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Follow the Yellow “Safety Brick” Road!

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Editted on 5/1/09-PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT ACCEPTING COMMENTS AT THIS TIME. PLEASE DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME. THERE ARE OTHER SITES WHERE THIS BLOG IS POSTED. THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY SITE AND I INTEND TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

THANKS FOR VISITING MY SITE.

 

Borrowing and paraphrasing a comment made by FDNY Lt. Ray McCormack, I would wonder in his safety culture if I were the Cowardly Lion for a lack of courage, the Tin Man for lack of a heart or the Scarecrow for lack of a brain. I would think maybe some of all three, but this I know:

 

Last week at FDIC, in just under 40 minutes, Safety in the fire service took a major hit.

 

From the opening salvo delivered by Chief Bobby Halton to his “body-burying buddy”, FDNY Lt. Ray McCormack; disdain, indifference and apathy for a safer fire service was never more evident.

 

And clearly, I will respectfully disagree with their messages in this year of personal responsibility for safety.

 

This I want to die with my boots on mentality in the fire service is killing us. I cannot recall one incident where SAFETY killed one of us at an incident. So, it is Safety that is our only hope for reducing injuries and deaths; both firefighter AND civilian.

 

Honestly; I am shocked by what I heard. If I understood, Halton wants us to risk everything to save a life and to preserve the symbolism of the red fire truck, as defined by writer Kurt Vonnegut.

 

Now; I realize that when I became a firefighter, I promised God that I would risk my life to save another, BUT, I NEVER agreed to GIVE UP my life to save another.

 

So that you understand that last statement, what it means is that I would not consciously put myself in a position to die, but if I crossed that threshold during an attempted rescue, then play lively music at my funeral! It also means that conditions changed while I was inside from when I went inside.

 

And I’m sorry, Bobby, but art and commerce are not on my “save” list as you would like. I’m not willing to cross the threshold for an album filled with “Kodak moments”. They can get another camera and start a new album along with that new life that we just gave them!

 

I believe that our public does not want to see us dying in property that is unoccupied, insured and can be re-built. They do not want the guilt of knowing that we died and left families of our own behind.

 

Before I turn my attention to Lt. McCormack’s comments, I will say this with regards to Chief Halton’s comments: if you want a world where firefighters give the ultimate sacrifice to preserve honor, tradition and the sacred trust, then these should be men and women-orphans who are unfeeling, uncaring and unimportant to and of themselves, with no families or friends-who will not leave someone suffering, in order to relieve the suffering of others.

 

WE-every firefighter that you have ever stood before-understand and accept our fate. Unfortunately, our parents, families, friends, wives, and especially our kids do not feel full from our deaths; only emptiness.

 

So maybe, you should take your message to THEM. Get their buy-in and then we can come back to the safety table and talk about how sissified and saftified we’re making the fire service.

 

I will put my heart, guts and balls out there with anyone else, but as a leader, MY MEN COME FIRST, but the public is first on our list. Making my men number one does not make the public number two. I understand that we have to serve them, but we are not sub-servant; no less important.

 

And as their leader, no one is more important to me than my men are. And I am unwilling to believe that their lives are worth less than the life of someone we swore to serve.

 

The irony of all of this is that we only want to roll out Safety when there is talk of budget cuts and reducing manpower. Now, that’s unsafe!

 

“Too much safety lends itself to fear”, says FDNY Lt. Ray McCormack.

 

What is “too much safety”? I have been involved with safety as a profession for twenty-plus years and I have yet to see “too much”.

 

But, can someone show me ONE example of where Safety EVER got in the way of any of you doing your jobs?

 

No? That’s because you CAN’T!

 

You see; we pick and choose where we invoke the cry for Safety. The rest is simply ignored.

 

Why do we waste that one position on safety officer? Give him a set of irons and go do something, for chrissakes.

 

Teaching people the safe way to do their jobs gives them a better understanding, helps them to avoid problems caused by a lack of understanding and builds their confidence that is the underpinnings for their courage under fire. It makes them FEARLESS; not fearful!

 

In closing, I will also respectfully disagree with the Lt.’s assessment that “the path is paved with yellow safety bricks”.

 

The path is paved with black bunting, lined with Class A’s, vibrating with drums and bagpipes, grieving with widows, moms, dads, fatherless/motherless children and cemented with the spirits of thousands of glorious and gifted lives who thought that they were bound by duty to die, either by necessity or by accident.

 

“Courage-Determination-Pride”; me and the Lt. agree on these three, but this is my take on them:

 

Have courage to stand up to those who believe there’s too much safety and say that there is as of yet, not enough.

 

Have the determination to develop, implement and enforce SOGs that are constructed with a foundation strong in safety.

 

Show your pride, knowing that you did your job, did it safely, got the job done and you didn’t have to compromise your sacred trust.

 

To Bobby Halton and FDNY Lt. Ray McCormack; thank you for keeping the spotlight on Safety.

 

It will continue to be seen in a different light.

 

TCSS.

 

This article is protected by copyright and may not be re-produced in any form without the expressed consent of the author.

Posted by chiefreason on April 28, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , ,

Brother/Sisterhood: Illusion or Elusive?

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First of all, I am not going to the dictionary to define “brother/sisterhood.

 

For one thing, it would not adequately capture the essence of the deep feelings for what is the core of brother/sisterhood as it applies to the fire service and I believe that, as a nation of firefighters, we are still defining it.

 

For over a quarter of a century, I have been studying what exactly it means to be in the  brother/sisterhood.

 

Dylan Thomas, the renowned Welsh poet, wrote an amusing piece about brotherhood. He stated that he built a snowman, his brother knocked it down, he knocked his brother down and then they had tea! A simple but workable description of brotherhood, but I believe that it goes deeper.

 

Does brother/sisterhood only exist in the fire service? If not, then why don’t we hear doctors, nurses, teachers, business executives, politicians or electricians talk about their professions in such terms?

 

Wait; there IS the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), but is our brother/sisterhood on the same plane as the electricians?

 

One only has to look at the funerals to know that they are NOT the same.

 

Yes; the funerals! When we see the videos and photos of the apparatus, the flags, honor guards, the sea of dress uniforms and the bagpipers, it is this congress of comrades that is the epitome of what is the brother/sisterhood. As we struggle to bury one of our own, we are one and the same.

 

And it would seem that we gather our strength from this very emotional moment in our lives and take it to heart and make it a part of our every day lives.

 

People who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon will often ask why so many of us come from all over the country to say good-bye to a fallen brother/sister that we didn’t even know.

 

Our answer? Because THAT’S the brother/sisterhood!

 

How is it, then, that we don’t hear the same pronouncement when a brother/sister “knocks down the snowman”, so to speak? Are we picking and choosing when we invoke it?

 

Granted; a firefighter funeral and a malicious act committed by a firefighter are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum-that is quite obvious. In fact; some would argue that the two examples don’t even belong in the same sentence, but when we talk of brother/sisterhood, is it humanly possible to feel our compassion for someone who has committed a malicious and selfish act and not a selfless act?

 

In our country, everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but in the case of a public servant; once the headline is plastered all over the news outlets, we are guilty until proven innocent in the court of public opinion.

 

Our outpouring from the brother/sisterhood will be split between those who believe that we should remain silent until we know all of the facts and those who feel compelled to state their opinion based upon what we know at the moment.

 

Often, “brother/sisterhood” will be invoked like the hard swing of a hammer in an effort to suppress discussion. It is said with an air of indignant exclamation. Is it because the brother/sisterhood only wants to recognize and acknowledge whatever produces a positive image? Some might think so.

 

I have heard, How can you judge a brother/sister when you don’t know all the facts? Some brother/sisterhood!

 

When the discussions fire up, it is often triggered by a news report. Firefighters weigh in and many will preface their remarks with “if”, “alleged” or “in giving them the benefit of the doubt”. I do it in that manner, because we ARE innocent until proven guilty, I am giving the brother/sister the benefit of the doubt and in the end, I am showing respect for the brother/sisterhood.

 

But others will reply in a tone and manner that has the brother/sister as already guilty. However; they are also entitled to their opinion, however misguided or premature, because they are of the brother/sisterhood.

 

The brother/sisterhood of the nation’s fire service is not a nation of lemmings. We do not have one leader leading us all in the same direction with the same principles and goals. Many cultures diverge into one, common cause that calls for us to act, but we don’t all take the same path and we don’t all get the same results.

 

There are departments that are better than others; no question about it, but does “better” define who is and who isn’t in the brother/sisterhood? If the under-manned and under-funded departments are moving forward in the face of adversity to provide their services, guided by the principles in our call to duty, are they any less worthy?

 

Is the brother/sister who gets straight A’s in school kept in the family and the one who struggles to barely pass kicked out or as a family-as a brother/sisterhood-do we work with and help the ones who struggle so that they can become stronger, which will build a stronger brother/sisterhood? I would like to think so.

 

So; what defines our brother/sisterhood?

 

Edwin Markham wrote: There is a destiny that makes us brothers: None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others Comes back onto our own.

 

Is it our willingness to help our friends, neighbors and total strangers?

 

Is it the way that we think?

 

Is it the way that we dress?

 

Is it strengthening our bodies and battle plans or letting complacency weaken our purpose and preparedness?

 

Is it what we agree on or is it that we can bridge the differences?

 

Is it the good and the bad, but accepting neither as the best that we can do?

 

Is it trusting your life to someone else or trusting your judgment that you can?

 

Is it treating everyone with some respect until it becomes clear that they deserve more or less or NONE?

 

Is it basing our conclusions on the here and now without regard for our history and traditions?

 

Is it searching for a redeeming quality or a reason to give up?

 

Is it an excuse or a mandate to fix a problem?

 

Is it overcoming the black eyes caused by lapses in judgment or living with the scars, both physical and emotional, in a society that fixates on perfection?

 

When we make our decisions, both personal and professional, it must be done with our family of brothers and sisters in mind. When it is not, then we have turned our backs on the brother/sisterhood and have consciously or unconsciously “left” the brother/sisterhood. That separation is necessary to preserve the integrity of the brother/sisterhood and to respect our predecessors’ founding principles.

 

Regardless, the brother/sisterhood moves forward with the strength of the battle-tested veterans and the promise of a bright future from the new ones.

 

And the brother/sisterhood will not only survive, but will evolve even further.

 

Michael Joseph Barry wrote: But whether on the scaffold high or in the battle’s van, the fittest place where Man can die is where he dies for Man.

 

Defining the brother/sisterhood in a sentence, sound byte or even a single act will remain elusive, but we know that it’s real and that it isn’t an illusion.

 

I want to thank everyone who reads my meanderings and I hope that I have given you something to think about.

 

TCSS.

 

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. xchief22 and ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author. You may read other works by the author at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on April 10, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , ,

Your Back Up May Be Your Attorney

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“Firefighter Injured In 2006 Blaze Sues Department, Other Firefighters”.

 

You want a headline that grabs your attention, but lets go at some point after reading the story.

 

Since reading this story, I can’t let it go; it won’t let me go.

 

Suing your fellow firefighter has existed in the state of Illinois for several years. An attorney who specializes in fire district law told us that we could be sued if we hurt another firefighter.

 

Prior to the law, we enjoyed a certain “tort immunity”, but also, a lawsuit crazy culture didn’t exist back then. Firefighters suing firefighters; firefighters suing fire departments JUST DIDN”T HAPPEN! I struggle with the logic and motivation behind such a lawsuit.

 

My first thought after reading the article was: “wow; this person should be a chief”. I thought this because the claims in the case are so articulate. That is; she is so detailed on the causes for her injuries. Maybe she is receiving some good coaching. As an example, Schuenke stated: “…that Corbin was mismanaging the fire scene, had lost control of the fire scene, and was exposing firefighters…to a heightened and unreasonable risk of danger. The two (University City Assistant Chief and the Battalion Chief) should have removed Corbin as incident commander”, the suit says.

 

So, I am sitting here wondering how Schuenke knew incident command was “mismanaged” when she was engaged in the activities resulting from those “mismanaged” decisions.

 

Or, are she and her team of attorneys “assuming” that, because she was injured, it HAD to be the result of a bad decision by someone else?

 

Or, (I feel like Sherlock Holmes) is there a “forensic expert” or clairvoyant who could accurately “re-construct” down to the most miniscule detail of the events of that day?

 

It is unfortunate that something went terribly wrong and she was injured. Her crew was ordered to enter the house. It would be her team’s decision making from that point forward. They have interior command in my book. If it is not safe, THEY would decide to exit.

 

Also, you would sound the floor and move cautiously and deliberately and look for signs of trouble. Schuenke claims that her gloves didn’t fit properly, which is why her glove pulled off when Yahnke tried to pull her up through the hole in the floor. She removed her other glove to free her trapped foot. Both hands and a foot were severely burnt as a result.

 

I don’t know if it’s accurate or reasonable for her attorney to claim that: “This young lady is never going to be made whole. All the money in the world isn’t going to restore her to what she was before. She lost a career, and her life will be forever changed”.

 

While Schuenke was still in the hospital, she did an interview where she stated that no one helped her and left her for dead. Some close to the case believed that she was hinting at a possible lawsuit then.

 

But, I believe that the decision to sue came after Community Fire Protection District ended her employment.

 

In my mind, the lawsuit is filled with emotion, bitterness, retaliation and is void of any personal accountability on her part.

 

Why do I say that?

 

Because in her lawsuit, she names three (3) fire departments and five (5) firefighters specifically for not keeping her from being injured.

 

She is also suing the maker of her PASS device, because it didn’t alert rescuers to her predicament and location, even though firefighters DID know her predicament and location as soon as she fell through the floor.

 

There is no doubt that this is a sad case. I wasn’t there. I can only base my opinions on what I have read.

 

When you think about it, consider this: Schuenke is suing because she wanted to return to the Community Fire Protection District as a firefighter/paramedic and they terminated her. If, as she says, it’s her life and she wants to get back to it, then why is her lawsuit and her attorney saying that her career and her life as she knows it is over?

 

How else could they rationalize the lawsuit that isn’t about money?

 

I submit that, whenever lawyers and money are involved, then it’s about the money. Without knowing the amount being requested in the lawsuit, the worst case scenario is that it could bankrupt three (3) fire departments and five (5) individuals, even though her injuries were unintentional. That is; they were not inflicted with intent by any one person specifically through their actions or inactions, in my opinion.

 

I don’t know what kind of scene size up was done, what the conditions were when firefighters entered the structure or what SOGs and MA agreements dictated.

 

I only know that a lawsuit of this type could set off a chain of events that will bankrupt fire departments and paralyze even more fire departments, if firefighters are suing each other and their mutual aid partners.

 

I believe that this lawsuit was filed out of bitterness and retaliation. The money is a given (attorneys, you know?).

 

Unfortunately, the department that fired her wasn’t named in the lawsuit! How weird is that?

 

This case will bear close scrutiny. I am not taking any bets on its outcome.

 

I wish everyone involved the best of luck.

 

TCSS.

 

The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. xchief22 and ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author. You may read other works by the author at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on April 5, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , ,