Skip to content

Archives for firegeezer

See all posts in the network tagged with firegeezer

Camden’s Union Shoulda?

Like many of you this morning, I received an email from The Secret List regarding, among other things, an article written by Eric Lamar and posted over at my buddy Firegeezer’s site earlier this month.  In it, Lamar points to union leadership and the role it may need to take in these tragic economic times facing local governments nationwide.

He specifically points to the role the union played over in Camden, New Jersey, where a massive layoff hit both the fire and police departments like a ton of bricks.

Much of what I offer here will make more sense if you read Lamar’s article here.  It is worth your time.

Lamar frequently uses the analogy of the lifeboat and a sinking ship, particularly fitting for his argument.  And although much of what he offers is thought-provoking, I think he stops short of looking at the entire timeline of what is happening to the fire service by city leaders eager to pass the buck on the blame.

How did we get here?

To take the lifeboat analogy a bit further, the Great Titanic did not have as many lifeboats as was required to ensure the safety of the passengers (citizens/taxpayers of Camden) and crew (Camden’s public service employees), yet the decision was made to proceed full steam ahead.

And just like Mike Williams, a rig technician and survivor on the Deep Water Horizon, later recounted, when the oil rig he was on inevitably exploded, he had jumped from a sure death (the flaming oil rig) into a sure death (the flaming sea).

While I feel badly for those who lost their jobs this month, I wonder how those, still employed but left behind. will fare suddenly tasked with doing more of the job with less of the resources.

God help them.

So maybe we ought to be looking a little further back than the decision the union and its firefighters faced this month, and see what could have- nay- SHOULD HAVE been done before it got to this point in Camden.  I’m referring to the city leaders who certainly share a portion, if not the majority, of creating the flaming sea upon which the exploding oil rig continued working.

Camden Mayor Miton Milan

Milton Milan, Camden's third mayor to see prison

Why aren’t we also looking into the possibility/probability that poor management by corrupt and jailed city leaders created this problem?  Wasn’t it inevitable that lifeboats would be needed? So now, should we allow our city leaders get off scot-free without a similar inspection as to their guilt?

How convenient these days, when unions and pensions are under the microscope, to go back only far enough as a reaction to the inevitable point Camden found itself in- and say that the Unions should have made a better decision on the question:

Stay on the sinking ship and certainly die, or jump into the frigid waters and hope for a spot on an overcrowded lifeboat?

Stay stoked!

-J

Posted in Brotherhood, Change

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on January 27, 2011 • 3 comments

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?

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on August 20, 2010 • 1 comment

Firehouse Expo in Balty!

Hey all-

Leaving this AM for Firehouse Expo in Baltimore.  If you’re in the neighborhood, look us up, we’ll be netcasting from the booth of Firegeezer and Dave Statter.  It’s the perfect opportunity to latch onto the highly collectible Firegeezer mugs with the added bonus of Bill’s signature to make the mug a prized possession in your day room or anywhere else the mug may travel.

I also wanted to help spread the word about this fire service guru who is the next one taking his wildly appealing written stuff to the next level- a live podcast in which you can participate.

It all happens live Wednesday night- or download it after the fact at iTunes.  You can get all the links and details on his announcement here.

He is Christopher Naum, the newest member of our family.  He joins Art Goodrich, Tiger Schmittendorf, Rhett Fleitz and yours truly as the Firefighter NetCast team.

Stay stoked out there, and hit me up for a beverage in Balty!

Posted in Brotherhood, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, Just For Fun, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on July 20, 2010 • 1 comment

Never Shoot Where You Eat

Who does the public call for all that “weird emergency stuff?”

You know- the stuff the cops can’t handle?

According to a report from The Philadelphia Daily News, someone in Merion, Pennsylvania called the cops for a ten forty-five: orange chicken at large in my yard- cluckin’ and maybe even poopin’ all over the place.

Ten forty-fives are not covered with any real depth at the Academy.  While the responding officer may not have been really experienced or prepared for this specific type of situation, it still needed mitigating.

I’d like to think that the officer, an unidentified eight-year veteran, finally decided he should ask himself one question- the same obvious question any good cop would normally ask himself in this situation:

“Hmmm.  Do I know anyone that could shoot this chicken with a bow and arrow?”

Yes, he does know someone that could shoot this chicken with a bow and arrow.  His firefighter buddy!

So, the firefighter buddy is summoned to the scene of the calamity, and not unexpectantly, shoots the chicken- with a bow and arrow.

