“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!
It is here I found 
Sizeup, Risk/Gain
I used to see myself as far from being an alarmist. Before uttering a response or invoking a knee-jerk emotion, I felt some pride knowing that I would first take the time to figure out what was being presented, then formulate an informed and measured response/decision/reaction.
Howabout that Avian (Bird) Flu of 2007? That was to be a major event. Although many were sickened and some lost their lives, it was not the end of days we were led to believe might occur. Human cases of bird flu peaked in 2006 at 115, with 79 deaths. The number has since declined, with 73 human cases and 32 deaths in 2009, the WHO said.
I quickly stashed my venti vanilla skim latte in its holder and simultaneously honked and waved with less fingers than my left hand contains, while clutching my iPhone in my right. What was this chucklehead thinking?
As we decide how to utilize the constant array of new technology, we need to address the amount of distraction we’re placing upon our responders. We need to recognize and accept that too much input may result in a decreased ability to process the information in a way that is useful. Worse yet, distracted emergency responders may bring increased civil and criminal liabilities upon our departments.
You may recall the tragedy in Dunwoody on January 24, 2010 in which Ann Bartlett, 74, died when a fire swept through her home after firefighters responded to her early morning emergency call and left when they couldn’t find a blaze. Five hours later, they responded to a second 911 call from neighbors and found the home fully engulfed. Her body was found in the home’s remains after the fire was extinguished. 
Two of the four officers initially fired are looking to be reinstated. They say they were fired for violating a department guideline in that they failed to establish command during the initial response. They claim they could not establish command because they had no scene yet. 
According to firefighter reports, a man was heating grease on the stove when he decided he needed to go to the store. 
Firefighters are warning drivers to unplug all electrical chargers from their vehicles when they are not running, after a charging iPod reportedly caused a Chevrolet Suburban to burn up last week.
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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.
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!
According to Comeau, the Chief said it “looked like a comedy act”. It is a comment he still stands by today in 
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. 
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