national average. Foreclosed homes in Detroit sell for, on average, just over $11,000, compared to a statewide average of $85,000, according to RealtyTrac.

Plans for deploying a nationwide interoperable wireless network for public safety use has taken a big step forward. On Feb. 22, President Obama signed the payroll tax cut extension bill that includes provisions for this long-awaited network and sets aside the 700 MHz D Block for public safety use, according to this article in WirelessWeek.

It’s refreshing to see government leaders make an effort to implement major changes based on past lapses. I just read this article from Homeland Security NewsWire about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed changes to the state’s emergency response system.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate doesn’t pretend to be the biggest proponent of social media or even technology in general.…