Then, he eats the chicken.

Uh-oh… Turns out the firefighter’s meal was named Connie- a beloved pet from a nearby yard who had flown the coop a day earlier.  If only Connie had been fitted with the invisible fence collar, she might be here today.

Although the pet owner doth complained vociferously, Police Lieutenant Christopher Polo said no crime was committed and a chicken isn’t protected under state game laws, and can be shot with a bow and arrow by a hungry firefighter called to the scene of a 10-45 by his buddy cop friend.

But he says the officer could have used better judgment.

I say there’s a lesson here for all of us:

Never shoot where you eat.

Posted in News, WTF?

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on April 8, 2010 • 2 comments

Pre-FireGeezer Fire Geezers – 1943 FDNY Video

(Here’s a video that will even make Bill feel young)

From the YouTube description:

This All Hands building fire took place sometime during the fall or winter of 1943, and shows the Fire Patrol arriving on the scene and carrying tarps in to protect property.

The engine that took the hydrant first was perhaps an American LaFrance, made in the early 1920′s.

Note, the neat looking rig that the Fire Patrol was using.

The rest of the engines on the scene all appear to be Macks, some of which had open cabs while others had enclosed cabs.

Note the gasoline tanks were located behind the cabs.

On the enclosed cab engines you can see what looks like a Federal Sign and Signal Model l8 emergency warning light.

This video was complied and edited from movie film in the Stillman Fire Collection Archives. The original movie was silent. We added the sound track, and if you want to view it as it was taken then turn off your computer speakers.

Posted in Just For Fun, Tradition, Videos

Tagged , , ,

Posted by on February 22, 2010 • No comments

360 Burn Size Up of the Fire Web- 1/13/10

And the Winner is……….

Mark Glencourse, the creator of Medic999, emerged victorious in what ended up to be a neck-and-neck race to the finish for the Best Fire/EMS Blog of 2009.  Congratulations, Mark!

FireGeezer sure gave him a run for his money, as they each traded leads in the exciting final stretch.  But Mark had an entire Kingdom of loyal readers mobilized and they came through as the contest ended last night. He stayed up late (1:00 am UK time) to take the honor of becoming the first guest on the live premiere edition of FirefighterNetCast to accept his “award”.

Obvious to all but the most childish (;->), no one here wanted an Oscar or was hurt because they weren’t considered or didn’t win.

There are no trophies, but there is the sheer triumphant joy of “bragging rights”. Those that truly know the fire and EMS services can appreciate the value bragging rights bring.

On the NetCast, Mark spoke eloquently to the goal of the “contest”: a means by which to expand the awareness of so many excellent bloggers out there, whether in the contest or not.

He is “spot-on” (methinks is a favourite saying acrost the pond) with that viewpoint.   We really are fortunate to have so many high-quality bloggers sharing their thoughts, views, and perspectives.  If you have a few favorites which you regularly visit, be sure to take time to check out some of the other talent out there as well.

To those of us who lost and have the bitter taste of defeat today- I say- wash that taste away with a high-end lager and say what we always say here in in The Windy City (home of the Cubs): “Just wait ‘til next year!”

You can read Mark’s reaction to his win here.

Appreciation must go out to my buddy and partner Rhett Fleitz over at FireCritic for spending is valuable time, talent, and treasure in creating and hosting the contest.  If he wasn’t running the project, there is no doubt you would have seen FireCritic vying for the gold as well.

Also a quick shout-out to my Mom- Hi Mom, thanks for voting for me!  Yep, just you and 14 others!  No, it’s OK, I’m fine.  Again…

Congratulations again to Mark, as well as all the other fire and EMS bloggers.  Let the 2010 games begin now!

Helmet Cam and the Outside Vent Guy

Speaking of excellence in fire/EMS blogging, head on over to Traditions Training Blog and catch an excellent helmet-cam video of DC Firefighter Joe Brown as he performs the tasks as the “Outside Vent Guy”.  While viewing the video, Joe adds important training tips on laddering, opening up windows, gaining access, and vent-enter-search practices.  This is a must-see video for any firefighter that wants to be on top of his game as a truckie.

You may also want to check out Joe in yet another DC Fire helmet cam video of ”Outside Vent Guy” at my earlier post, “Be This Guy.”

We are so pleased to have Traditions Training Blog as one of our newest partners here on FireEMSblogs.  Traditions Training is composed of fire department veterans from around the country, including the Washington, D.C. metro area and City of New York. The mission of Traditions Training is to teach “beyond the book” and provide knowledge and skills that will enhance your safety, efficiency, and knowledge as a firefighter.  Be sure to bookmark them and stop in regularly!

Too Aggressive or Too Safety-Conscious?

One other member new to FireEMSblogs.com, but certainly a seasoned veteran fire chief and nationally-recognized fire service leader and educator, Christopher J. Naum joins us with his newest blog The Company Officer.

In a recent post entitled Company Fortitude & Courage to be Safety Conscious,  Chris tells us that “dynamic risks must be managed at the company level with a balanced approach of effective assessment, analysis and probability within company and command decision making that results in safety conscious strategies and tactics.”

Does your company have this level of courage, or is there room to evaluate your ability to recognize the situation and adjust the manner in which you accomplish your fireground tasks?  Let this blog plant a seed in your head as you embark out into the new year.

Content Was King!

A final thank you to all who listened and participated in the live premier of Firefighter NetCast Tuesday night.  Despite the technical glitches that seem to always be lurking in the shadows, Rhett and I were absolutely thrilled and honored to have the caliber of discussion and listener participation to make the show truly special.  Special thanks to our featured guest, Bill Carey over at Backstep Firefighter for his vast knowledge and continued focus on Line of Duty Deaths.

A live netcast brings special surprises, as we found out by calls from Chief Art Goodrich (Chief Reason Art) and Christopher Naum (see above).  The interaction between these three guests was simply extraordinary.  I believe this may have been the first time these gentlemen spoke together on one show, as well as relating to input from our listeners in the live chat room.  We are indeed proud to be a part of that.

If you missed it, you can link to the raw feed at our site (hurry, before I have a chance to splice and dice out the glitches!) and make it available on iTunes.

Our next NetCast will also be live, this time at 9pm ET on February 4.  The featured topic will be Old School vs. New School and Social Media.  All the information can be found here.  We hope you can join us!

*   *   *   *   *

Human Horror

As we watch the unimaginable human horror unfolding in Haiti where thousands have perished in the most intense earthquake there in 200 years, our hearts pour out to all those affected.  On a personal note, our family has an adopted child next door in the Dominican Republic and despite several attempts, we still aren’t able to determine her conditions.  Please pray for all of the victims.

We are so proud of the USAR teams and other specialized rescue workers from the United States who are either mobilizing now or are already on scene doing what they do best.

An earthquake survivor carries a small baby in a shanty town on the outskirts of Port au Prince, following a major earthquake in Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Marek/American Red Cross, ho)

Posted in 360 Burn, Command & Leadership, Disasters, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, In the Line of Duty, Leadership, Line of Duty, LODD, NetCast, News, Tips and Tricks, Training, Training & Development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • No comments

See How Fire Daily Made the Cut…

Fire Daily has advanced to the top ten final round of the Fire EMS blog of the Year 2009.

What?

I am fully humbled and completely surprised that I was nominated at all, let alone advancing out of the evening gown portion of this highly competitive contest.

Here’s how I made it this far  (Eat your heart out, Art Goodrich….) :

Now it’s your turn.  Have some fun and choose from an outstanding list of the other nine bloggers that truly deserve to have advanced to the final ten, whilst averting your eyes from the visual your brain will so cruelly conjure up of FireDaily in a swimsuit.

STATter 911 Statter911.com

The place to go for up to the minute coverage of daily stories of anything emergency services.  If it seems like the coverage is from a real-life TV journalist, it is.  Looking for a video and want to find it fast?  Check out Dave Statter’s site first!

Rescuing Providence RescuingProvidence.com

True stories from Michael Morse, a medic in Rhode Island with an amazing ability to string together words and form a movie in your head.  My newest regular read.

Medic999 999Medic.com

What a year for Mark Glencourse, a medic from the United Kingdom who talks funny but packs a mean forearm! Part of “The Project”, Mark came across the pond late last year to see how EMS operates here in the U.S. and let us all in on the process. With a very engaging personality and a clever sense of humor, I’m really glad to have “met’” him.

The Happy Medic HappyMedic.com

The other half of “The Project”, Justin Schorr came out of the anonymous closet when it became apparent just how wildly public he would become.  After hosting 999Medic, Justin traveled over to the U.K. for his half of the adventure.  More success in inevitable for both Justin and Mark this year.  It will be interesting to see which one of the two finishes with a higher vote total.  Place your bets!

FireGeezer FireGeezer.com

One of the obvious front runners, FireGeezer probably needs no introduction.  If you have never heard of FireGeezer, welcome to our planet Earth. I’m proud to be the one to introduce you to a blog actually made up of three people: retired fire captain Bill Schumm (FireGeezer), retired fire captain Mike Ward (FossilMedic) and Jim Featherstone (LightRock) with over 30 years in the fire service. Frequently updated posts with some of the best titling this side of Uranus.  You read that exactly how it was meant to sound.

Firehouse Zen FirehouseZen.com

Chief Mick Mayers posts his thoughts, insights, and opinions focusing on two of the most fascinating areas in the fire service- change and leadership.  Any aspiring company officer, or fire service professional looking to better their leadership qualities should put FHZ on their daily reading list.  I do.

Everyday EMS Tips EverydayEMSTips.com

Greg Friese is a paramedic, EMS instructor, conference speaker, and EMS author.  Beyond that, he has clearly demonstrated a grasp of the successful utilization of numerous social media elements to put forth a wide array of EMS topics, tips, and tidbits.  Greg’s commitment to using the newest internet technologies to expand learning opportunities sets him apart from the norm.  And he lives in Wisconsin.  That should count for something, right?

Engine 9 RFD EngineCompany9.Blogspot.com

A highly-addictive look into the daily interactions of an engine company in Virginia.  I love this site because I feel like I know all the players when I read of their everyday exploits as a “fire station family.”  Get inside their heads as long as they let us…..

The EMT Spot TheEMTSpot.com

Steve Whitehead has an extensive history in EMS instruction and has written for several EMS journalists as a freelance author.  His content is update three times a week, and you can always count on quality information geared toward EMS topics.

Voting is simple.

Go here, select your choice, and click the button.

By the way, the rules say you can vote once every eight hours (a little more restrictive than here in Illinois).  Take a moment to make your choice.  Voting ends very quickly (January 12) and the winner will be announced on the live FirefighterNetCast next Tuesday night at 8pm ET.

Finally, hats off to Rhett Fleitz, a.k.a. Fire Critic for taking on this contest among all his other irons in the fire.  Make FireCritic.com a regular stop as well, you won’t be disappointed.  If he were not running the contest, he would be a serious contender.  Thanks, Rhett!

Posted in Just For Fun, NetCast, News, WTF?

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on January 6, 2010 • No comments

With Friends Like These…..

2009 brought a great deal of change to the blogosphere

Newbies

Claiming he was just a pup at 6 months old, FireCritic had unveiled his Top Ten Most Popular Posts for 2009 Unlike him, I (at half his net age) did not rely on objective stats or definable criteria when I counted down FireDaily’s 2009 Top Blog Posts for 2009.  I just picked the ones I liked, that’s all.

“Never let the facts get in the way of a great story” was a saying often heard at my firehouse.

As if the American English language hasn’t been assaulted enough by the Brits already, Mark Glencourse (Medic999) just announced his 1st “blogoversary”.  The first project has come and gone with Mark and Justin (TheHappyMedic) each crossing the pond and sharing their perspectives in a way never before seen, yet certainly blazing the trail for how we’ll be seeing things in the future!  I’m still waiting for the Fiji firefighter to get our exchange “project” started (psst-call me!)

I say “first project” because smart money is on continued projects.  We’ll be seeing much more of the dynamic duo as Chronicles of EMS blasts off.

Speaking of Justin, 2009 marks the year he came out of the “blog closet” revealing his true identity.

Another relative newbie, Life Under the Light’s Chris Kaiser, has a unique and refreshing writing style that always tickles my funny bone WHILST raising pertinent issues related to emergency services as he gallivants across nearby northern IL and southern WI protecting property and saving lives. He is one of my FAVOURITES as well.

Crikey, Mark, look what you’ve done to us all…..  Frumpydumpled Rotcod….

Medic22 is a well-crafted blog about an EMT working his way through paramedic school. As a former paramedic student and instructor, I find myself remembering so much of my educational experience.  MedicThree allows us into his head as he struggles to juggle the demands and stressors that face us all.

I know I missed some of the other “young’ins” here on FireEMSblogs.com; don’t take it personally.  Our paths will cross soon enough (psst- don’t call me!).

Veterans

We youngsters have been fortunate enough to blog alongside some of the veteran wordsmiths- fire and EMS bloggers that have been around long enough that the place would be a ghost town without them.  Also, it would smell alot less like Maxwell House…

The number of posts FireGeezer puts out any given day is directly proportional to his caffeine intake.  Also, the titles he chooses for his posts are quite creative and shows that much thought went into these eye-catching headlines.  Who doesn’t have the famous FireGeezer mug yet?

News coverage by veteran reporter Dave Statter (STATter911) simply cannot be beat.  Trying to find THAT video of THAT fire?  You’ll always find it here.  Couple that with the genuine journalist credentials he brings to the table, and you’ll be stopping by his site on a daily basis as well.

Art Goodrich (Chief Reason Art) won’t put out a post unless he’s got something worthwhile to offer- even IF the weather is too crappy to get out and ride.

Nationally-recognized Tiger Schmittendorf continues to exude knowledge with each and every post. See him in action speaking at FDIC in April.

Everyone should be so lucky as to have a Fire Chief like they do in Hilton Head.  That’s what I hear from two of their guys (they pull no punches).  Who is he?  Mick Mayers, host of Firehouse Zen which is spot on every time.  Top notch.  Period.  End of story.

Again, there are so many quality bloggers to be found on the “internets webs”.  If I didn’t mention you yet, please forgive me.  This list scratches the surface of who I read on a regular basis.  There are simply too many to continue to list.  This includes you Captain Schmoe!  I’ve been quite busy lately trying to get some other projects off the ground.  I’ll get to you!

Incredibly, I have not actually met with any of these bloggers… yet.

But I feel as if I know them just like a brother- buddies you can confide in- guys you can count on to help you out- guys eager to loan you a thousand or three to get you though the lean times (psst- call me!)

FireEMSblogs.com

Some of the most committed bloggers on fire and EMS topics have been brought together under the umbrella of FireEMSblogs.com- one place to check out what the hot bloggers are talking about.  Without FireEMSblogs.com, we would all be doing our own thing solo.  Those with an established following would be just fine.  Add in all the others and the result would be noise.

With FireEMSblogs.com, we now have a symphony- or maybe an orchestra or band of sorts- no, maybe a barbershop quar-  a hootenan-  aww, forget it.  Drunks at a bar- but at least we’re all singing together!

All of this rambling leads us to my choice for my favorite FireDaily blog post from 2009.  Thanks, Chris, Dave, and company.  Here’s to you all!

- – - – - – - – - – - -

Wow. New digs!

It’s reminds me of the last time I moved into a newly-opened fire station. No, not that temporary piece of crap renovated warehouse ‘station’ in the industrial park with the loading dock and a bay door 2 ¾ inches wider than the mirrors on the engine it housed, and the rickety stairs leading to the open loft day room on top of the kitchen’s ceiling…

If I sound bitter about that rat hole, it’s because I am.

No, this one is the shiny and new kind. You remember: the “new construction smell” and plastic still on the recliners. The kitchen cabinets and drawers full of new pots and utensils. The bay floors that will never be that clean again despite your efforts, and the johns that will.

As I check out all the new features on FireEMSblogs.com, I compare it to going into each room of the new station; touching everything everywhere as ideas on how to customize begin to float around in my head.

To the builders (Chris, Dave, and the crew) congratulations, it’s truly amazing. Your hard work so far has clearly paid off. I join the others with eager anticipation in what lies ahead. Thanks!

To my new partners, thanks for taking me aboard and your hospitable welcome. Although I’ll be entering my fifth decade in the fire service next year, this makes me feel like the young probie all over again (this time I’ll do things right). I hope I can earn your respect as we move forward together with our common purpose.

Finally, as I visited each of your sites tonight, I noticed the graphics and design features you all implemented with the rollout They are really impressive, and I’ve got my work cut out for me. Great job everyone!

Even with our new “station” we’ll still all be “running calls”, so the work won’t change. But the new digs seem to have an invigorating effect, don’t you agree?

Stay stoked!

-J

Posted in Just For Fun

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on December 31, 2009 • 10 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?

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Posted by on December 8, 2009 • No comments

Be scared lil’ light bulb on my Butter-Face Christmas Tree… Be VERY scared.

The tree we bought a few years back has what is called a “lifetime lights guarantee”

“If FOR ANY REASON, the lights on your new tree fail to function correctly, they are covered for replacement at 100%”.  This tipped it in for me and my tipsy family.  Troubleshooters we are not.

After completing my recent speaking tour to promote our fancy new Facebook Group “The Hobbled Firefighters of Northern Illinois”, I returned to my warm casa to find my loving family had lovingly erected and fully decorated the aforementioned tree in order to surprise me.

All except the lights.

The lower two-thirds of the tree looked great!  All of the strands of lights were shining brightly, enticing us to fully feel the warmth of Christmas grow within our hearts.

The top third?  Not so much.  Nary a light was lit.  I began to think of it as our “butter-face” Christmas Tree, if ya know what I mean….

No worries, I thought.  We got THE GUARANTEE.  Whistling Oh Tannenbaum by Sternschnuppe, I dialed up my Christmas Tree vendor.  A friendly teen-aged girl’s voice message greeted me.  I imagine the tree vendor sought out the lowest-paid employee with the best sounding voice to record the greeting.

“Like, Welcome to blablabla… important to us blablabla… extension, like, you may dial it now blablabla… If the lights on your Christmas tree are not working, please refer to our on-line troubleshooting guide.”

I was frazzled.  Did Amber just use the four-lettered word, TROUBLESHOOTING?  Hadn’t we purchased The Troubleshooting Guarantee?  Apparently not.  Maybe too much frothy egg nog had preceded the purchasement of the tree (maybe too much frothy eggnog made me use the imaginary word “purchasement”).  Fine print was not ignored, it just was too small and way too wavy to decipher.

Whistling The Theme From Jaws, I looked looked up the tree vendor’s site and quickly found their info on what I should do if the lights aren’t working.  I clicked on the PDF link and found myself staring at a list of nearly 27 steps- The lights must first be checked for broken bulbs or fizzled fuses.  Troubleshooting.

So beginning today, I will be starting on step number 1.

Strike that, step number zero first- make some more frothy egg nog.

It may take me a bit of time to individually friggin check every friggin light for the one lil bugger that has caused me so much angst and grief.  And fuoro and freneticism.

@%#%&#%

All of this has also taken a flavorful bite out of the time I have been giving to the next great idea.  Fire Critic and I are hard at work developing a fun new project that should be out very shortly.  It’s just the beginning of what should be an fantastic new year for all of us.

The pace at the Fire Daily Imaginarium Media Production Facilities Headquarters is fast, frantic, frenetic, and feverish.

And frenzied.  And furious.

If you haven’t already noticed- today’s post is brought to you by the letter “F”.  Fire Daily has frickin’ tied one on before noon.  Again.

Blog posts have taken a backer seat (hiccup) to the new project and our Butter Face Tree.  Funnily, this is a perfect time to roll out my newest project, “Two Thousand and Nine Favorite FireDaily Blog Posts from 2009”.  Some of them come from that dim-witted, loud-mouthed no-good, jack-wad, Jeremy Black (whose odoriferous stench continues to permeate even the darkest, dingiest corners of the FDMPFHQ Imaginarium).

Here’s the first re-post- aptly entitled “Got a Bad Attitude? Stay at Home…”

While FireGeezer has his coffee brewing this morning, I’m poppin’ another bottle of Bailey’s.

Be sacred, lil’ light bulb.

Be very scared.

-J

Posted in Chicagoland, Firefighters, Just For Fun, WTF?

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by on December 7, 2009 • 4 comments

Will the Walls of Jericho Come Tumbling Down?

The energizer bunny has nothing on this rambling episode of humanity gone mad in Jericho, Arkansas.  Check out FireGeezer’s Update on this story that still has several miles to go. 

 jericho village hall

Here’s what is reported to have happened:

Jericho cops write traffic tickets to Jericho fire chief.  Fire chief goes to court.

Fire chief allegedly attacks police officer in the courtroom.  One of the 3 cops there finds it necessary to shoot the fire chief –in the back-

After shooting fire chief, no arrests are made.  It bears repeating:  No arrests were made.

Mayor terminates the fire chief.  Remaining firefighters say “if he goes, we go” and walk in solidarity to the chief.

Finally, probably after consulting with attorneys, police issue arrest warrants for battery to a police officer.  A cover-your-ass move?

Fire chief sits on porch for days, awaiting arrest. 

He still waits.

We do too.

If history truly repeats itself, please let the walls come tumbling down on the insanity that is Jericho, Arkansas.

WordPress Tags: Jericho,Arkansas,FireGeezer,Chief

Posted in WTF?

Tagged , , , ,

Posted by on September 25, 2009 • No comments