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360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Webs for 8/20/2010

“Enjoying Vacation, Wish You Weren’t Here…”

From Backstep Firefighter, my friend David LeBlanc shares a story about the current woes being suffered over at the fire department in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  As David writes, the Lawrence Fire Department finds itself faced with the challenges not unlike most every other department in the nation- doing more with less every day.

However, David relates, just as their mayor left on a Caribbean vacation, he made sure another 23 firefighters got slapped with pink slips on the way out the door.  A shift of 13-15 is left scrambling to protect 80,000 with the only help available as mutual aid.

What do you think the aid companies have to say about that?

Read what happened after the sun-drenched mayor returned at the article here.  Seriously, we can’t make this stuff up….

if it looks like ......

Philly Brown Stuff Bubbles to the Surface

FireGeezer pointed his spotlight upon an interesting video from Philly.  They, too, are suffering from staffing cuts which are being addressed by the fix-all cure of rolling brownouts which began at the beginning of the month.

Early on in the video, former assistant city comptroller Brett Mandel spoke plainly about the logic of brownouts:

“If you’re going to say that a fire station is not needed for Thursday night, well then, why is it needed for Friday night?  And if it’s not needed for Friday night, well maybe we don’t need that station.

On the other hand, if we need it for Friday night, why don’t we need it on Thursday night?”

The video ends with a contentious back and forth between the union president and the fire commissioner all played out on live TV.  With more of these types of interviews bubbling their way to the surface, maybe the public will gain more of an understanding of just how politics affects their local fire service.

it sure takes balls...

Gubbamint Discounts

As we wade our way through the economic mess with no end in sight, and the newly empowered attack upon the pensions of public employees, are we still thinking about the way the public perceives us?  What’s your take on these “fire department discounts?”  If your guys have been on the receiving end of half-price dinner or free coffee, and you didn’t get the same discount, would you ask for it?

Would you demand it?

Captain Schmoe over at Report on Conditions gives his view here.

Another Blogger from Hilton Head Done Good!

Tom Bouthillet, Prehospital 12-lead ECG

Finally, a warm welcome to my friend Tom Bouthillet, a Fire Lieutenant / Paramedic with Hilton Head Island (SC) Fire & Rescue.  Tom’s superb blog Prehospital 12-lead ECG is now up and running right here on FireEMSblogs.com, which should always be your first stop after FireDaily.com and FirefighterNetCast.com.  Give him a peek!

He is the second blogger that “done good” from HHI, home of B/C Mick Mayers (Firehouse Zen).

Let’s hope Tom has better taste in hockey teams…

Stay stoked!

Posted in 360 Burn, Administration & Leadership, Brotherhood, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, Tradition, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on August 20, 2010 • View Comments

Tulsa Firefighters Approve Pay Cuts and Other Benefits

Tulsa Fire UnionFirefighters Local 176 President Stan May (center) announces the firefighters will accept a pay cut amounting to $304 per month for each firefighter. Photo Sherry Brown / Tulsa World

(Written by Tulsa World)  Tulsa OK firefighters voted overwhelmingly to save 147 jobs by agreeing to a 5.2 percent pay cut and other benefit concessions, union officials announced Sunday night. There’s nobody else trained to do what we do, said Stan May, president of Tulsa Firefighters Local 176. “If we took 147 firefighters off the streets, we would put this city in serious risk.”

Union members voted 442 to 177 to accept the mayor’s proposal, which includes a 5.2 percent salary cut for 17 months, eight unpaid furlough days in the next fiscal year and the elimination of benefits such as fitness pay and a clothing allowance.

The announcement comes days after 124 Tulsa police officers and 59 civilian employees were laid off after both their unions turned down pay cuts in lieu of the job losses.

In a statement Sunday night, Mayor Dewey Bartlett thanked the firefighters for helping the city.

“We can now get on with the business we were all hired to perform, to deliver quality services and protection to the citizens of Tulsa,” Bartlett said. “We offered a very good plan to the fire union members in order to retain all our workforce, and our collaborative discussions with the fire union leaders were obviously productive.”

Bartlett also said he appreciated the firefighters faith in his administration, something Tulsa police officers said they lacked when voting down his proposal for their department.

Bartlett said the union’s “ability to promote their members as a true example of brotherhood and sisterhood is a breath of fresh air.”

May said firefighters “voted their heart” to keep Tulsa safe.

The pay cuts could be revisited in a year if the budget gets back to where it was at the beginning of this fiscal year, he said.

Firefighters began the voting process Tuesday. It included three days of member education and three days of voting to allow for all three 24-hour shifts to participate.

The Fire Department has a budget gap making up $2.5 million of the city’s $10.4 million shortfall for this fiscal year.

On Friday, 124 Tulsa police officers were laid off after the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police overwhelming voted down a similar proposal from the mayor Wednesday. At the last minute, 31 jobs were saved as city officials revised their number crunching.

Also Friday, 59 civilian employees were laid off. Their union also voted against a 5.2 percent pay cut for all, although their decision was not binding on the mayor.

The firefighters who received layoff notices Jan. 22 would have been off the job immediately had the union voted down Bartlett’s proposal.

James Fuller, 26, a firefighter on the chopping block, said he was grateful to his colleagues for accepting the agreement. At lot was riding on the voter for Fuller, his wife and two children, a toddler and a 2-month-old baby.

“I’m thankful it passed,” Fuller said as he took a celebratory swig from his beer bottle at the firefighters’ union hall, where a news conference was held announcing the firefighter vote.

“I’m thankful I get to go to work tomorrow morning, get on the engine and do what I do.”

Posted in Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on February 1, 2010 • View Comments

Sleight of Hand in Franklin Park, IL?

When performed by a well-practiced magician, a sleight-of-hand trick serves as an amazing piece of entertainment, wowing young and old alike.  The foundation, of course, is pure deception- tricking your eyes and ears and brain into believing something which truly isn’t.

You may recall last week a post from FireDaily called “Didn’t See This Coming…” in which we focused the light of day on the amazing turn of events in Milwaukee, WI.

In an effort to close a budget deficit, the City scrambled to slice and dice their public safety budgets by eliminating truck companies and instituting a daily plan of rolling brown-out closure of fire stations.

Amazingly within weeks, reports of the City scrambling once again- this time to hire new firefighters and paramedics as quickly as possible addressing the –wait for it- SURPRISING need for manpower required to fulfill their mission.

While there at least two or three sides to every story, we seem to have graduated into a culture of spin- in which an audience (the public, the taxpayer, you, me) is ripe for entertainment and easily fooled by anything said.  After all, if you heard it on the news, it must be true, right?

We have progressed into a society that no longer calls the truth the truth, or a lie a lie.  We are a people who have grown accustomed to “grey areas” in which one plus one can actually equal a submarine- if it can be expertly explained away before the next episode of Jersey Shore is on.

Remember when then-President Bill Clinton explained to us that what really mattered was what “the definition of the word is… is?”

Huh?

How about when Alaska’s investigation of “Trooper Gate” found that Sarah Palin had abused her powers as their Governor?  Out came the cape and wand, then the abracadabra: “”Well, I’m very very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing … any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that.”

Huh?

Are we so numbed to the bull that we have come to accept whatever we hear?

Or worse- are we too lazy to demand accountability of those who tell us mistruths, misspeaks, ahem… lies?

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!

Last night, a report on my local TV news station aired regarding the potential layoff of six firefighters from Franklin Park, IL, a community adjacent to the City of Chicago, O’Hare Airport, and an incredible amount of rail traffic carrying tons of hazardous materials daily throughout the village.

Now Franklin Park is not immune to the financial cesspool found all across the country.  Tough decisions have to be made, many unpopular.  It’s tough to be the guys who have to find a way through these difficult times.

But as we find ourselves increasingly amenable to having our budgets slashed in all areas- including public safety- we should not be led astray by the mal-truths, the mischaracterizations, the sleight-of-hand which is becoming the norm lately as well.

We need to throw the flag on the bull when we hear it.

In Franklin Park’s case, the plan is to eliminate six firefighter positions (on top of the five they had already lost) as well as dumping one of its two ambulances providing EMS coverage for a population of 19,000.

Get your flag-thowing hand ready…

Read this gem as reported by Paul Meincke of ABC7 News as published here.  It’s from Franklin Park Mayor Barrett Pedersen who, when asked about the risk to public safety, offered up this little gem:

“I spoke with my chief and three commanders, and they indicate there’ll be the same response time. Every single one of the firemen are EMT qualified. So, they’ll be responding just as they are now with trucks and ambulances,” the mayor said.”

FLAG!

But wait.

Better pick up that flag and stuff it right back into your ass pocket.  Why?

Aha, didn’t catch it, did you?

Read it again.

Can what he is saying can be the full truth even when interpreted in each of these ways?

Without the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

With the layoffs, here’s the response scenario:

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

In fact, if Franklin Park had only one firefighter/EMT, the response scenario still does not change!

911 call comes in, ambo is dispatched, crew responds. No delay in response time.

What is your definition of “response time?”  See?

Abracadabra, Alacazam! Now you see it, now you don’t!

So How Do We Get Real Answers?

By asking real questions:

“If I dial 911, when will the first paramedic arrive at my door?”

“If I dial 911, will that paramedic have an ambulance with equipment?  If not, when will an ambulance arrive?”

“If I dial 911 and your ambulance is out on another call, when can I expect another ambulance to arrive at my door, you know, to replace Franklin Park’s second ambulance?”

“If my home catches fire and I need to be rescued in the middle of the night, will my chances be greater or lesser of making it out alive if you cut your manpower down by almost 25%?”

“If a train carrying six carloads of methylethylbadsnot derails in our gem of a city, or a tornado hop-scotches across our community this spring, is our emergency preparedness plan current and viable despite the changes in manpower levels you want to institute?”

“Am I more safe or less safe with less firefighters on duty?”

and an obvious question to see just how fast that whizzer can get spinning:

“How come I’m getting less but my taxes keep going up?”

Sleight of hand is more difficult to get by if you are paying attention.

This is what you’re up against, folks:

People who know they can spin their message to suit their needs

vs.

a public that won’t take the time to press the issue and get the hard truth.

Still itchin’ to throw that flag?

OK, me too.  Here’s a few opportunities:

In this, the second decade of the new millennium, we have video to capture what is said so we may compare it later to what is done.  Here are some of the examples from then-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen on March 2009 at a Special Meeting of the Franklin Park Firefighters Local 1526.

“…When you make that emergency preparedness plan, you’re going to put a formula in there for a minimum number of people to be available to handle that emergency. And if you don’t have that number in the contract, that there’s going to be a specific number of people, than the formula you’ve set up for your emergency preparedness plan isn’t worth very much money….I think we can do a better job, and I think with that emergency preparedness plan, you’d have to take a look at putting into the contract a specific number of people guaranteed.”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…One of the things that I think is important for the fire department is to bring it back up to full staffing. I know you’re short three people right now and I think that you deserve a full accompaniment on each one of your staffs. I think that we can do that by cutting down on litigation, I think we can cut down on the wasteful spending- 800 thousand dollars on ornamental concrete on Grand Avenue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

“…I don’t think we should reduce the number of stations we have… Should there be a contract that has a specific number of firefighters that are guaranteed and if the number goes below that min number should they be replenished? I think it’s important to maintain that minimum number with regard to the emergency preparedness issue…”

-Mayoral Candidate Barrett Pedersen, March 2009

YouTube video

* * * * *

If you want more information the current issue in Franklin Park, IL, you can find it at the Franklin Park Local 1526 website, including info on a rally scheduled for January 23.  The Village also has a website, but I couldn’t find anything on it about the upcoming vote, and the major changes that face the Village today.

Posted in Chicagoland, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, Videos, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on January 19, 2010 • View Comments

Fire YesterDaily- “The Head Rule”

Ahh… just checked the calendar.  Wow.  Hmm.

Looks like the year/decade is ending much more quickly than I had planned.  That means we probably won’t be able to hit all 2009 of the best FireDaily blog posts for the year 2009.

I am of shame.

Let’s just skip a few hundred and work our way into the top few with the remaining time we have.  Links to the previous winners can be found below.

Here’s number 3:

“The Head Rule”

When I joined the fire service “a couple of years ago”, my mentor was a wise young captain. He offered up what he called the “Head Rule”. It is something I have made a point to pass along to all probies struggling to find their fit in this great service:

“You’ve got two eyes and two ears; keep ‘em open.

You have a nose, keep it clean.

But above all, keep your mouth shut!”

The fiasco in DC that burned our brothers on video (see STATter911.com) is still with us as mouths remain open and the yammering intensifies. DC Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin should have enough experience to know better than to extend the story with what came bubbling out of his mouth during an interview with Ed Comeau of Campus-Firewatch.com.

According to Comeau, the Chief said it “looked like a comedy act”.  It is a comment he still stands by today in a video update by STATter911.

A wordsmith he was not and his choice of verbiage may have caused more harm than the embarrassing incident of which he was referring.  Who wouldn’t expect a vocal and public outcry from the firefighters accompanied by a blistering response from President Raymond Sneed of IAFF Local 36

Imagine you are a DC firefighter. How does this make you feel about your leader?  What effect do these perceptions have within the group? What discipline would have been handed down if the Chief himself wasn’t involved?

There is a lot of blame to go around at all levels. We can all learn from the mistakes made here. As we mature in the fire service, we will come to learn that we always gain more by criticizing the act rather than the individual.

To his credit, Rubin “assumes full responsibility” for what happened. Stuff like no safety officer for the event, no pre-incident briefing, lack of use of a required check-off list, and he himself calling for the backup line which was never charged.  I’ve seen for myself many a time where a Chief would drop his people like a prom dress.  Thankfully, it appears this isn’t the case.  But this nightmare had an end in sight and it should have been left alone.

It Didn’t Have to Happen

With all the outcry from the initial story, it began to look like the story had run it’s course.  But, the “looked like a comedy act” remark now makes Rubin fair game. It just didn’t have to happen.

According to Department spokesman Pete Piringe, Rubin is said to be out of town and unavailable for comment.

Good. This fuel has been taken away and now the fire can be extinguished.

Maybe the “Head Rule” can finally be enacted.

-J

Previous finalists in FireDaily’s “2009 Best Blog Posts of 2009”

#2009-  Got a Bad Attitude?  Stay at Home!

#2008-  30 Minutes a Week of Training is Unfair and “Unreal”

#2007- “Da Chief”

#2006  “Nicknames”

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, IAFF, WTF?

Posted by John Mitchell on December 28, 2009 • View Comments

360 Burn Size-up of The Fire Web 12/20/09

Closed for Business- Lexington KY

From the Lexington Herald Leader

Lexington firefighters spent hours Saturday gathered in front of a historic fire station, protesting its temporary closing and alerting the public that their homes and families may not be safe.  Fire Station No. 4 on Jefferson Street was closed Saturday in order to reduce Lexington Fire Department costs.

On Friday, Mayor Jim Newberry said the closing would not compromise public safety because there are four other fire stations within a 1.6-mile radius of the historic Vogt Reel House.

But about 50 firefighters who protested on Saturday disagreed and displayed signs that said, “This engine is closed! Who is protecting your house?” and “Mayor Newberry closed this company. Who is protecting your family?”

Lexington fire Capt. Edward Crews, secretary of the Lexington Professional Firefighters Local 526 said fire stations are sometimes out of service for maintenance or training. But training can be halted in case of emergency and maintenance is unavoidable.

Crews said more station closings will occur based on daily staffing levels because the mayor wants to save money by not paying overtime. Newberry has said the city could save as much as $900,000.

On Saturday, firefighters urged residents to contact council members and the mayor to tell them not to call for further closing.

Story by Shawntaye Hopkins /Lexington Herald Leader-

photo by Pablo Alcala | Staff

Closed for Business- Baltimore MD

Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr. / December 17, 2008

From the Baltimore Sun:

As hundreds of Baltimore firefighters marched on City Hall Thursday afternoon to protest service cutbacks, Mayor Sheila Dixon announced plans to postpone the closure of any more companies until the end of the fiscal year on July 1. One company had been scheduled to close on New Year’s Day.

Dixon also said that the number of companies closed for a day on a rotating basis will be reduced from five to four, and that the Fire Department had applied for a federal grant to help fund positions for as many as 22 additional firefighters.

“Our primary concern is the health and safety of the people of Baltimore,” Dixon said in a statement released shortly before the firefighters protested outside City Hall.

Said Fire Chief James Clack, “We’re optimistic we’re going to get that money.”

Until they see results, firefighters remain skeptical. Chanting “Don’t cut safety” and holding signs reading, “Cuts to Fire and Medical Kill People,” more than 300 firefighters walked four and five abreast down North Gay Street. Police briefly closed traffic and residents offered their support.

The protest was organized by the International Association of Fire Fighters, whose president, Harold Schaitberger, opened his remarks by ripping off his suit jacket and saying, “It may be a little cold outside, but I’m hot as hell” over the previously proposed closures.

Schaitberger likened city officials considering closing fire companies to “playing Russian roulette” with neighborhoods affected by such closures. “They say, ‘We can’t afford to keep all these companies open,’ ” Schaitberger said. “You can’t afford to keep all these companies closed.”

Steve Fugate, president of the Baltimore Fire Officers Association, said he has seen a “40 percent” reduction in the size of the city’s Fire Department during his 35-year career.

Fugate and others said that a fire last week, which claimed the life of a 76-year-old man and badly injured his daughter, was “kind of the tipping point” for local firefighters to protest what they believe are levels of staffing that are unsafe for themselves and for residents.

“We’re operating short citywide,” said Fugate. “You can’t cut any more.”

Longtime city resident Joann Parker, whose son Richard is a city fire captain, said, “They are so essential to us. They save our lives and do everything we need them to do. I don’t think this issue is pay loss [during furloughs]. The issue is safety, and that’s exactly what they’re trying to bring to the public’s attention.

“While Clack said that the response time to the fire that killed Samuel Davis was delayed when 911 dispatched trucks to the wrong location, firefighters have said it was caused in part by the fact that the station nearest to Davis’ West Baltimore home was closed for the night as part of the rotation.

William Cole, the councilman for the 11th District, said that twice in the past nine days he has visited the station housing Truck 16, one of those that now will remain open at least until July 1 but had been closed as part of the rotation.

“In addition to keeping it open, we have to make sure that the rotating closures aren’t also affecting coverage in certain parts of Baltimore,” Cole said.

Said Clack, “If there are options where we can do this and not rotate companies closed, I’d love to know what they are. There’s only so much money. There’s only so much we can do.”

Tulsa OK Plans Include Sending 3 Firefighters to Their Fires; Layoff of 60-130 Firefighters

From a story by Abbie Alford, Fox23.com

Bigger cuts are possible at the Tulsa Fire Department. The latest numbers show depending on the scenario, 60 to 130 firefighters will lose their jobs.

This is part of the city’s effort to save $5 million to $10 million because of a lack of sales tax revenues.

FOX23’s Abbie Alford explains why there’s a huge concern for your safety.

Fire Station #27 is known to make the most medical calls and is also known to be the busiest fire station in Tulsa.

Tulsa Fire Chief Allen LaCroix says if layoffs happen they may not have enough crews to run one truck. That’s $440,000 just sitting there unused and that could mean a longer response time for your call.

LaCroix says the fire department hasn’t grown in at least ten years in fact it has decreased.

Instead of taking furlough days this past summer, the fire department took about a $1.7 million hit that was equivalent to the citywide eight furlough days.

The fire chief says under the first scenario, a 2.2% cut would mean 60 firefighters losing their jobs. The chief says that would help save the city $1.2 million in cuts.

However, under the 4.4% plan, to save the city $2.5 million the fire department would have to layoff 130 firefighters and possibly close some fire stations.

“There will be layoffs I don’t know if that includes the fire department or not but there will be layoffs within the city,” says LaCroix.

In some cases the chief says there may only be three firefighters responding to a blaze and by standard they need four to safely respond to a fire. They need two inside and two outside.

If that is the case those firefighters will have to wait for another crew to arrive that could mean at least a three-minute delay.

“If we lose that ability to respond within that three to four minute time period of time because once the brain is without oxygen for four minutes your chances of survival are thin,” says LaCroix. “It will have an impact on the ability on the type of service we are delivering now.”

The chief also says instead of layoffs another option is to cut firefighters pay by 2% for the next six months but that would need the fire union’s approval. The chief also says the council and the mayor could also look at moving around surplus funds. LaCroix says through retirement they’ve reorganized positions and will save $1.5 million over three years. Citywide department heads are expected to meet next week with Mayor Dewey Bartlett and his staff.

Posted in Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 20, 2009 • View Comments

Lawyers in Lockport NY singing “Happy New Year!”

Oh, to have been a lawyer…

A while back, I told you about the troubles over in Lockport, New York.  In a nutshell, the city and the union have been going back and forth over staffing levels for nearly four years.  Back in October an arbitrator made a ruling in favor of the union and the city vowed to appeal it.  Here’s an update on the story, again making me wish I had become an attorney…

The firefighters union is taking the city to court yet again in an on-going legal battle that screams “Happy New Year!” to the attorneys on both side of the skirmish.

This time, the Lockport Professional Firefighters Association needs to go to court to force the city to abide by the previous decision of an arbitrator. The arbitrator’s recent order directing the city to employ a minimum staffing level of 10 firefighters per shift has been appealed by the city (and by definition each taxpayer) and is now been petitioned to the state Supreme Court by the union. They are asking the court to “confirm” the arbitrators ruling and force the city to abide by it.

The grievance process began almost immediately when levels were reduced from 10 back in 2006. For nearly the past four years, the Lockport Fire Department has been working under a minimum staffing level of eight or nine per shift. Although no specific number of personnel is actually in the contract, the arbitrator, Dennis Campagna, had ruled the lower number violates a contract provision requiring the city to “man all equipment with adequate manpower to assure firefighters’ safety during duties.”

Follow the money.

I’ve often wondered about the decision to pay overtime vs. hiring enough people, purely from a cost view. In Lockport’s case, Fire Chief Tom Passuite had furnished numbers estimating that the city could slash 100 large from it’s annual budget simply by hiring the staffing necessary to both meet the arbitrator’s ruling as well as improve the safety of the department’s personnel.

Seems like a no-brainer. Again.

I’m drawn back to the recent post by FireGeezer where one fire chief did the math, the city saw the facts, and firefighters were hired.

Bing, bang, boom.

How many hundreds of thousands of dollars could be saved in similar situations all across the country?

Sadly, what may be prudent appears to take a back seat to other forces. The City of Lockport and the LPFA have a contentious history with other irons still glowing in the fire. The current Common Council members have allegedly said they want to pay neither $500K for the hiring nor $600K for the overtime, and the newly-elected members who will make up the 2010 Council body have already made it clear they plan to take a tougher stand ($$$) with the Union.

This should make the lawyers have a very happy and prosperous new year.

The taxpayers? Not so much.

-J


Posted in Administration & Leadership, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 8, 2009 • View Comments

360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/1/2009

Check Out Real Sports on HBO Tonight for This Amazing Story

A New York City firefighter completes an Ironman Triathlon. Special enough, but Matthew Long did it after being hit, no, rolled over by a city bus. With less than a 1% chance of survival and 40 surgeries later, Long accomplished this amazing feat.

Not many people can complete an Ironman, and it’s hard to imagine anyone completing an Ironman after going through what Long went through. But Long is an inspiration, and the Real Sports segment on HBO is a good look at a man who refused to quit.

Pennsylvania Fire Department Suffers an Axing of Over Half the Fire Department- See Why:

According to information from certified public accountants, poor accounting practices and questionable transfers under prior administrations are blamed for the fiscal nightmare that resulted in the axing of 7 of the 13 firefighters in Uniontown, PA. Fire Chief Chuck Coldren pleaded with the council to avert the layoffs, repeating earlier assertions that the safety of both firefighters and residents will be endangered with the scaled-back staff.

“With the six guys who are left, it’s going to be a real nightmare for me to figure out how we’re going to operate. It’s a scary situation,” Coldren said.

My question is: what should happen to those responsible for the financial mess if someone gets hurt or killed now? City Clerk Kim Marshall said some of the deficiencies uncovered in the audit have been referred to state police and the state attorney general’s office for investigation.

Here’s more on the story from The Pittsburgh Tribune Review, and a video story from WPXI.com.

Puppy Resuscitated by Firefighters is Their New Mascot

A Dalmatian she’s not, but the 11-week-old Labrador mix puppy aptly named “Smokey” is the new mascot of the Jacksonville (IL) Fire Department. At a house fire nearly a month ago, firefighters found the pup lying near the back door and successfully resuscitated her with special oxygen kits for animals donated to their department.

Smokey’s learning to become a part of the crew as firefighters are teaching her to show children how to stop, drop, and roll. More on how this all came together here with a story by Maria Nagle of the Jacksonville Journal-Courier. More positive PR for firefighters….

Firefighter Curt Rueter plays with Smokey as driver engineer Jim Williams cooks after returning to the Jacksonville Fire Department substation after a day of training.

photo by Robert Leistra

Posted in 360 Burn, Funding & Staffing, IAFF, News, Pub Ed, Staffing, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on December 1, 2009 • View Comments

Oak Park (IL) Firefighters Retire Early to Facilitate the Return of Laid-Off Brothers

“…It’s disheartening and hurtful to be portrayed as the economic destroyers of the community, the ones who work such a short career and live such a wonderfully long retirement at the expense of the people we served – portrayed as something bad, as if our work, lives, careers were some sort of scam we have perpetrated on the community. I guess on a line item in a budget or in a ledger, we are just another number.”

Earlier this year, the Oak Park (IL) Fire Department had laid off several firefighter/paramedics due to budget constraints.

One of them is a brother that used to be a part of my crew for years at his previous department, and is one of those guys that can be described as a “fireman’s fireman”.  So I can personally verify that the Oak Park Fire Department had lost the services of a great guy- just as we did when he left us for Oak Park.

Today, he is back at work in Oak Park, one of two firefighters just rehired.

Why?

The honorable and selfless acts of senior firefighters, who decided to hang up the leather early to make room for the outstanding younger guys to carry on in their place.

What an excellent punctuation mark on the fire service careers of these fine men.

Here, in his own words, is an article written by one of those jakes, Rich Wilkie, reflecting on a career with no regrets.

*     *     *     *     *

I have just recently retired (after 27 years, two months) a few years early, short of a full 30 years of service. This was in order to effect the return to duty of the five young firefighter paramedics who were laid off last September. I was asked by one of the young firefighters today, “Were the years at the firehouse worth it all? What was your best memory and were there any regrets?”

It was worth every second of it. I would do it for another 27 years standing on my head. But I have already enjoyed a wonderful career serving, and theirs is just beginning. That is enough reason for me to know it’s time to go now. Not to mention that this job has taken its toll on my body physically and my spirit emotionally. There are so many good memories and stories; it would be impossible to single out one from the rest. So many challenging and rewarding situations in EMS and fire that you take with you, feeling and knowing you made a difference in someone’s life.

It’s a package deal, though. You can’t just take the good alone. Along with the good, you must carry forever the heartache and pain of the situations where you couldn’t change the outcome. You take those with you, too. There’s no vocation I can think of that gives you so much, spiritually, for your successful efforts and takes so much away for your failures. That’s how we think. We own our successes and failures, whether or not our actions could have possibly changed the outcome. We always want to help, save, rescue and succeed, and if we don’t, we feel responsible. We feel we’ve failed. That is why there is such a bond between us, “our band of brothers.”

It takes a special type of person to do what we do. We can’t do it alone; we need each other. Most people don’t really know or understand what is required from us and the toll it takes on us to do the work we do. Only those of us who do this work can understand what it is like to be us. A lifetime decision to willingly and without reservation give your life to help and protect the community you serve. It may sound cliché, but that’s the oath that every firefighter takes when he or she takes on this vocation.

It’s disheartening and hurtful to be portrayed as the economic destroyers of the community, the ones who work such a short career and live such a wonderfully long retirement at the expense of the people we served – portrayed as something bad, as if our work, lives, careers were some sort of scam we have perpetrated on the community. I guess on a line item in a budget or in a ledger, we are just another number.

But in my heart – and I hope in the hearts of the community in which I’ve lived, grown up, raised my children and served for 27 years – me and all my brother and sister firefighters are more than that. Your successes are ours and your losses are ours, too. Thank you for the opportunity and the privilege to serve you for the time I was able.

No regrets at all. Keep the faith and protect each other.

*     *     *     *     *

Rich Wilkie is a 27-year firefighter for the Oak Park Fire Department and member of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 95.

Making a splash: Rich Wilkie helps Joey Midlash handle a fire hose at A Day In Our Village in 2004.
Photo by Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest File 2004/Staff

Posted in Brotherhood, Chicagoland, IAFF, News, Staffing

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Posted by John Mitchell on November 28, 2009 • View Comments

With the Mayoral Election Behind Them and Arbitration Looming, Boston Local 718 Faces New Challenges

Boston firefighters may have had enough. After more than three years they are still working without a contract, and many are just plain pissed.

Ed Kelly, president of Boston Firefighters Local 718, is on the receiving end of the firefighters ire. Unable to secure a contract in “contentious” negotiations, they say Kelly then spent $150,000 in advertising in a failed attempt to unseat powerful Mayor Thomas M. Menino last week.

Firefighters had mounted a heavy battle to keep Menino from winning an unprecedented fifth four-year term, hoping to get a new negotiating partner and approve a more palatable contract. Now they’ll have to chance arbitration set for December, with a ruling three to five months away after that.

Contract negotiations had stalled when the union would not accept the city’s demands for random drug and alcohol testing A fatal ladder truck accident last year blamed on brake failure also put equipment maintenance in the spotlight.

Kelly offered no regrets on his election role. “The Boston firefighters stood together,” he said. “Unfortunately our candidate did not win, but we showed that we are willing to stand up to get true reform.”

Yes, they did. Nearly $45,000 was contributed between the local and individual firefighters loyal to the effort.

With the contentious election behind them, it appears that many within Local 718 are starting to look for new blood at the top. ”There is a hunger for new leadership,” said a 52-year-old firefighter who asked his name be withheld. “We have waited long enough for a contract, and this plan clearly did not work.”

In fact, the arbitrator’s ruling could decide Kelly’s fate, one high-ranking firefighter surmised, saying, “If it falls unfavorably to us, the membership is gonna want a change.”

Posted in Administration & Leadership, Brotherhood, IAFF, Leadership, News

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Posted by John Mitchell on November 8, 2009 • View Comments

Umm, Not So Fast East St. Louis

On Monday the city leader’s ill-advised attempt to cut- even further than the bone- yet more firefighters was stopped dead in its tracks.

The Illinois State Legislature formed the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority back in 1990 and gave it sweeping powers to oversee spending in the city as it teetered on the verge of bankruptcy.

19 years later, the watchdog group has stepped in and done their job, voting unanimously to reject the layoff plan proposed by Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. 

Patrice Rencher, executive director of the advisory authority, told the authority members that the plan "is in breach of the collective bargaining agreement" between the city and its firefighters. The agreement calls for maintaining a force of 58 firefighters, she said.

The F.A.A. went a step further to stymie the effort by the city to tap TIF resources to help rebalance the budget. 

The buck has to stop somewhere, but the firefighters in East St. Louis won’t have to endure further cuts.

Read the entire story here

WordPress Tags: IAFF Local 23,layoffs,East,Louis,Mayor,Alvin,Parks,Rencher,firefighters

Posted in Brotherhood, Firefighters, IAFF, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on September 22, 2009 • View Comments

East St. Louis Informational Picket Tomorrow

From www.bnd.com

The East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority is expected to vote on the city’s proposed budget Monday afternoon, including whether the city will be allowed to lay off 11 full-time firefighters.

The Financial Advisory Authority meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at the Kenneth Hall Regional Building near City Hall. Firefighters and other concerned citizens are planning to hold an informational picket from noon until the beginning of the meeting at 301 River Park Drive.

If the authority passes the budget as it is proposed, the city will lose 11 firefighters and two currently vacant positions will remain unfilled. If the authority does not pass the budget as proposed by the city, the firefighters will keep their jobs until the city presents another budget proposal to the authority.

ESTL Chief

 

East St. Louis Fire Chief William Fennoy talks about the cuts to the fire department as East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. listens. – Derik Holtmann/BND

 

If the cuts are approved by the Financial Advisory Authority the layoffs would take effect on Oct. 1.

The cuts, which would trim $1.08 million from the city’s budget, would leave the city with 42 full-time firefighters, according to International Association of Firefighters Union Local 23 President Lt. Jason Blackmon. The union contract calls for 58 firefighters.

"We are concerned about the safety of our citizens," Blackmon said. "We have an older community and a lot of people are not insured. We are concerned about the closing of the 1700 Lincoln Ave. firehouse and the impact it will have on the safety of our citizens."

The East St. Louis firefighter’s union launched a radio and television informative ad campaign to try to convey the concerns it has about losing 13 positions. Fire Chief William H. Fennoy warned that the reduction amounts to the loss of an entire shift of firefighters.

"We couldn’t get the city leaders to understand our perspective on safety," Blackmon said. "We are running the ad to try to inform our citizens about our concerns for their safety. Right now we have over 1,200 runs at this point in the year and we haven’t even made it to October yet."

If the layoffs take place the firefighters would be eliminated according to seniority, Blackmon said.

"It would take us all the way back to the last person hired in August 2000," he said. "It takes seven years for our firefighters to be vested into the pension and nine of the 11 are already vested."

Video courtesy of IAFF23.com via YouTube.com

Posted in IAFF, WTF?

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Posted by John Mitchell on September 20, 2009 • View Comments