Having grown up in a small upstate New York village, life was slow. My father owned a “service station”, my mother was a cook at a restaurant.

Just adjacent to the station was “Jack’s Barbershop”. On a regular basis my Dad would say “Go see Jack”. I would come home with a flat top (style of the times!).

Recently my older brother and I were talking about needing hair cuts. Now usually I would stop in anywhere that was convenient like while at the mall or after grocery shopping.

My brother always stops at a place called “Valentino’s”. Saturday morning I decided to go to Valentio’s.

Walking in the front door was like a trip back in time. Two elderly Italian gentlemen, old style barber chairs, magazines from the sixties and seventies and probably some of the same dust.

I realized, after watching and getting a hair cut, why my brother goes there… great customer service! It had been a long time since I had a haircut instead of a “style”. Old fashion service. The cut took a little longer than a style, but it was worth it.

Maybe, we in emergency services should slow down, take a few extra minutes with our customers… provide that old fashion service.

And by the way… I wound up with a flat top! Dad would be proud!

I got your back…
I know you have mine!

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Senator Chris Dodd have proposed a tax credit to volunteer firefighters and emergency service crews.

If enacted, the proposal would provide a $1,000 federal tax credit to individuals who are active members of volunteer fire departments and emergency service crews to reward these brave men and women who risk their lives for little or no compensation.

This proposal is focused on maintaining current staffing levels of career and volunteer crews and rewarding the emergency service individuals who volunteer their precious time.

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations in order to help them increase the number of trained, “front-line” firefighters available in their communities. However, the grant can only be used to hire new, paid firefighters.

Under the Dodd legislation, which Schumer is cosponsoring, fire departments receiving a SAFER grant in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 would be eligible for waivers that would allow the grants to be used towards preventing lay-offs and rehiring positions that were cut due to local fiscal woes.

Senator Schumer is also introducing legislation to provide a tax credit of $1,000 for volunteer firefighters that would serve as an important recruitment tool for local groups to boost enrollment numbers. Most importantly, it is a way for the Federal government to express the country’s enormous gratitude for the sacrifices they voluntarily make each day. Senator Dodd will be an original co-sponsor of Schumer’s legislation.


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