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Your Cheatin’ Heart…Second Verse

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Previously, I had said that I was troubled with the cheating that goes on in the fire service. See: http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/your-cheatin-heart

I have included some links to stories that pertain to our fire/EMS community.

http://www.chipleypaper.com/articles/wausau-3889-reimburse-fire.html

http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/525906.html

http://www.plamerican.com/news/city-politics/fire-chief-charged-stolen-funds-case-803

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/oct/10/german-township-fire-department-missing-funds/

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/state_audit_woes_still_plague_1.html

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=9075608

http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_8116692a-b2f1-11de-b77b-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/0331cr-MaricopaFire0317.html

http://mobile.shakopeenews.com/news/police_and_courts/area_fire_chief_admits_theft_resigns-1241

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/11251081/detail.html

Some may ask, “Why would you write a piece that would draw attention to the negative light cast by these examples?”

It’s simple; I’m not!

The negative light was first cast on the days that these articles first appeared, but what caught my attention was to how easy it was to do a search on the Internet and within two pages of a gazillion, I found the above links. Oh; there were more-too numerous to count.

Anyone else see a problem with that?

This isn’t a contrivance. This isn’t an attempt to create or to drive an issue. These are not “isolated” incidents. Take a look at the links. The problem is everywhere.

And your department may be next! You don’t think so? Then ask yourselves or better still, answer the following questions:

Are your fire commissioners cheating you out of your 2% money?

Is your fire chief cheating with the department’s gas station account by filling up his family’s vehicles?

Is a firefighter cheating the pop and candy fund?

Are your money-takers at your fund-raisers taking a dollar for every ten that goes into the cash box?

Is someone using department assets for a job at their house?

Is someone getting credit for a call that they didn’t even go on?

Did someone get credit for training, even though they just stood in the back and watched?

Does someone keep finding excuses for not getting their annual physical for SCBAs done?

Is someone else covering for some else?

Is there more than one?

Can your candidate for membership verify every piece of their application?

Did someone get hurt at home, but claimed a work comp injury against the department?

Are your station supplies being purchased in bulk and are going out the back door the same way?Are taxpayers picking up the tab when they shouldn’t be?

And on and on…

We have had our discussions about whether or not firefighters should be held to a higher standard and the only way that I can answer it is “YES”.

Why?

Because, if you look around us, the standard isn’t that high to begin with!

How can we siphon off the cream from this sour, societal cow’s milk; only to have them show up on the 5 o’clock news handcuffed to the mayor?

We have become a nation of not asking what we can do, but instead, we are scheming to get our share.

Our politics have become a game of lie, cheat and steal; lie about your opponent, cheat on your taxes and steal the election! Is it any wonder that we have disenfranchised moderates, independents and future generations?

Where are the honest, hard-working individuals that we look to for community service?

Will they pass the test? Is it a fair and honest test?

Are we afraid to ask the tough questions because we’re afraid of the answers? There are departments out there right now who won’t ask the questions that will get them the best of the best, because quite frankly; they’re just looking for a “warm body”.

The best of the best are out there, but it takes work to get them.

They HAVE to be of good heart, so when our communities look us squarely in the eyes, they will know that we are the ones that they can trust, even in this wacky, crazy corrupt world.

So, will we be held to a higher standard?

Who has the answers?

No cheating!

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. 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 October 28, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , , ,

Your Cheatin’ Heart…

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When did we become a society where cheating has become so acceptable and almost fashionable?

Everywhere we turn; we are hearing or reading about another incident of cheating. Pages and pages of examples of yet someone caught or accused of cheating.

Another headline; another cheater exposed.

Students caught cheating on their SATs. (They are “pressured” by parents to get into the best colleges)

Teachers caught cheating on their standardized testing of students. (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/28/national/main580355.shtml The teachers “care too much, sometimes)

College professor caught cheating on their resume. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/10/20/BA186979.DTL Professor provided “inaccurate information”)

Wife caught cheating on husband. Husband caught cheating on wife. Each blames the other.

Politicians accused of stealing elections. ACORN accused of faking voter registrations. Sports teams accused of stealing opponents’ playbook. Coach accused of allowing the use of steroids among players. Players accused of using corked bats. Pitchers accused of using Vaseline on baseballs. Another college coach accused of cheating with recruit program. Alumni accused of funneling money to college players. EMTs accused of getting copy of state test to “study”. Firefighters accused of defrauding disability benefits. Mayor accused diverting tax money to campaign fund. City treasurer accused of taking over $100,000 dollars in tax money.

And on and on. Examples of cheating with no end in sight. Call it what you want-fraud, misappropriations, caring too much, inaccurate information, juicing, doping, adultery, bad decision, embellishing, plagiarism,  winning at all costs, spying, bribery, intimidation, looking the other way-but, it’s still cheating and most of it goes on without an appropriate, severe response to it.

I can remember when being called a “cheater” was grounds for a fistfight. It was a term that was so reviled that you didn’t say it, unless you could back it up with fists. But anymore, it would seem that you aren’t a cheater, unless you are caught! Where our conscience used to be the driving force behind our moral decisions, in today’s world, it is evident that you aren’t gaining if you aren’t cheating somehow to secure the desired end result. And when other people can see the benefits, they will risk the downside against getting caught.

But, where did it all start? When did we see the “warning signs” that would get us to where we are today?

Could it be traced back to Biblical times? Perhaps, we can go back to David and Goliath. Goliath came to the fight, believing that his size was going to beat his opponent. David showed up with a sling and some rocks. You know the saying: never bring a sword to a rock fight! David slue Goliath that day because he cheated? Or did he “out-smart” his opponent? Well; the Philistines would say that David cheated, but the Israelites would disagree. That would lend itself to my previous assertion that we “package” the cheating with candy for the brain; that is, we use less offensive terms to rationalize the act.

Could it have come from the days of the Old West when a gunslinger would carry two guns instead of one? Let’s face it; the days of the honorable “duel” between two combatants had been gone for some time (see Burr vs. Hamilton). It seems silly to me that two guys would face each other with the end result of one fatally shooting the other without one of them serpentining or dropping to the ground to take his shot at the other, but I digress.

I realize that the last two examples may be stretching it, but, to be honest, I am at a loss for where our society took that moral turn towards such dishonesty. You could cite several political figures during the past century alone where corruption/dishonesty/cheating were discovered after the fact.

And in today’s world, you can see more current examples each and every time you pick up a newspaper or turn on the television news.

Obviously, I am interested in how we behave as a national fire service and it bothers me to see cheating among our minions. A few years ago, Illinois was without a state EMT test, because some firefighters were caught cheating. It took just over two years to restore the test and its integrity.

More recently, a firefighter was caught on video at a bodybuilding competition, even though he was on disability from his fire department. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,386570,00.html) What does that say about him, his department and our national fire service if a swift response is not delivered? I understand that we live in a society where we are innocent until proven guilty, so an alleged case of fraud is pending. But, you have to admit (1) The firefighter was granted disability, (2) He was video-taped competing at a bodybuilding competition, (3) He didn’t get into that condition from being “disabled” and (4) You can’t blame his parents, fire department or doctor for such a brazen display of cheating.

We also have reports of cheating on firefighter exams. Although it is one of the keys to the door to the greatest job in the world, I don’t think that one should come by those “keys” by stacking the deck and slipping cards up their sleeves for the advantage. See related link: http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/cheating-discovered-in

There is no gene that exists in us that causes us to cheat. Cheating has to be taught and it has to be learned and that is where the effort to stomp it out has to start. The response to it has to be so strong as to discourage it from happening again. It has to be so powerful of a message that it tells others that are tempted to do so not to even THINK about it.

As long as we are willing to put a cute little tag on it and make it more palatable to swallow, it will continue to grow into a much bigger monster than it is today.

As long as we accept cheating in the most innocuous forms such as cheating the speed limit, cheating the stoplight, cheating on our training, cheating our bodies of physical conditioning and good diet, cheating our SOGs and cheating our taxpayers, we will continue to see a rising problem with few remedies.

Winners never cheat and cheaters never win?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Are you?

TCSS.

Art

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. 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 October 25, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Patriotism or Sensationalism?

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I have been following the saga involving Firefighter James Krapf of the Chester, PA Fire Department in what has been alternately described as an attack on his patriotism, the symbol of our country-the American Flag and “rules are rules” that must be followed.

Here is a re-cap of how we have gotten to the top of a slippery slope:

1)       An African-American firefighter had a cartoon on his locker that others felt was in poor taste. He then wrote a comment on the cartoon.

2)       Fire Commissioner James Johnson issued a directive that stated that everything was to be removed from the outside of lockers.

3)       11 firefighters were warned that they were in violation of department policy.

4)       Krapf removes everything from the outside of his locker, but tells his chief that he won’t remove the American Flag sticker. The chief tells him to go home.

5)       Krapf is suspended until he removes the flag.

6)       The “flag flap” is now all over the national TV news, printed news, websites and discussion boards.

7)       Another firefighter, Robert Butler joined the protest by wearing a hat with an up-side down flag sewn on it.

8)       The union has a rally of support for Krapf planned for Monday, October 19th.

So; what is really at issue?

In my opinion, it’s about poor policy, flag-waving, a lack of common sense, a lack of reasonable thinking and under-pinned to racial disharmony.

I say that because it was an African-American firefighter who displayed the “offensive” cartoon, depicting two, African-American men and a racial slur. Fire Commissioner James Johnson is African-American and Firefighter James Krapf is Caucasian. So, in my opinion, there is a racial component.

To add to an already, tense situation is the fact that Chester firefighters have been working without a contract since 2007, there are accusations of “gamesmanship by the union; a charge that the union denies.

The sticker at the center of the controversy could be a smiley face and most would agree that the directive should be followed.

However; it’s not. It is the sacred symbol of our country that evokes strong emotions in us, so we are less inclined to say to remove it.

Is Firefighter Krapf feeding on those emotions or is he that strong in his beliefs? I don’t know the man, so I can’t say.

Is refusing to follow a directive the same as refusing to follow an order on the fire ground?

Many would argue that it is, but it’s because it points towards a breakdown in the command structure; one that leads to the very heart of getting the job done.

As a former chief, I might look at this as an affront to my authority and as an act of disrespect.

However; respect in this case should have come early on when the issue should have been resolved internally with better discretion used when decorating the outside of lockers. That would include respect for each other and respect for those who makes decisions.

Regardless; now that the whole nation is watching, more decisions will have to be made that will leave all sides on the losing end.

And in the end, personal choices and personal liberties will shrink even further; all because common sense was missing from the equation.

Here are links to related reading:

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/pennsylvania-firefighter

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20091016_Chester_City_firefighter_suspended_over_decal.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20091018_Unrest_over_flag_decal_deepens_in_Chester.html

http://www.iaff1400.org/

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,568221,00.html

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/101609_Firefighter_Suspended_Over_American_Flag_Sticker_On_Locker

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20091018_Unrest_over_flag_decal_deepens_in_Chester.html 

TCSS.

Art

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. 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 October 18, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

West Virginia-Hotbed for Arson

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I’ve got to tell you; this revelation coming out of West Virginia (http://www.dailymail.com/News/200910130853) has definitely caught my attention.

I have been watching firefighter arsonist cases for several years and never have I seen such a glaring, isolated trend.

When THIRTY firefighters have been arrested and charged with arson just in the last year in of all places, West Virginia; you have to wonder if the cops in that state are very good at their investigations or is the rest of the country derelict, under-reporting cases or just plain ignoring what looks like a growing problem?

Firefighters who set fires are a very disturbing crime indeed. There is no reason that is rational and no excuse that is reasonable for a firefighter to violate their sacred oath to protect their communities in their times of need.

I liken a firefighter who sets fires to putting a vampire in charge of the blood bank.

Is there a desire that lies deep within a firefighters’ subconscious that needs fires?

If the potential to cross the line and set fires exists, then what keeps the majority of firefighters from crossing that line?

If “boredom”-often cited as a reason for a firefighter to set fires-is a symptom, then is heavy call volume the cure?

Were a firefighter not a firefighter, would he be an arsonist, nonetheless?

What tools exist TODAY that would screen out potential arsonists? The obvious one is criminal background checks, but it won’t unlock the juvenile file, where early fire-setting might be indicated.

Is there a psychological exam designed specifically to address potential arsonist tendencies in a candidate?

Ladies and gentlemen; my questions are not rhetorical. I am looking for answers.

You can search out many discussion boards on the various firefighter websites and you will find discussions on the topic of firefighter arsonists.

Firefighter arson creates a public relations nightmare for the fire department, but the real damage is to the public’s trust for the ones that they trust the most-firefighters.

The fear factor is off the charts as the fires are set-one; then another. An entire community will not sleep until the arsonist(s) is caught.

But, that is only the beginning of the fear, if it is a firefighter(s) who is caught. The fear will continue and often morph into mistrust in an entire fire department. Will it ever go away or will it continue forever?

It will continue, because somewhere; another firefighter will be arrested for arson and those communities who have suffered similarly will re-live it again and again…wondering if it will happen to their community again.

That is why we must stop it before it starts.

We can’t allow it to happen. But how?

If a cop is convicted of a crime, such as domestic violence, they can no longer possess a firearm; essentially ending their law enforcement career.

Likewise, if a firefighter is convicted of a crime such as arson, they should never be allowed to be a firefighter again.

However; if the horse is already out of the barn, then the damage is already done. We have many punishments and programs once a criminal is convicted of a crime. Where are the programs designed to keep them from committing the crime in the first place? You know; there is only so much Mom and Dad can do with regards to shaping their children’s’ personalities.

Will a firefighter be given the opportunity to set another fire because due diligence wasn’t done, because a department wouldn’t conduct a thorough background check, question “nomadic” tendencies or connect the dots between a spotty work record and a meaningful, oral interview?

Will a “gut feeling” be sufficient?

If the problem in West Virginia is any indication, then our national fire service is in for some very rough times.

We need to fix it now…for the sake of the good men and women who serve and the communities that they have sworn to protect.

Here is some related reading:  

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-abcs-of-arson

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/889755:BlogPost:440973

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/889755:BlogPost:318771

http://thewatchdesk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42772

TCSS.

Art

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed permission of the author

Posted by chiefreason on October 16, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , ,

Every Class Has Its Clown

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Well, it’s finally here for many of us.

I have been a part of conversations and shared a vision that has reached fruition as a new blogging platform. www.chiefreasonart.com has undergone a major renovation and been married to a new platform.

http://fireemsblogs.com  released yesterday and I am privileged and honored to be in such exquisite blogging célèbre.

As many of you know, I got my start on the battlefields of Firehouse.com discussion boards.

When it became clear that intelligent discussion was losing ground to personal attacks and baiting, I decided to move on to the International Association of Crusty Old Jakes (www.iacoj.com), where respectful discussion was its first rule.

Then, FirefighterNation was born. I was invited by its founder to join him as a blogger and it has evolved into what we have today; an integrated, superstore of fire and EMS bloggers. And though I hesitate to utter my name in the same breath as some of the others, I can tell you that it reads like the Who’s Who of fire/EMS blogisphere. I have been a fan of many of them for sometime.

What you will see is my usual stuff. Sometimes, it will be topical; tackling a controversial issue of the day or I will reminisce about the “old days”; you know, waxing nostalgic. Whatever it is, I hope that it is entertaining and educational. Ultimately, my goal is to spawn discussion, because without discussion, I am nothing more than a message board.

I will not hold anything back. The beauty of blogging is that I feel that it is the purest form of freedom of expression that exists. Firefighters have always been regarded as a lot that wears their feelings on their sleeves, are not always politically correct and in some cases, don’t wish to be and are brutally honest. Their bravery demonstrated at a fully involved taxpayer is no less demonstrated by their opinions on a wealth of subjects and issues. And they line up of both sides of the argument but always emerge on the same side of brotherhood.

I can’t thank Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert enough for the new look and the opportunity to share my thoughts, however demented or diminished.

I look forward to adding fresh content and though I will not be running news items, photos and videos, I will provide links when appropriate and will comment on some of the other bloggers’ sites and might even blog on one of their news items, if I feel so moved.

In any event, it’s new. It may need tweaking, but one thing is clear; a new milestone in blogging in the fire/EMS field has been reached. The Mad Scientist and his trusty assistant may have just created another “monster” indeed…and that’s meant in a good way!

So, raise your glass to the clown in the class!

TCSS.

Art

Posted by chiefreason on October 16, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , ,

Unity Surgically Removed and My Dissection Objection

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There was a song back in the 70s that was sung by The Brotherhood of Man entitled “United We Stand”.

 

The chorus went something like “For united we stand, divided we fall; and if our backs should ever be against the wall, we’ll be together; together you and I”.

 

Over the years, the song has been a rallying cry for several groups and done by several artists, but what is my point here?

 

I read a couple of recent articles that I have linked to and it got the little guy in my head to wondering why there are so many “subcultures” in the fire service who, it would appear, have different and separate causes that they champion for different and separate “constituents”, if you will.

 

The term “brotherhood” has been batted around for eons and its usage has painted a lavish canvas of unity between those who populate the glorious profession of firefighting.

 

It would immediately evoke on the one hand that the bonds between brothers cannot be broken, but at the same time and on the other hand, the expectation that brothers will also argue and fight with each other, but never losing that love and that bond for each other.

 

When I read Nozzlehead’s article in the October issue of FireRescue and then the abbreviated, blog version http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/nozzlehead-national-fire at FirefighterNation, it piqued my curiosity about the different “service organizations” within the fire service.

 

And then, I read in the September issue of a popular fire service magazine an article entitled “A Matter of National Security” and it reinforced my notion that the fire service as a “national” fire service is suffering from what I believe are too many subcultures or conversely; special interest groups within the fire service.

 

When we espouse that some of us are there to “represent their dues paying members” or “African-Americans” or “Hispanics” or females or this group or that group, then they are, in essence, representing special interests. Volunteers, if they are inclined to pay the membership fee, can join the National Volunteer Fire Council, but let’s face it; when was the last time, as a volunteer, you spoke to a local rep of the NVFC? You say that you haven’t? That’s because the position doesn’t exist.

 

The NVFC-and this is not meant as a criticism-DOES represent, for lack of a better term, a national constituency and a broader picture that doesn’t represent the many local issues that plagues smaller, volunteer fire departments. In their mission to solidify a certain volunteer consensus, they have missed an opportunity to survey or poll the REAL polarizing issues that keeps us from the same table. It’s like saying that we want to “reform health care”, but failing to identify the many details of the issues that keep us from real reform measures. It cannot be lumped in one, sweeping statement or idea.

 

With regards to firefighter safety, there are several groups that promote firefighter safety for all firefighters. Where other issues exist, such as promotions, benefits or discipline; career firefighters and their various groups have a much stronger voice and lobbying effort.

 

However; those same issues, though not as structured, is every bit as disconcerting as the career departments, from a volunteer perspective. The many discussions that pop up from volunteers that concern how THEIR promotions are done, the benefits that they enjoy/disenjoy or would like to see and certainly how discipline is achieved or not on a volunteer fire department is every bit as important as with career departments. And the efforts to resolve those issues deserve the same efforts from those organizations who purport to represent volunteers.

 

And let’s face it; even with volunteer departments that pay their members in the form of call, meeting or training stipends are still volunteers, if it is not their primary source of income. Call them what you want, but they are not career by any stretch of the imagination or term. It doesn’t even rise to supplementing their income on the same level that career firefighters do with their “side jobs”.

 

Instead of arguing about the differences that are identified by the various fire service subcultures, we should focus on the similarities and that would definitely be with regards to safety. It should not be by unintended consequence that we make progress, but becomes a sustainable effort on behalf of ALL firefighters.

 

With the advent of many local, state and federal mandates forwarded and championed by established agencies, a need for the many “rights” groups become less compelling.

 

All eyes should be on all firefighters and the effort necessary to improve their lots.

 

Maybe I’m too naïve or delusional to give up on the idea that the national fire service can be ONE voice for us all. Any concern voiced by whatever type of firefighter we are should be heard and acted upon.

 

We should not sit around and HOPE that our concerns will be drafted into an amendment to an existing piece of legislation by someone hired to promote our agenda. Think of it as interoperability among our fire service leaders in the political arena.

 

Why shouldn’t it work there as well? I mean; isn’t interoperability designed to get everyone on the same frequency?

 

Then, let’s do it…

 

As ONE!

 

TCSS.

Art

 

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. 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 October 11, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , ,