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Can You Answer My Question?

Do you hear that?

That is the sound of despair, hopelessness and fear. It is your victim.

They can’t get out without your help. The few minutes that have passed has emptied them of any hope that they will get out alive.

Blinding smoke, searing heat…what they are drowning in is what we flourish in; it ignites us and excites us, not because we want it to, but because Fire forces so many conditioned responses and extraordinary actions and tests our most primal instincts. We must rescue our fellow humans AND survive while doing it.

There is no “fight or flight”. It is more like “stay and pray”.

Your victim doesn’t want to die alone, but they don’t want anyone else to die like that, either. They are hoping that, if they are not rescued in time, then at least, in their final moments, they will hear the soothing voice of their God whispering forgiveness into their ear and then open the gate to their eternal peace.

You will move swiftly, stopping for a split second to gauge your own mortality and then push forward, because you have seen the face of your victim. You have looked into their eyes; the windows into their soul and the pain and anguish that you see is the fuel that you use to give you strength.

Their face could be your face or the face of someone that you know. It matters not, because they are a victim. You HAVE to get to them in time. Otherwise; you can only hope that they slip into an unconsciousness that will numb their senses to the horrific effects that only Fire can produce.

You cannot bear that thought. You have made your decision. You have committed your team. You have not only trained for this moment, but you have lived for this moment; a moment in which you could die!

You may hear the roar of the fire over the pounding of your heart. You will hear the water shooting from the nozzle and splashing against the walls and ceiling with terrific force. If you close your eyes, it almost sounds like you’re taking your car through the automatic spray carwash.

You will hear every step, every breath, the sound of the vent saw, a ladder hitting the side of the house, the sound of glass breaking and the radio chatter over the PA speaker on the engine.

There could be several endings to this, but one thing is certain; risk a lot to save a life is in our mission.

This is a scenario that has played out in our heads and in our communities for decades.

No nobler profession than that of firefighter!

The desperation, contemplation, exhilaration, extrication, celebration; it’s a roller coaster ride of emotion for victim and rescuer.

So, my question to you is this: why would you risk it all on an abandoned, unoccupied, vacant, dilapidated, dangerous piece of property that has no soul, no heart, no gratitude and only hate and contempt for those who dare to enter? See: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200837.html.

Or would you?

TCSS.

The article is protected by federal copyright law under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella. It is written and submitted by Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason. This article or any other article submitted under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella cannot be reproduced in ANY form without the expressed, written permission of the author. Violations are punishable by applicable laws.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on March 18, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: abandoned, chiefreason, fireemsblogs, niosh, risk, vacant

Is Code of Ethics Code Blue?

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Or so the Fire Service Reputation Management White Paper Report (https://myfirecompanies.com/download.php?f=4383_orig.pdf&fc=whitepaper2010highres-Final%20for%20publication%203-8-2010.pdf) would lead us to believe.

But, it comes off as if sounding an alarm to a recent fire service revelation.

And the truth is that many of us have been discussing many of the areas of concern for some time. I can tell you that the hot topic of firefighter arson has been on the discussion boards since at least 2001 and USFA released a report on it here: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-141.pdf

Am I to believe that people who apply for firefighter positions have to be reminded that, as firefighters, they will be held to higher moral and ethical standards?

Unless they recently crawled out of a cave, I would think that, if nothing else in the job description is known, “held in the public’s trust” would be a tacit thought at the very least.

What fire departments have to do is to screen out the candidates who might have an ulterior motive for joining a fire department, which is to use the position of trust to commit crimes. (See http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_b988d898-0962-11df-879a-001cc4c03286.html).

When departments are making poor decisions to recruit and retain members, why would we expect that same department to make GOOD decisions when a firefighter has been caught committing a serious criminal act?

Fire departments keep their dirty little secrets “internal” for one of two reasons: either they honestly believe that they have the wherewithal to appropriately deal with it or they are hiding and hoping; that is, hiding it from the public and hoping that it will go away on its own.

The Fire Service Reputation Management White Paper Report was delivered with an almost wide-eyed astonishment. No disrespect is intended, but, in my mind, it was never a question of whether our lofty moral and ethical characters were taking a hit with each new firefighter arrest, but when, as a nation of firefighters, we were going to collectively do something about it.

I resent that, once again, “lack of leadership” is being credited with this growing blight in the fire service, because in today’s society of Google search, scientific calculators, Garmin GPS, computerized cash registers and instant gratification from pass/fail and “ nobody gets cut and everyone gets a trophy for participating”, we have essentially lowered the bar, because the process where we are taught how to learn is no longer practiced. Leaders are being expected to lead people who will not take personal responsibility and if they are the future leaders, then isn’t it likely that they will invoke excuses that has become a part of their modus operandi ?

Honest, hard work to succeed has been displaced by “whatever it takes” and unfortunately, that includes cheating and breaking the law.

A few years ago, here in Illinois, a department was caught cheating on an EMT test, so instead of disciplining the individuals involved and changing the order and wording on the test questions, the entire state exam was scrapped and a new one written. It took over two years and God knows how much money and in the meantime, Illinois was without a state EMT test. Anyone who was in class at the time had to pay for and take the National Registry test. New EMT classes weren’t started because of the test issues. Look at all the trouble a few selfish cheaters caused, but what was done to them? We never heard. I would have terminated them had they been on my department.

Maybe, instead of investing money in “competitive” grants, some of that money should go to every department in the country for conducting thorough background checks, psychological testing and education programs to recognize criminal behavior in their members. We might see some positive results.

We also know that self policing, whether it be with regards to drinking/drugs, computer use, harassment claims or department assets, simply doesn’t work. Once again, we find ourselves legislating common sense and this should not be the case if we have hired reasonable people with above average intelligence.

If departments still believe that they want to police themselves, then good for them, but if that were the case and I made decisions on federal funding, then any department found guilty of any of the crimes cited in the white paper would NOT receive any federal money for the duration of length of the individual’s sentence. Sentences of probation would cost a department one year of eligibility for federal grants.

A code of ethics has always been there. Unfortunately, it took a back seat to money and manpower discussions. And it’s ironic, but ethics has everything to do with money and manpower.

Sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees.

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the author, Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog at: www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on March 12, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: arson, cheating, chiefreason, fire service, management, reputation, white paper

Florida City Manager Battles Volunteers

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The subject of this blog was a news story that was posted here: http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/florida-volunteers-upset-over.

The focus of this story has always been on the volunteer fire department’s reaction to the ordinance, when in fact; it should have been on the city manager and her appetite for control.

A quick history lesson of Davenport, Florida city politics finds a community with money that sits just 10 miles from Walt Disney World. Now; I say “with money”, because they have a Commissioner-Manager form of government, 6 paid firefighters and 2 part-time firefighters that is headed by a “part time regular” Fire Administrator. Then, you have the City Manager running things. This is a position that, when it was created, took at least 17 months to fill by the city council. One can only speculate as to why it took so long. Yes; there is a mayor, but apparently, he just runs the meetings and cuts ribbons. Amy Arrington, the city manager rules the city.

Amy Arrington had not held a city manager’s position until Davenport, Florida. She had previously served as assistant city manager for Haines City, Florida. She was hired in Davenport as assistant city manager. When the city manager resigned, Arrington was named interim city manager at a salary of $65,000 a year. The previous city manager, Ryan Taylor, was making $66,950 when he left.

According to my notes, the city and Arrington entered into negotiations for her to take over as city manager, but could not agree on salary and benefits. Arrington showed her team spirit by demanding $76,000 a year in salary, 15 paid leave days and two weeks vacation. Demonstrating the art of compromise, she “settled” for $75,000 a year in salary, no paid leave days, but THREE weeks vacation. I would think that there would also be the standard insurance benefits, retirement, per diems, continuing education and car or car allowance benefits as well.

And, apparently, though she was officially hired on 12/3/07 to the city manager’s position, her start date was adjusted to 8/6/07. My guess is that this is the date when she took over as interim city manager, so there was almost four months of retro pay. Let’s call it a “signing bonus” of sorts.

What does this have to do with the volunteer fire department? PLENTY.

In Florida, county fire departments are common. Davenport, Florida was being serviced by a volunteer fire department and had for about 86 years. Then, after the hurricane season in 2004, the city hired six full time firefighters and supplemented them with the volunteers. I could find no acrimonious articles on any rifts between the full time and volunteer firefighters.

Then, Arrington was tasked with hiring a fire administrator for the purpose of bringing the full time and volunteer firefighters under one leader and resisting the advances of Polk County Fire Service, who had proposed in early 2009 to take over fire service for Davenport. Residents had made it clear that they wanted a local fire department

Arrington’s first hire lasted TWO, whole days. Hmmm; that’s a red flag.

On October 16, 2009, Arrington announced that she had hired Stuart McCutcheon as her “part time regular” fire administrator. His part time salary was set at $25,500 a year. McCutcheon finished work on an AAS degree in fire science on April 12, 2006 from Daytona Beach Community College. I did an exhaustive search and that is all I could find on him (However; I did find a press release from March 3, 2010 by the State of Florida Commission on Ethics that dismissed a charge against Stuart McCutcheon for “no legal sufficiency”).

So, with someone in place that Arrington could control, the wheels were in motion to gain control of the volunteers.

Many of the fire service websites have been discussing this fire department from the perspective that it is because of the ordinance requiring the volunteers to apply for the “auxiliary” positions under the new “regime” (http://theledger.com/article/20100121/NEWS/1215083).

But, in my opinion, it started months before when the volunteer chief, Don Pelt, was suspended on November 16, 2009 by Stuart McCutcheon, the newly minted fire administrator for responding to a medical call in Davenport. Note that the date is exactly one month after the fire administrator was hired. And consider too, that, the city council, by not voting a show of support for their chief, was showing support for the city manager and the fire administrator (http://www.theledger.com/article/20091123/NEWS/911235073).

Then, city manager extraordinaire Amy Arrington was instructed by the council to get the matter with the fire department resolved, but the council was leaving it to Arrington to solve.

At the next city council meeting and over objections by the crowd that filled the chambers, the council passed on first reading the new ordinance. (http://www.theledger.com/article/20100126/NEWS/1265034). With the distinct possibility that the volunteer department was out of service, the mayor asked the city manager to meet with them, but Arrington made it very clear that she would, but that she supported the ordinance.

This led to the question by the mayor if Davenport could afford full time fire services. (http://www.theledger.com/article/20100209/news/2095917). If you look at savings in salaries alone, it amounted to approximately $190,000. I’d be curious to know what Polk County Fire Services quoted them for protection. Plus, because the salaries of the full time firefighters were much lower than surrounding departments, they could be easily lured away by higher pay. Without a volunteer department to supplement, you would be increasing the possibilities of overtime, hiring more full time or part time, longer response times, injuries and relying on mutual aid for coverage.

As I said from the beginning, this was never about fire service delivery, but rather, control; a controlling city manager who controls the city council, who controls the fire administrator, who now controls the much smaller fire department. (http://www.theledger.com/article/20100223/NEWS/2235073).

Don’t believe me? Here is a quote from the news article: “The purpose of the ordinance, they (Arrington/McCutcheon) have said, is to give the city full control of the department and a single chain of command with Arrington and McCutcheon at the top.

And THAT is where I have my biggest problem with the whole mess.

Can someone please explain to me how a city manager becomes the top of the ladder in a fire department, in broad daylight and in full view of a city council?

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws and published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the author.

Posted by chiefreason on March 8, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: arrington, city manager, davenport, fire administrator, florida, mccutcheon, polk country, volunteer

The Errors of Arrogance

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I have received several messages from readers who have found themselves re-reading “The Futility of Our Humility” (http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-futility-of-our-humility).

Normally, I would be ecstatic that people found my stuff so compelling that they would read it again-a dream come true!

Unfortunately, I think that I have confused the point of my point.

Where I believe that the central issue lies is with the use of “arrogant/arrogance”. Some are reading into the blog that I am pointing the fickle finger directly at THEM.

When I describe a thought or an act that I believe lends itself to what I believe is arrogance, then the only thing that remains is for the reader to decide if it could fit their situation and if so, what has been done about it or what WILL be done about it.

What I did in my previous blog was to describe what I believed were feelings of acts of arrogance. As I have stated on numerous occasions is, “If it applies, then apply it. If not, then disregard”. There is no need to take offense if it is not your situation.

When I write, I want it to entertain, to challenge your thinking and hopefully, to allow you to learn and to offer your perspective.

Often times, I will offer straight-forward opinions that can be agreed or disagreed with or used as a trigger for a discussion point.

In my opinion and in some ways, some in the fire service have been arrogant and in the process, have lost some humility.

If that were not the case, then why are we so incensed or surprised that cities are making firefighter staffing cuts?

I never said that I agreed with it and completely understand the many downsides to such kamikaze budgeting, but there is a sense of arrogance in our response back to the city’s, brainless trust and at the expense of other city employees.

Now; this may sound “arrogant”, but I think that we all realize that our self worth and our value as public servants have higher skill sets than, as an example, one who runs the landfill and I am NOT saying that the landfill isn’t important. I am simply saying that, in my jaded opinion, it takes more skill to read smoke and to run HazMat operations.

However; I think that it is wrong to believe that deeper cuts will be made elsewhere to preserve every public safety position.

How can a fire department argue about staffing issues that cannot be seen with the naked eye of the public?

We all know as sports fans what happens to a football team, if they are one man short on defense. The other team will have the advantage, at least for that one play. It could result in a touchdown for one team and spell defeat for the other team.

So; with that example, you have a properly staffed team winning and one that isn’t properly staffed losing.

Another good sports analogy is the hockey power play. The team with more players has the definite advantage.

Now; I am in no way minimizing or trivializing the loss of firefighter staffing with these sports comparisons; I am saying that it is not easy for citizens to know the effects, unless they have been educated on the clear relationship between lower staffing and the safety of fewer firefighters responding.

I am saying that, with these comparisons, the same holds true with fire departments. Unfortunately, the public can’t see it when we are under-staffed. It is not as obvious as the hockey power play.

And simply telling them is no longer effective, but city governments are telling their citizens that they won’t notice a difference and THAT is gaining support, because the public may not know any better.

But, how can this be? If the public thinks that we can get by with less NOW, then they must think that we were over-staffed to begin with.

Well, maybe not according to the NFPA standards, but citizens can’t relate at that level and since it won’t cost anything unless something goes wrong, city managers are willing to roll those dice for the cost savings. This is what I call “uber arrogance” on the part of city governments!

In my opinion, if a fire department allows that very first firefighter to be cut due to budget issues, then another and another will follow. Any chief smart enough to understand manpower requirements would NEVER allow it to happen, because once you lose them; how easy is it going to be to get them back?

A chief worth his weight would not cut firefighter positions to balance a budget. They might instead sweep their various budget funds to the bone, including over-time and maybe re-arrange schedules for staff and administrative positions. HIS humility for where HE came from should weigh heavily on his mind.

But, mayors, city managers and city councils trade their humility for arrogance faster than they can recite their oath of office.

My point is that, either city governments are arrogant to believe that public safety cuts will have little or no effect on service, have little or no effect on the safety of those employees OR are aware of it, but are arrogant enough to believe that the risks are worth the cuts.

My other point is that fire departments may be arrogant to believe that the citizens will side with firefighters based upon our proffered emotional statements rather than accurate examples of increases in accidents, injuries or even death as a result of staffing cuts. Providing information from LODD reports where it was specifically stated that low staffing contributed to the death would be appropriate to use.

It’s hard to be humble when the errors of arrogance are not properly and accurately addressed and it might very well be a failure of our leadership to properly assess the community’s needs and their firefighters’ needs.

TCSS.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 28, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: arrogance, chief, chiefreason, city government, city managers, humility, leadership

The Futility of Our Humility

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I have found myself thinking about the term “arrogant” a lot lately. It is what comes to mind as I read some of the stories coming out of our fire service these days. And trust me; what you will read here won’t be a speech that you will hear this year at FDIC.

Yes; I am of the opinion that our humility has been uprooted and replaced with an air of arrogance.

What right do I have to say this?

Well, I was an active firefighter for 22 years. I suffered through under-funding, a lack of leadership, no plan, no mission, little hope, but a desire to help my community. Back then, we would be standing there with a booster line, shooting water into the hole that was once a house and everyone was telling us what a great job we did.

We did everything that we could, we would say. Arrogance!

We appreciate everything that you do, was a typical sentiment that was voiced by one and all. Ah; humility!

You are swept up by this unconditional worship of the fire department when you are new to it (humility with a splash of cynicism), but, after you have been on for awhile, you come to expect to hear it and to feel it each and every time there is a reason to drop the tones (arrogance with a touch of entitlement).

Is it a natural part of the maturation process to lose one’s humility or have we been confusing “humble” with “grateful” for, oh, so many years?

Recently, there have been several, negative stories in the news about firefighters or ex-firefighters. Are we humbled by the fact that we are still regarded very highly by the public, even though recent news has firefighters committing arson, murder, sexploitation, drug sales and embezzlement? Or are we grateful that it isn’t happening where we live? More importantly, are these national headlines chipping away at our “unconditional worshippers”?

I keep hearing complaints from many corners in the fire service about how the pro-firefighter sentiment has eroded since 9/11. Do we want to believe that it took a catastrophe of major proportion to elevate our stature? Or did we think too highly of ourselves to begin with? It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing what we read about us.

I am disturbed by the fact that we use 9/11 as a reference point on the gauge of public opinion as if it were some “side benefit” for firefighters who weren’t even there, who didn’t lose family or aren’t struggling with health issues that may or may not be recognized as linked to the WTC site and covered under insurance or PSOBs. We should not be arrogant enough to believe that we can understand the immense loss that a city and their firefighters felt and continue to feel and instead be humbled by the professionalism exhibited by them.

When I think of some of the incidents that we have undertaken over the years, I take a critical view of the end result and am not humbled by it. If we are approached by a citizen and told we did a good job, I am grateful for their kindness, but no longer feel humbled by it. Why? I believe that it comes from knowing that we could have or should have done things differently for a better outcome.

Part of the reason that I think the public was so quick to heap praise upon their fire departments some years ago was because it was somewhat guilt driven. They didn’t have the time or wouldn’t take the time to join their fire department; yet fully understood the importance of praise as positive reinforcement. This is how they raised their kids and it worked with them and let’s face it; a firefighter is a big kid who, as a young kid, wanted to be a firefighter.

So, it was necessary for leaders in the community to praise their public servants so that they wouldn’t have to do it and then they could sleep better at night. When I think about my early days on the department, I remember that many of the property owners were too involved emotionally in their fully involved house to be thankful that a fire truck or two was there to keep it cool as it collapsed into the basement. As you were getting ready to return to the station, the last image at the fire scene that you saw was a family huddled in the front lawn arm-in-arms and holding on to what was left from the fire-each other.

Somehow; humility isn’t the feeling that comes to mind. But, I must admit; there is a feeling of arrogance from the expectation that there should have been a “thank you” for our efforts.

I think back to how many times we told ourselves that just a “thank you; just a pat on the back” was good enough. But, that was back when we didn’t have a lot of emotion, time and effort invested in ourselves as a member of the fire department. As we increased our skill sets, did our expectations of how we should be perceived grow as well? Once we were neck deep and fully vested; was a simple thank you or pat on the back ever going to be enough again? Was that arrogance settling in?

Then, we must have thought that the community was going to be right there alongside of us every step of the way as we went to school after school, conference after conference and collecting certificate after certificate. We were arrogant enough to believe that taxpayers would buy anything for their fire department; the best training and the best equipment and for awhile they did.

But, the economy turned. We started seeing job losses, eroding tax base, less new development, no new jobs, no new revenue sources, schools eating up most of the taxes and TIF districts got the rest. Our equipment was getting older and so were the firefighters. Even in tough times, we felt that the community would support the purchase of new fire trucks. The older guys didn’t want to attend training and the new ones didn’t have the time, but we were arrogant enough to believe that we could survive on our laurels. We could stir public support with tales of the old days.

And if that didn’t gain us their support, then we were arrogant enough to believe that we could use the old “if we don’t get it, more people will die” Big Lie. It had worked very successfully for years. “Can’t miss; two thumbs up”, you say.

Still; the community didn’t want the debt of a new truck in these uncertain times. They were resigned to the reality that the old trucks might break down when we were in the heat of battle, but that was a chance that they were willing to take. It sounded like a much cheaper alternative than the $300,000 for a new truck.

Our last gasp of arrogance comes with the “we will have to shut down the department and let someone else handle the calls”. We are thinking, “No way will they want to wait for the next town over”, but your citizens are thinking, “What’s the difference? They are going to pour water into the burnt out basement anyway”.

Yes; communities will support their fire departments through the tough times, but it will not be at previously high levels. Our public is more educated and therefore, less inclined to be swayed by emotional arguments. They remember the demonstrations of low pressure/high water volume tactics and its reliance on limited manpower. Let’s not forget the great Quint debates either. A truck designed for understaffing? I’ll take ten.

When you are no longer able to fulfill your mission statement because of a lack of resources, then you must either contract to your current level of resources or risk catastrophic failure in some form. It would be arrogant to think otherwise.

And a community telling their fire department that they cannot support them at their current levels can be very humbling, indeed.

TCSS.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: 9/11, arrogance, fdic, firefighters, humility, understaffing

Personal Accountability with Morality

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Many times, we find ourselves complaining about our lack of control over our jobs or with our futures at our jobs.

We are in middle level management and historically, that has been the “crème in the Oreo cookie” of corporate America. That is; we get squeezed from both sides-the employers’ and the employees’.

But, something that we DO have control over is our moral compass. THAT sets the direction down the road to righteous decisions for a bounty of personal, moral and ethical situations.

I receive many on-line versions of magazines. Honestly, I don’t know why companies even bother sending out paper versions anymore. Often times, they go straight to the re-cycle bin unopened.

One of my faves is Fire Chief and articles by author/editor Janet Wilmoth. Janet has had her fingers on the pulse of the fire service for many years and her editorial this month was no exception.

Her topic for this month was “Chiefs Behaving Badly”.

I immediately bristled at the notion and I know that I could provide irrefutable examples that would prove that chiefs had not cornered the market on bad behavior within our fire service.

Why, just in the last few days, Caleb Lacey was found guilty of arson and homicide for a fire that he set in Long Island.

However; Wilmoth did provide some examples of some pretty egregious behavior by chiefs.

First up is Gary Scott, former chief of Campbell County, Wyoming’s fire department.

Apparently, the chief liked to molest his fire cadets; so much so that he pleaded no contest to FOURTEEN counts of sex abuse.

And we wonder why junior/explorer programs are going away!

The kicker is that Scott is already serving a 24-year sentence on TEN felony convictions of taking children across state lines for sexual abuse. (Source: www.rapidcityjournal.com) He is either very stupid or very sick (twisted) or both.

Stay tuned to this one. Some of the young boys who were molested have filed a $150 million lawsuit against the fire department. Somehow, I don’t think that Tort Immunity is going to be enough. They might want to start NOW looking for new revenue streams to pay their legal bills.

Next, we have Eric Adam Grueninger, former chief of Locust Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Louisa County, Virginia.

This sick mutt was sentenced to 323 years in prison with 235 years suspended (?) for TWENTY felony sex counts, including rape, forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery of a minor, object sexual penetration, taking indecent liberties with a child and possession of child pornography. (Source: www2.timesdispatch.com)

Sorry, folks; no snappy retort for this one. This one leaves me shaking my head and leaves me wondering how a “pillar” in a community can be so depraved and yet; shows no noticeable, outward signs. I can say that deep scars will exist forever with the victims and for a very long time in their respective communities.

Then, there is the curious case of Chief David Peterson of the Plainfield Township, Michigan Fire Department.

According to the article that I read, Chief Peterson and Township Supervisor Robert Homan knew that volunteer firefighter and township assistant clerk Jeffrey Hawkins was a convicted sex offender and they allowed him to continue working for the fire department. Hawkins was first convicted in the mid-90s for a crime involving a boy younger than 13 years of age.

Hawkins was again arrested in September of 2009 for soliciting sex from two, young boys on Facebook. (Source: www.woodtv.com)

Public opinion has been brutal since Hawkins’ arrest. The township fire department has been accused of putting other children at risk, for keeping a convicted pedophile on the fire department and for keeping it “secret”.

So, when we have our discussions about how a chief is promoted (elected or appointed), the cost of doing background checks (or not doing them) and as to how desperate volunteer fire departments are to recruit and retain members; please think about what you have just read, but with this one caveat: $150 million in potential liability to your department and taxpayers.

Anything else pales by comparison!

TCSS.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 21, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: caleb lacey, chiefreason, chiefs behaving badly, david peterson, gary scott, grueninger, jeffrey hawkins, wilmoth

Arrogance and Ignorance Is a Dangerous Combo

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This is what came to mind when I read the story of the Long Pine, Nebraska Fire Department (http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/nebraska-town-dismantles). Apparently, the mayor and city council decided to “dismantle” the fire department over some internal disputes between the mayor and the fire department. See a news piece here: http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/article_61573e48-1809-11df-9219-001cc4c03286.html.

I call it “arrogant”, because the action was taken by a small group elected to represent their residents.

Are we going to believe that the citizens WANT to be without a local fire department?

If they care about someone showing up at the time of their emergency, then they should NOT be happy at this turn of events in their community.

Citizens of Long Pine; throw out the elected officials who are behind this cavalier attitude towards your community’s safety. They are using YOU to prove a point and a very dangerous one at that.

In fact; have your police chief arrest them for aggravated stupidity!

I also call it “ignorant”, because once again, one city government wants their public safety problems solved at their neighboring community’s expense. Yeah; use their resources paid by their tax money for your emergencies. Call it “redistribution of wealth”.

It is also an ignorant notion because fire will grow for each minute that it takes Ainsworth to get there.

People should go to jail for putting the safety of their communities at risk.

When elected officials fail their oath of office by acts of their own neglect, then they should be arrested, charged, tried and convicted for it.

Go ahead and say it. Say, “But you won’t get anyone to run for public office if they can be arrested for making bad decisions”.

And I will say, “No; a bad decision would be to increase the sales tax because sales are down”.

Shutting down your fire department because a couple of city council members-including one that is ON the volunteer fire department and voted to dismantle it-has an axe to grind isn’t a bad decision; it’s a wrong decision and a very dangerous decision.

When government and its power are abused by the few who are elected, it no longer functions FOR the people.

And if you could go to jail for being arrogant and ignorant in matters of public safety, then new prisons would be popping up all over the nation.

This case in Long Pine is not an example of partisan politics, ladies and gentlemen. It’s elected officials abusing their privilege to serve their citizens. It’s elected officials serving their own self-interests at the expense of their citizens.

So, when they bring the process down to the personal level, replete with acts of revenge, then it is time for them to go.

You cannot justify a public body making private decisions on public safety without public comment and participation. It’s wrong AND illegal.

Is there more to the story?

There had better be.

TCSS.

Please visit: www.fireemsblogs.com and my blog www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 14, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: chiefreason, fire department, fireemsblogs, long pine ne, public safety

Volunteers; Who Is Listening?

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Most issues that exist with volunteer fire departments occur at the local level and in many states where you have a state-wide response program; at the state level.

So, where do you turn when assistance is needed?

Where I live, we have a regional organization that meets every other month and naturally, local issues will become a part of the meeting records.

If you are plugged in at the state level, several organizations, such as the state fire chiefs association, an association of fire protection districts and a state firefighters association are there to address state issues.

Beyond that, you may be fortunate enough to have a working relationship with your state representatives.

When you study this political structure, it is easy to feel that a solution to your particular problem is beyond your reach. But, it shouldn’t be.

Where do you go-who do you turn to-to get your issue resolved?

You know; there was a time some years ago when volunteer fire departments had the single, largest voting block in their respective communities. It may feel uncomfortable to some who are reading this, but “old school” also meant “old school politics”, where connections in a community wielded power and fire departments had it.

What happened?

Do you ever ask yourself “why does the smaller demographic in the fire service yield the most power? Career firefighters in this country make up less than 30% of the nation’s firefighters; yet, they pack a powerful voice. It is most likely because of their affiliation with the IAFF.

What do the volunteers have besides the National Volunteer Fire Council?

Will the NVFC come in and arbitrate a local disagreement?

Doubtful.

I mean; it took them TEN years to issue a white paper

(http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/Volunteer_Training_White_Paper.pdf) on volunteer firefighter training. When I say that it took ten years, I mean that, many of us have been voicing concerns about training, recruitment and retention since at least the year 2000.

It is a very good paper and I don’t want to come off as overly critical. They are very blunt in the paper. They identify three critical areas: Time Constraints, Resource Constraints and Leadership as critical areas of impediment to training objectives. My favorite phrase from the paper is:

Unfortunately, a large number of volunteer fire departments are still operating with personnel who are not trained to a level consistent with national consensus standards for basic firefighting preparedness. This can lead to ineffective and unsafe responses that put lives and property at risk.

Have we not discussed this many times on the many fire website discussion pages? Are any of the organizations “browsing”? Or do they need an email shot right to their inbox?

So, NVFC is calling for volunteer firefighters to be trained to a national consensus standard that is known as NFPA 1001. I have a suggestion for them…

If they want departments trained to this standard-and many of us already are-then they should offer a free membership into NFPA if they are currently using NFIRS.

If the information from NFIRS is so critical to our fire service-and for the record, I believe that it is-then; it should be worth the price of admission into the NFPA.

My fire department is a member of the NFPA, but let’s face it; it’s pay as you go.

Anyone who is willing to meet NFPA standards should be incentified and I don’t mean by the threat of jail for not doing so.

Small, volunteer departments need help and it shouldn’t have to cost them money that they don’t have. They cannot afford consultants, membership fees and training programs at $1500 a pop.

Our national organizations want compliance from volunteer fire departments. Are they willing to fund their mandates?

What about equipment manufacturers? Maybe instead of wining and dining prospective customers, they can cut back there and instead, offer a ten year membership in NFPA if the fire department purchases equipment from them. Or they could offer IFSTA training programs as an alternative.

What about the scholarship programs where only one firefighter benefits from the money? Instead of offering a scholarship, sponsor a fire department for NFPA membership.

Most of us know what the problems are and I understand that, in many cases, simply throwing money at it won’t fix it.

But, like we found out in Illinois, if you take it to the fire departments, they will respond…and in record numbers. Illinois uses up every training program dollar allocated every year.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, then contact Dave Clark, Deputy Director of the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI).

They have been listening to us for years.

Who is listening to you?

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. It cannot be reproduced in any form without the expressed, written permission of the author, Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason.

Please go to www.fireemsblogs.com and visit my blog at www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 9, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up

Didn’t You? Didn’t You? I Thought You Did. No? Me Neither!

1 comment

By my count, this fire department had FIVE chances to get this call right. They didn’t.

Why? Because, according to their internal report, they didn’t follow their own procedures, which led to an interesting discussion.

Last night, after Chris Kaiser, the featured guest of FirefighterNetCast had concluded his portion of the Old School vs. New School program, FireCritic Rhett and FireDaily John went to a discussion format and wanted to discuss the Dekalb County, GA Fire Department response to a fatal fire.

When the story first broke, a discussion thread popped up and naturally, I had some opinions based upon the limited information that was coming out at the time. My initial reaction was that I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I was stunned by it.

Before long though, there was a groundswell under this story fueled by the family of the deceased and from members in the news media wanting some answers. To date, five firefighters have been terminated and the chief has resigned as fallout from the incident at 1687 Houghton Court North, Dunwoody Georgia; home to Ann Bartlett, age 74.

I was in the chat room at the time and someone flashed me to call in, so I did. I weighed in heavy on the discussion of this incident along with Rhett, John and Chris Naum. I was going off of my recollections, but I was up to speed with the exception that I hadn’t read the internal report of the incident from Chief Foster.

While we were concluding the discussion, I got a message from the chat room from a buddy who felt that we were “piling on” this fire department. I pointed out that I didn’t bring the subject up, but was merely offering my opinions; something that I’ve been known to do.

He wanted to know if we were “perfect”. Of course we aren’t, but I also thought that you would have to be drunk or crazy to get an incident THIS WRONG. My buddy thought that we were offering strong opinions based upon speculative journalism and even if the story was barely correct, he was still upset that we were “kicking a department when they were down”.

Well, I initiated some soul searching right there in the chat room and upon reflection, he was right…to a degree. Perhaps on any other day, the good men and women of this department might very well have gotten it right, but one could make a strong argument, based upon the internal report, that it might not have been a different outcome, if complacency and disregard for written protocols were routinely ignored.

In the end, I told my buddy that I had over reacted, but the emotional value of this incident was very high for everyone involved and for those of us who read and analyze incidents for lessons learned. But, I also wanted to read the internal report, re-visit the discussion thread and follow up with local news to make sure that I wasn’t being a total wienie on this one.

Upon further review, I stand by my comments. Everyone involved with that run on that day bear some responsibility and not just the officers who have been terminated or have resigned. The guys riding backwards get some, too and I will be glad to explain.

First of all, the entire time that was spent on the first call was 7 minutes and 22 seconds. Do you think that a thorough search could have been initiated and terminated in this short time frame?

Engine 18 arrived at 1:15:10 in the AM with Truck 18 and Engine 12 arriving shortly thereafter. The scene was cleared at 1:22:32 in the AM with a report of no smoke or fire.

If you read the internal report, you will notice that: captain of Engine 18 arrives first and does not establish incident command and no one exits the vehicle. Truck 18 arrives, but fails to notify dispatch that they are on scene, does not establish command and the captain states for the report that they “looked at the house; no signs of smoke; house was dark”. In other words, no one checked the house. Engine 12 arrives and goes to the hydrant. The captain states for the report that he did not hear anyone establish incident command and watches as Engine 18 and Truck 18 leave the area. Engine 12 leaves without noticing smoke or fire, but no one checked the house. Battalion 1 did not hear command established and did not insure that command was initiated. Battalion 1 never made it to the scene. The shift commander was contacted by the dispatch supervisor who stated that she felt that it was a legitimate call. The shift commander was not monitoring the radio traffic from the call, so he was unaware of the breach in protocols.

Many think that establishing incident command is a royal pain. Some even think that it is over kill. When you examine the missteps in this incident, it appears to be very well suited for command and control, because apparently, establishing incident command would have been the kick to the head that this incident needed to engage the officers into doing their jobs.

But, where were the “guys who ride backwards”. The working stiffs; the rank and file? Does it take a direct order by an officer to activate your common sense? Not one firefighter could say, “Hey, Cap; permission to walk to the house to talk to the owner”? You could even be a little more demanding without risk of discipline, I would think.

Yes; all officers have been terminated and based upon the internal report, it is justified; sadly.

I have a problem with the chief riding out of Dodge at a fast gallop, but the department will heal faster, too.

The family of Ann Bartlett wants an apology from the firefighters who were involved in this incident.

And if I was a resident of this county, I would want some assurances that asses will come out of the seats of the trucks and check my welfare, if needed. And that’s really my biggest beef. Even after not smelling smoke or seeing fire, someone could have, at the very least, checked on this lady’s welfare, just to re-assure her.

But, that would have required someone to get out of the truck.

You know; to make an effort.

I don’t think that this is what we had in mind when we talk about accountability.

Now might be a good time to go back and review policies and read that book on leadership again.

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. No reproduction of any kind is permitted without written permission from the author.

Please visit me at www.fireemsblogs.com on www.chiefreasonart.com.

Posted by chiefreason on February 5, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: ann bartlett, chiefreason, chris naum, dekalb county ga, dunwoody, firefighternetcast, foster

HCN Is NOT A Cable TV Channel!

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February is American Heart Month.

That’s it; one month and the shortest one at that?

How can we expect to maintain a sustained effort to reduce heart-related deaths in the fire service if we only pull out the PR campaign once a year?

Besides; we will forget about it as quickly as we forget all of those New Years’ resolutions. You know the ones; going to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more and trim your nose hair more often.

Doing what I just mentioned is taking some personal responsibility in our battle to reduce LODD heart attacks, but what about some of the triggers that come from outside the body; something like hydrogen cyanide (HCN)?

You should know that HCN is peeking over the shoulder of carbon monoxide (CO) at your structural fires.

Think about it; how many times have you read a post-mortem on a firefighter that says, “Recent physical found patient to be in good condition; no family history of heart disease; death from sudden cardiac arrest”?

If I was a betting man and I am, I would bet that hydrogen cyanide (HCN) got to him while he was inside doing salvage and over-haul and at a time when many of you will shed your SCBAs.

Why would we suspect hydrogen cyanide (HCN)?

For one thing, it’s a sneaky bastard.

It is colorless; it doesn’t always give off an odor and is released when products such as wool, silk, cotton, nylon, plastic, polymers, foam, melamine, polyacrylonitriles and synthetic rubber burns.

So, that “smoke” that you smell most likely contains hydrogen cyanide (HCN).

Plus, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) likes to hang out in enclosed areas. It dissipates very quickly outdoors, but inside, it is less dense than air and will rise, but will remain trapped in rooms.

As you breathe it, it will prevent the cells in the body from using oxygen, killing the cells. Since our heart and our brain use more oxygen than the other organs, they will be more greatly affected. It could cause the brain to become confused and send mixed signals to the heart, causing arrhythmia.

Other signs and symptoms of HCN exposure that should not be ignored are rapid breathing, restlessness, dizziness, weakness, headache, nausea/vomiting and rapid heart rate could give way to convulsions, low blood pressure, slow heart rate, loss of consciousness, lung injury and respiratory failure leading to death.

And were it not for the fact that you are a firefighter, these symptoms might be explained by some other medical reasoning.

And let’s be honest; some of the symptoms that I have described have been experienced by many of us at a fire scene, but ignored, because we figured it was from adrenaline, possibly smokeless tobacco or physical exertion. THAT is why we need to go to rehab and THEY have to be familiar with HCN exposure.

If you don’t think that this gas-a gas that is 35 times more toxic than carbon monoxide (CO)-can kill you, then why was it used in Nazi death camps during World War II?

Yeah; I know THAT got your attention!

Here is the most insidious characteristic of hydrogen cyanide (HCN): you may not suffer any short term effects at the time of exposure, but may develop symptoms after two or three weeks. This leads to the LODD question and the linkage to death due quite possibly to HCN exposure and whether it qualifies.

How many of you have gas detectors that test for hydrogen cyanide (HCN)?

How many of you wear full turnout gear, including SCBAs during ALL interior operations and until they are concluded? Dumpster fires? Vehicle fires? You’d better think about it.

How many departments have a rehab unit that is trained in HCN exposure recognition?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has several articles on hydrogen cyanide (HCN) that are worth your time to read.

One of the best articles out there right now is an article by Richard Rochford entitled “Hydrogen Cyanide: New Concerns for Firefighting”. It is a must read.

Then, click on www.firesmoke.org. Shawn Longerich would love to hear from you.

By recognizing and respecting the dangers of hydrogen cyanide, we may save more lives, including our own.

Being a “smoke eater” is no longer a badge of honor.

TCSS.

Sources:

Hydrogen Cyanide: New Concerns for Firefighting by Richard Rochford

Facts About Cyanide – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

February is American Heart Month – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Please visit: www.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on February 3, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: chiefreason, heart attacks, hydrogen cyanide, lodd, richard rochford, shawn longerich

Houston? You Have A Problem!

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There is a saying that goes something like this: “Ten ‘atta-boys’ can be quickly erased by one bad act”.

Such is the case with the Houston Fire Department. The men and women of this fire department get up every day and perform their duty for the citizens of Houston. A storied fire department, Houston FD has seen some of the largest fires in this country’s fire service history.

And yet; what has been capturing their public’s attention since July 7, 2009, are the allegations of racism and sexual harassment lodged against the department by female firefighters Paula Keyes and Jane Draycott.

I have spent several hours reading over the articles that I could find on the internet related to these allegations and the city’s and the fire department’s reactions to them. Also included are reactions from attorneys and the various firefighter associations that represent Houston firefighters.

The allegations are serious. The accusations that various inappropriate acts were ignored are a cause for concern, but what I found most disturbing were the comments left by readers on the many websites where articles of these accusations appeared. I found some of them to be racist, sexist and borderline psychotic. Some were posted by people who claimed to be current or past Houston firefighters, but as we all know, you can be anything that you want to be on the internet.

Following is a chronology of the events that I put together with the assistance of the information that I was able to find. My source credits will appear at the end of my article.

My comments will appear in bold type.

Tuesday, 7/7/09 – According to the article; racist, sexist graffiti was found on a locker at Station 54 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The fire department declined to provide details and the women were offered the services of the department psychologist to deal with it.

At the very least, this is willful damage to public property and worst case could be a hate crime.

Wednesday, 7/8/09 – Graffiti was found on the door to the female quarters at Station 54. Meanwhile, the City Council votes to spend $60,000 for sensitivity training after a “noose-like knot” was found in a veteran captain’s locker. The veteran captain said that it was a fisherman’s knot and he kept it to honor the firefighter who taught him how to tie it.
The Black Firefighters’ Association weighs in.

$60,000 could pay the one year salary of a firefighter. That’s a lot of money for “knot training”.

Thursday, 7/9/09 – Early Wednesday morning, the “N-word” was transmitted over a secure tactical radio frequency in a message that lasted eight seconds.
Allegations of previous harassments that went ignored appears.
11 News reported allegations of women being “groped” by male co-workers and in other incident, a male firefighter masturbated over a female co-worker while she tried to sleep.
Paula Keyes and Jane Draycott are introduced Wednesday evening on 7/8/09 at a press conference as the two firefighters from Station 54. Draycott stated that she had filed two complaints since April 1, 2009.

It should be mentioned that most of the focus was finding out how the radio system was hacked into and who did it. It was reported that it came from someone “outside of the department”.

Friday, 7/10/09 – Mayor Bill White rankles the Houston Professional Firefighters Association with his comments. Mayor White recommended hiring an outside consulting firm to review Houston Fire Department’s operation. He also recommended modifying two civil service rules; rules meant to assure due process for firefighters suspected of wrong-doing (slows the process according to the Mayor) and rules requiring promotions based largely on test scores (makes it difficult to put best leaders in place, according to the Mayor).
Mayor White promotes the Houston Fire Department as a “diverse” fire department, even though a survey shows that 97% of the 4,000-plus firefighters are men and 61% of them are white.
The union responded that changes in the rules would undermine the agreed upon contract.

Why would you recommend spending money with a consulting firm to tell you what you already know? And unless that firm is well-versed in the cultural issues of the fire service, they will find that many corporate strategies will be ineffective.

Houston KTRK reported that Keyes and Draycott have more than eight years with the department. Their attorney claims that previous, unresolved incidents led to his clients going public with incidents that included having the cold water shut off to the shower so they were scalded with hot water, having firecrackers go off when they opened the restroom stall doors and having their mattresses removed from their beds.

It would almost sound like “hazing” incidents wouldn’t it, if not for the fact that both firefighters were well past their probationary time with the department.

Allegations were made that Houston FD’s Chief Boriske’s inaction with other claims led to recent problems. The Houston Black Firefighters’ Association called for strong leadership that they claimed the department was not getting.
The Houston Professional Firefighters’ Association believed that Chief Boriske was being unfairly targeted.
Houston city councilwoman Jolanda Jones was calling for a Justice Department investigation.

Sunday, 7/19/09 – The Houston Chronicle reported that Station 54’s captain’s log revealed “chaos in the making”.
More incidents were reported including: urine splattered in the women’s restroom and personal lockers ransacked, because the women did not have the keys to lock them.
Daily captain’s log showed at least six entries since April 1, 2009 that showed Keyes and Draycott were being harassed by co-workers.
The May 12, 2009 entry involved urine left on the bowls of the women’s toilet.
Station 54 had a policy prohibiting men from going into the women’s dorm.
Boriske stated that he “didn’t believe there is a systemic gender or racial problem at Houston Fire Department”.
The June 13, 2009 roll call at Station 54 included a review of the harassment rules.
On June 19, 2009, cold water was shut off to the women’s showers and urine was splattered on the women’s toilet.
On June 29, 2009, captain log indicated that both women notified their captains that they were going to the city’s inspector general’s office to complain.

At this point, I would find it safe to say that, if the alleged incidents were allegedly occurring, then allegedly, these two women were allegedly displaying alleged and uncommon tolerance. And Boriske’s assessment was barely audible.

On July 7, 2009, the words “Die (racial slur)” and “(racial slur) Lover” were scrawled on the walls of the women’s dorm. Women’s lockers were grazed with the same marker. A picture of Draycott and her daughter, who had been killed in an auto accident and kept in Draycott’s locker, had the words “Die (racial slur)” and “Dead” written over their faces.
Draycott also claimed that men came into her room while she was off-duty, even though the area was off-limits to men and cut their toenails on her bed, used her desk drawers as Skoal spittoons, took her mattress and rifled through her locker.

Take the pictures out of the equation and look at the rest of it. Spitting tobacco juice into a desk drawer is just uncouth and you would never get the smell out. If you didn’t get the toenails out of your bed, it would be like lying on broken glass. How do you make up stuff like that?

According to Draycott, she thought that the attraction to her room may be the TV that was in there, even though there were at least three other TVs in the station. Acting upon her suspicion, she took the TV out of her room and put it in her locker, only to come back to duty to find the TV out again. When she confronted her captain, it was decided that the TV would not be in her room.
Hours after telling reporters about their problems, the two women were finally issued keys for their personal lockers.

Would anyone care to make a guess as to how expensive the keys to the lockers are going to be, regardless of the outcome of the complaints?

Tuesday, 7/21/09 – Keyes and Draycott have agreed to take lie detector tests, following accusations that one of them may be behind the graffiti, so Jane Draycott agreed to take a polygraph test that, according to her attorney, she passed.

The results may not be admissible in any court proceedings, but it has powerful sway with the public, where credibility has been questioned.

Wednesday, 7/22/09 – The probe is delayed because the lawyers who were hired by the city were found to have ties to the city’s attorney.

Thursday, 7/23/09 – A letter describing a meeting between Houston city council member Jolanda Jones and the Houston Professional Firefighters’ Association is made public. Jeff Caynon, president of the HPFFA and who is black was called a “house Negro” by Jones. Jones claimed that she was only repeating what she had heard from others.

Wednesday, 8/5/09 – Draycott was ordered to provide a handwriting sample to the inspector general.
The city hired two law firms for $190,000 to look for “institutional” problems in the fire department.

So far, a quarter million dollars has been spent on a “bridge to nowhere” and in a city where not too long ago, they were struggling with keeping fire trucks in service.

Tuesday, 12/8/09 – The review of the fire department conducted by the lawyers was completed with recommendations made for improving the fire department. The report shows no systemic problems, but rather, isolated problems and the report comes out just 4 days before the elections.
Keyes went back to work but to a different fire station. Draycott stayed on paid administrative leave.

Thursday, 12/17/09 –The legality of the court order for the handwriting sample submitted by Draycott is questioned by a civil rights attorney. City counters that it was done within the legal framework.

Thursday, 1/14/10 – A letter asking female firefighter Jane Draycott to stay away from her job was read on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 by fellow firefighters at Station 54. She left after four hours and will not return to work until the probe is complete, according to her attorney.

Friday, 1/15/10 – Draycott told Houston KTRK that when she returned to Station 54 on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, she was met by Chief Boriske, his command staff and Captain Brian Williamson who read a letter. Chief Boriske described it as a “team-building” meeting that didn’t go well. Draycott left after four hours of what she called “four hours of harassment”.
Newly elected Mayor Annise Parker condemned the meeting and Chief Boriske for allowing it. Mayor Parker stated that poor treatment of women in the department will stop.
In the midst of sexual harassment allegations, the HFD Pipes and Drums organization unveiled their fund-raising calendar. The cover displays a “scantily clad” female firefighter. It was quickly pointed out that the fund-raising calendar is not sanctioned by the Houston Fire Department.
Draycott insisted that she will return to A shift at Station 54 and “will not be run off”.
Still, questions of disciplinary action over the “team-building meeting” remain.
Former head of the Black Firefighters’ Association Otis Jordan called for Chief Boriske to resign, claiming “the department is out of control”.
Mayor Parker called for Chief Boriske to investigate the behavior of Captain Brian Williamson and two other firefighters who read letters aloud to Draycott upon her return.
The Mayor vowed to take appropriate action once the inspector general’s investigation is complete. She also wants guidance on whether departmental rules were violated by anyone involved with the HFD Pipes and Drums fund-raising calendar.
Heather Arnold, the Houston firefighter who posed for the cover of the calendar said “that she was honored to do it for such a good cause”.

So, in case you lost track, you now have attorneys for both sides, the Mayor, City Council, Inspector General’s office, Chief Boriske, the Houston Professional Firefighters’ Association, former head of the Black Firefighters’ Association and City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones ALL involved in this matter AND with little agreement on what if anything should be done.

Tuesday, 1/19/10 – Chief Phil Boriske stepped down as chief and to return to his previous position as District Chief. Executive Assistant Chief Rick Flanagan was appointed interim Chief by Mayor Parker. It came one week after a public rebuke by Mayor Parker for his handling of Draycott’s return to Station 54, where he was present while letters opposing her return were read.
Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Firefighters’ Association said that “Boriske was a victim of his own good nature and management style…opportunist politicians, extremist activists and disgruntled city employees…”
Houston Fire Department announced a new program for young women who want to be firefighters. CampHoustonFire will take qualified, high school females into the program to give them a “hands on learning experience about the rigors and rewards” of firefighting.

Saturday, 1/23/10 – Boriske will return as the District Chief to Station 78.
Captain Brian Williamson was transferred from Station 54 to Station 53.
Captain Isidro Tamez of Station 54 was transferred to Station 102.
Four other firefighters from Station 54 have requested transfers.

In closing, it is very apparent that, should the allegations prove to have merit, then it is imperative that corrective actions be taken to address the immediate internal problems. Then, a plan to address any future issues of the kinds described must be put into place and enforced with zero tolerance for violations.
Everyone has the right to a workplace free of harassment of any kind.
It is very clear that there is much to do to repair the damage that has already been done to the public’s perception of their fire department.
In the meantime, the good men and women of Houston Fire Department will fulfill their oath to the citizens of Houston.

Source links:
http://www.khou.com/news/Female-Firefighter-in-HFD-graffiti-claim-b…

http://www.thegrio.com/2009/07/racist-radio-message-under-investiga…

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6816557.html

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/concern-raised-about-…

http://www.click2houston.com/news/19992272/detail.html

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/6522319.html

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6948558

http://www.fdnntv.com/Meeting-Female-Firefighter-Leaving

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6937694

http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles…

Posted by chiefreason on January 26, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up

What Can Brown Do For You?

2 comments

The simple answer s that he can give you hope.

I am not referring to what he can do as a United States Senator from Massachusetts. I am referring to how he did it and using THAT as a model for those of us in the fire service that are fighting for the very life blood of our fire departments in our respective communities.

A quick political science lesson on this extraordinary accomplishment of Scott Brown, in my opinion:

1) A large segment of America is not happy with the direction that the country is going and all of the chicanery by the politicians who have gotten us there.

2) A Democrat has held that seat since 1966; Martha Coakley was anointed as the successor to the legendary “Lion of the Left”, Senator Ted Kennedy and ran with a sense of entitlement, not to mention a 20-point lead in the polls going into December. She grossly underestimated her opponent and the independent voters in Massachusetts.

3) Scott Brown traveled to the small cities, rural communities and suburbs in his pick up truck, gaining support, regaining trust and pulled off a modern day miracle.

Why should we give pause to think about this candidate and the race he ran and won?

Because we, the fire service, have to prepare for smaller government and Life after much of the federal grant money goes away…and it will!

I have always believed that funding a fire department is a state/local issue. The reason that I include “state” is because in Illinois, we have state-wide MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) and the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF). These agencies should be funded by the state for obvious reasons.

However; our local fire departments should be funded by our citizens and the communities that we serve, because THEY determine what services, if any, that we provide. It doesn’t matter if it is a full-time, career department, a paid on call or a volunteer department; the community, through their elected/appointed officials decides how that is to be accomplished or not.

We cannot be “Martha Coakleys”, believing that we are entitled to whatever level of service that WE think the community should have. We serve the people; they don’t serve us. Therefore; we cannot jam anything down their throats, using the scare tactics that are so common today in government.

We need to be “Scott Browns”, educating our citizens about what we do. They already know why, but we have to give them the information to make informed decisions on their fire protection.

First and foremost, they have to provide for our personal safety and if we have to explain why, then we do that. When the discussion turns to the bigger ticket items such as fire trucks and new stations, the road might get bumpy, but by stating the facts and keeping emotions in check, proper justifications may prove successful. At least you can argue that fire trucks are still part of the personal safety equation.

New stations, unless it significantly improves insurance ratings, may only be seen as higher taxes with no immediate, tangible benefits and the community might very well decide that they don’t want that.

Unless you can prove the value to the community for more elaborate equipment like extrication, trench and structural collapse equipment, you may be limited to providing basic fire protection.

We have to ask ourselves if WE want it more than they do and if the answer is “yes”, then prepare for disappointment, unless you have the time to raise the funds without raising taxes.

As Scott Brown proved, you’re going to have to take the small victories and disappointments and work those into bigger victories.

Until then, protect yourselves, be the best that you can be and keep moving towards gaining and then keeping the trust of your communities, because, in the end, it will be that trust that will allow you to expand your services.

And it will be with the buy in of your community.

TCSS.

This article is protected under federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form without the expressed written permission of Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason. This article appears under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella.

Visit www.chiefreasonart.com on www.fireemsblogs.com.

Posted by chiefreason on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: federal grant, fire protection, illinois, massachusetts, safety, scott brown, taxes

A Means to an End-A Bad One!

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In my last blog, I wrote about how nepotism gone unchecked could adversely affect a fire department and leave it on “life support”.

Here is an example of how to kill a fire department.

The source for my comments comes from TheDay.com.

(William) “Celtruda’s grandfather Rocco, a long time fire volunteer, said he got ‘Billy’ involved in the fire service thinking it would help his grandson mature. ‘He’s 23 years old physically, but his emotional security is much more that of a teenager…When he drinks, he loses his moral compass’.”

Oh; it gets better.

Grandpa Rocco went on to say, “…that his grandson is basically ‘a good kid’ who immediately took responsibility for his actions”.

Hmmm; could it be because ‘Billy’ got caught?

I mean; all’s he did was to set THREE fires: two in occupied homes! Fortunately, no one died, but lives were changed forever.

If William Celtruda was taking responsibility for his actions, then why did he offer excuses at his sentencing?

William Celtruda blamed his drug use (crystal meth) and peer pressure from his fellow firefighters as excuses for setting the fires.

To the judge’s credit, she gave Celtruda the maximum 14 years in prison and five years probation in a case that had already been plea bargained by the prosecutor.

So; 23 year-old ‘Billy’ Celtruda vandalized his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle, had mental health issues and a drug abuse problem that Firefighter Grandpa Rocco thought that the Mystic Fire Department could help him straighten out?

Yeah; that worked out well, didn’t it?

A total of six occupants in three homes are lucky to be alive and thankfully, no firefighters died while fighting the arson fires set by Celtruda.

Young Billy will be all grown up when he gets out of prison. Then, he must go to work to pay $60,000 in restitution to the victims. Civil suits may also be filed.

Maybe in his spare time, Celtruda could volunteer for a fire department.

I mean; since the fire service is so hard up for members, who’s going to bother with a background check?

And even if a department does a check, Billy will simply tell them that it was long ago, that he’s “changed” and deserves a second chance. The sad part of that statement is that there is a department that might be foolish enough to do it!

We all make mistakes and here’s your gear. Do us proud, Billy!

When will the insanity stop?

When all departments are required to have a meaningful application process, including interviews and background checks, physicals including drug testing and a real desire to hire good citizens.

Otherwise, they are just adding to a growing problem and one that fire departments and communities cannot afford.

TCSS.

Please visit: www.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: arson, background checks, celtruda, chiefreason, firefighternation, mystic fire department, physicals

The Tradition Expedition

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In between my writing of blogs and participating in discussion threads, I read some of the other blogs.

I have my favorites and for the most part, I will keep you guessing, because I don’t want to influence the voting for the 2009 Best Blog of the Year (http://firecritic.com/2010/01/fireems-blog-of-the-year-2009-finalists-and-voting/).

However; I think that I have read almost every article written by Jason Zigmont of VolunteerFD.org. No; it isn’t a plug. In fact, I may have just cursed him. Sorry, Jason.

Jason’s recent article, “The Traditions That Hold Us Back” (http://www.volunteerfd.org/article/737135/) couldn’t be timelier.

I had just finished a blog on “tradition”, read Jason’s blog; then wadded mine up and threw it away, because he caused me to look at the subject of tradition once again.

To me, which is to say that it is my opinion that Jason writes with a style that is not layered to the point that you miss the point! His article, as usual, makes excellent key points.

Now; for my thoughts on the subject of “tradition”.

I don’t believe that a revolution to kill traditions is taking place in the fire service. Instead, I believe that there is an evolution of our fire services’ traditionalism that will define it for generations to come.

The oldest of traditions-that of generations of families sending their members into the proud service of their fellow Man as firefighters-will continue unencumbered.

However; another old tradition involving generations of families that will end up on the endangered species list is the practice of nepotism. Many of us can work with our relatives without enlisting them for some sinister scheme to control our workplace.

But, nepotism almost guarantees that anything bad that can happen WILL happen. I have no problems with a father/son combo, where no special treatment is imagined or real. My problem is with families who seize control of a fire department, plunders it for their personal gain and then leaves it on life support.

Yes; that is a tradition that we can do without and communities that allows it, are ignorant of it or don’t care about it, perpetuates the tradition. Firefighters AND communities must change it.

Another tradition that I hope to see less of are the LODD funerals. I am speaking to the NUMBER of funerals. Traditionally, no less than 100 LODD funerals a year are conducted in this country and countless more firefighter funerals of brothers and sisters taken by illness, disease and old age.

With that said, we must preserve the sanctity and solemn ceremony to pay our proper respects to our fallen brothers and sisters. It is a tradition that must never erode, fade or disappear.

We should not allow tradition that will constrain our thirst for new technologies, tactics or services to our communities.

We should do what we can to change the tradition that says that we can do more with less (See LODD funerals). We are at a point of diminishing returns and a new tradition of closing stations, reducing manpower and having rotating brown outs are taking hold (See LODD funerals). The veterans who have served on properly staffed and properly funded departments must remain engaged in the fight to get their resources restored and put the next generation on solid footing or we risk donning the Class A’s for more funerals.

We must preserve the tradition of firehouse cooking, but we need to eliminate high salt, high sugar and high fat meals. Healthy diets and healthy lifestyles will help battle the growing cardiac episodes and cancer rates in our fire service.

The firehouse, kitchen table discussions is a tradition that has not only continued, but has flourished by expanding to Internet website discussion boards (http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/tradition-honor-this-is-for?commentId=889755%3AComment%3A4445098&xg_source=msg_com_forum).

Heated topics with heated debates cools quickly when the tones drop at the firehouse, but they don’t cool as quickly on a website. Some will promote respectful debate while others will promote what could be akin to UFC matches. Hopefully, in the end, participants will invoke the tradition of handshakes from one brother to another.

The last tradition that I will touch upon is the tradition of driving fast to the incident-too fast to be more accurate. We must drive with due regard, with a sense of urgency and always with the safety of our firefighters and our citizens in mind. And wearing our seatbelts is a no brainer.

So; what is our finest tradition?

I believe that it is teaching, learning, making a difference and then going home to our loved ones.

We must always remember that the future of our fire service won’t be determined by the ones leaving, but the ones who are taking their places and we must give them every opportunity to succeed.

That will insure that their department and our fire service will also succeed.

In the meantime, we have to figure out which traditions to keep and which ones to write into the history books.

For more on the subject, see Tiger: http://tigerschmittendorf.com/

http://runtothecurb.wordpress.com/.

TCSS.

Please visit: www.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on January 7, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: chiefreason, fireemsblogs, firefighternation, lodd, nepotism, tigerschmittendorf, tradition, volunteerfd

When the Dream Turns to Nightmare

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This blog was prompted by the most recent death of an FDNY firefighter and though, there is clear linkage to his presence at the WTC on 9/11, he was not accorded LODD status.

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/fdny-denies-line-of-duty

It is in a firefighter’s nature to learn with an almost child-like enthusiasm and then to execute with the ferocity of a wild animal. Obstacles don’t exist in our world. Problems are quickly solved. Emergencies are mitigated with precision and professionalism. The only fear is the fear of failure.

For many, the dream started generations ago. Their father, grandfather and great-grandfather served with honor and in the fire services’ highest tradition. The dream came out of the stories that were told and re-told and yes; sometimes embellished. There were stories about gearing up in the cab of the truck, feeling the adrenaline overtake you, the biggest fire, the hottest fire, most unusual fire, harrowing rescues, crawling down smoke-filled hallways, running up several flights of stairs to get above the fire floor, dropping to your bellies as the fire rolls over you like a freight train, holding the knob and directing the water onto the fire, forcing a door, pulling a ceiling looking for fire extension, cutting a vent, taking windows, making a grab and on and on.

Those stories and hanging out at a fire station would pave that road to the dream.

Shift by shift, day in and day out, year after year, firefighters have lived the dream. Many could talk about their close calls, what each incident had taught them, what was successful and not so successful, the many friendships that they had made, the unbreakable bonds to their brother and sister firefighters, the strength of their call to duty and the clarity of their mission. It was all fuel for the dream.

While working at the best job in the world, thoughts were turning to yet, another dream; the dream of retiring to a good pension and the reunions with fellow retirees. Sleep would only be interrupted by a need to urinate or by the occasional barking dog. Every day would be a Kelly day. Family would become the focus after years of playing second fiddle to the job. Your hobby would become a reality as you worked from boxes upon boxes of memories that would become several scrapbooks, dedicated to the many years of your dedication.

And as you come to an end of one dream to start another, you notice that a sore throat hasn’t resolved after several weeks of ignoring it. You see that cut on your shin isn’t healing. Maybe you are experiencing low back pain or a pain in your kidneys for no apparent reason.

Or, you are feeling fine, but you go for a routine check up, only to discover that the doctor wants to order more tests as a precaution. It could be that the colonoscopy showed something; perhaps a polyp. There is a spot on a lung or at least an unusual mass that requires further review. It could be that your urine is darker than normal. Perhaps your white blood cell count is low and you have no history of leukemia in your family.

You go home, thinking about your next shift. It may be time to pay back C shift for changing the padlock on your food locker. There’s new construction going on and it would be a good time to see the building without its skin. It would go nicely with the upcoming building construction class being taught. There’s a new recruit class due to graduate, so lots of activities will be planned to transition the probies into their crews.

The next week goes by pretty unremarkably and then the phone rings. The doctor wants to see you today. The test results are back. No; he doesn’t like to discuss test results over the phone.

You arrive at the office and check in with the desk. You thumb through a two month old People magazine, but it’s just something to do. You aren’t reading or even looking at the photos. You want to get the news; good or bad.

After a 30 minute wait, you are taken to an exam room and told that “Doctor will be with you shortly”. You remember that cell phones are to be turned off while in the doctor’s office, so you grab it and turn it off. You stare at the poster of the human anatomy, realizing that you weren’t too well schooled on the names of certain muscles, joints or bones. You study it as if you will be tested on it. Then the doctor comes in.

He shakes your hand and without so much as an obligatory salutation, he tells you that you have a cancer.

Your dream has just turned into a nightmare.

The doctor is mapping a strategy that you’re not sure is going to kill the disease before it kills you. You discuss it in general, yet optimistic terms. Maybe it’s a cancer that, if caught early, will provide you with a 95% survival chance.

Or, you have one of the more insidious of cancers; pancreatic. Pancreatic cancer, in its early stages, will not illicit noticeable symptoms. By the time you become symptomatic, you have a 10% chance of beating it. That is a nightmare from Hell!

And though you are surrounded by family, friends and fellow firefighters who have sworn to be at your side every step of the way, you are alone with your deep despair and feelings of betrayal towards your God and a profession that you literally have given your life to.

You could almost tolerate the nightmare were it to end with an LODD funeral and benefits paid to your widow.

But, due to faulty logic, bureaucracy, inexact science and a lack of indisputable documentation, you get a firefighter’s funeral and a promise that the fight for benefits will be never-ending.

Consider that; here you are, not knowing if you will live or die and dealing with all of the mortality issues, “planning for the worst, yet hoping for the best”, as they say and you have no guarantees that those you leave behind will continue to pay because of a very flawed system.

Many continue to feel the nightmare of 9/11. They have been affected in ways that we, who were not there, will never fully understand. A nation felt the loss of almost 3,000 Americans on that day; losses that are felt to this day.

But, the sinister effects of that day continues their nightmarish ways, because losses from a variety of illnesses continue to kill FDNY firefighters, NYPD police officers, Port Authority officers and civilians. It is estimated that to date, 800 have died; post 9/11.

If test samples from The Pile were found to contain high levels of known carcinogens, then how can we possibly claim that those who were there and continue to die are not deserving of LODD status and all benefits accordingly?

Why must we perpetuate this act of terror with the fear that, if you die, your honorable place alongside those killed on 9/11 will be but a footnote?

We must end this nightmare so that our 9/11 heroes can truly rest in peace.

And we must do the same for our brothers and sisters across the country that are having their dreams shattered by illnesses that arise out of the performance of their firefighting duties.

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. 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 January 1, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: 9/11, benefits, cancer, firefighter funeral, james ryan, lodd

2010 – Will We Do It Again?

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Wet hair, apply shampoo, rub thoroughly into hair, rinse, repeat.

I have always found directions for using shampoo to be rather ridiculous.

That is to say; if you have a chainsaw and a bottle of shampoo in front of you, which one could you most likely pick up and use without reading the directions?

If you said “shampoo”, then congratulations. You just might be smart enough to tackle the more complex chainsaw.

Question: if you have to read instructions before using shampoo, then should you be permitted to engage in more complicated personal hygiene tasks that require using soap, shaving cream, toothpaste, deodorant or (Dear God; grab the kids) a razor?

Wet, apply, rub in, rinse, repeat.

The fire service knows something about this phenomenon of “repeat”, don’t we?

The first thing that we would probably do to memorize this complex task would be to give it an appropriate acronym. Let’s see: W-A-R-R-R!

Hmmm. “War” pronounced like a pirate or Cat Woman would say it; take you pick.

In order for us to learn, we must repeat what we do several times. Hell; in order for us to TEACH a class, we need to review the subject matter repeatedly to get it right.

So, teaching and learning must be done by doing the same task over and over again. But, this time honored and proven learning tool should stop there.

It was never meant for us to repeat our mistakes and especially where men and women have died and data exists that, if read and then taught to firefighters, could reduce the chance that they could be repeated.

Either we are not reading the available information or we need to read the shampoo bottle before using it. Which is it? It could be both!

I know that Bill Carey will be posting a very analytical review of the 2009 LODDs. How many of you will take the time to read it? I know that I will, because I know how to use “shampoo” and I’m sure as Hell going to learn and then teach the lessons learned from the deaths of our brothers and sisters. When you do this, you are honoring them every day.

Do any of you ever look at developing trends in data?

For instance; how many times have we seen “lack of communications” in the LODD report of a fire ground death?

Is it because of a lack of radios or a lack of talking? Could it be confusion over radio frequencies? Perhaps there were so many others talking that no one heard the “may-day”.

Regardless, we have seen it A LOT and continue to see it in reports. I would venture to guess that Communications gets little-to-no training on many departments. Here’s your radio. Leave it on Channel One. You don’t need a spare battery.

Leaders: we have to do a better job.

Firefighters: you have to FORCE your leaders to do a better job.

We should NOT have to hold each other accountable with a conscious effort.

As firefighters; as brothers and sisters, we have sworn to have each others’ back. There should be no excuses, so put away the finger-pointing, cut out the “poor me” crap and if you have to get pissed off to get something done, then I hope that you are over-achievers!

We should have turned the corner years ago in dealing with heart attacks, apparatus and POV accidents while enroot, reading smoke and doing proper size-ups, knowing how and when to vent and knowing when to back the hell out of a structure.

But, still, we keep tripping over those directions found on a bottle of shampoo, because you’re going to get wet, you’re going to work up a lather, someone’s going to rub it in, everything will rinse out in the end, so, we will repeat it!

And just like “shampooing”, we will close our eyes when we do it.

What; no one told you to close your eyes when you shampoo?

Ooh; that’s got to sting!

To close, I will paraphrase the warden in the movie “Cool Hand Luke”:

Get your mind right or you’ll wind up in the box!

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on December 27, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: 2009, bill carey, chiefreason, communications, firefighters, heart attacks, leaders, lodd

The Smell of New

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It’s an exciting time whenever a small fire department takes delivery of a new piece of fire apparatus.

As the firefighters pull into the parking lot, they find it hard to take their eyes off of the gleaming, red monster, trimmed with chrome, diamond-plate and dressed with lights and Chevron stripes.

They try hard not to show their excitement, but we’ve been through it before. We know, because WE still get excited.

The new truck sits there on the apron in front of the fire station. More and more firefighters are going around the truck; looking/touching, opening the empty compartments, getting up and into the cab. Some will get up into the walkway to look at the pump panel. Still, others will simply stand back and imagine what the apparatus will do.

But I will be looking at it, not for what it will do. We all know what it will do. That’s why we bought it.

No; I will be looking at it for what it represents.

What it represents is cooperation, communication and forward-thinking. It represents the ideas brought to life by the engineers and manufacturers.

It represents many years of experience, through trial and error and a willingness to share thoughts that might give you the edge that you’ve been looking for.

I say “cooperation”, because some of us have been locked out of the process by over-bearing governing boards, who wouldn’t know a ball valve from a ball bearing, yet; would conspire with a manufacturer’s salesperson to build a truck that we “need”.

When your only input into the process controlled by a governing board is a choice of either air conditioning for the cab or an automatic transmission knowing logically that you need both; then, “cooperation” isn’t exactly what comes to mind. That was in 1988.

To get it right, you have to have the cooperation of the firefighters, engineer, manufacturer, the salesperson and trustees. There HAS to be a defined process through meetings to determine the “must have”, the “should haves” and the “nice to haves”.

As a trustee, you don’t say “no” to any of it. It’s only when you approach that price that could take you out of your 10-year rotation that you start digging in and digging down and in the end, the firefighters will acquiesce. And even then, the manufacturer may step up and offer a more cost effective solution that will allow that optional equipment to stay in. Now; that’s cooperation!

What I just described is also much of the communication. Before an agreement is signed, it is made very clear who will be the points of contact and who will have work order change authority. Coupled with mandatory, weekly updates and the finished product should come with no surprises.

With a 10-year rotation, you MUST be forward-thinking. You have to design a truck that will serve your community’s needs for the next ten years. From the size of the pump to the size of the storage compartments, the truck must flex for the growth of the community.

The last consideration is mutual aid. When you look around and you see an abundance of tankers, brush trucks and engines, you can also see the redundancy. What can you design and build that will service your community and bring a different tool to the mutual aid call?

Well, THAT is what we will have delivered to our fire station on Saturday, December 12^th.

It will be an all-wheel drive, custom-built, Class A pumper with a caveat. From the standard pre-connects, storage and telescoping lights, it will also feature 1000 gpm pump that will “pump and go”, a foam system, 600 gallon water tank, top mount pump panel, roll out generator and a front bumper-mounted turret that will be operated from within the cab. It will also be equipped with a detachable, remote controlled winch that can be mounted on any one of the four sides of the vehicle.

This will be my third new truck.

And I’m already excited!

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on December 11, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: all wheel, apparatus, foam, new

Soccer: A Game for the Unemployed

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North Port, Florida is a community located in southern Sarasota County with a population of more than 50,000 residents. It has seen rapid growth since year 2000.

The North Port Fire Department is a career department with 81 employees.

One of the misconceptions of the recently unemployed is that they automatically qualify for unemployment benefits.

To the unemployment hearing officer: Hey; all I did was smart off to my boss. HE fired ME! I wanted to work, but he wouldn’t let me do it MY way. He didn’t know what he was doing anyway. What? What is a conduct policy? You say that I violated a conduct policy; therefore, I’m not entitled to benefits? That sucks. YOU suck!

Granted; where you are represented by a union, your contract might very well legislate conduct/performance standards. As an example, when I was in a union, running low production might get you suspended/terminated, but, you could sleep during your shift, as long as you made production quotas. That meant making “rate” early in the shift, though.

Here in Illinois-Liberal Lincoln Land-unemployment benefits are allowed roughly 80 percent of the time. Companies are usually forced to appeal unemployment claims. You can commit egregious violations of company conduct policies, miss 15 days in a month for 15 different reasons, make a mistake that costs the company thousands of dollars or spend a week in jail and you will get, “Hey; they had a good reason. Unemployment benefits are granted”.

What? Ah; the system is grand!

What about the two North Port, FL firefighters who are jobless, because of accusations that an LT took a ladder truck to a soccer match that he was to coach WHILE ON DUTY and the “other” firefighter was fired for “aiding the other in violating department policy”?

Now; let’s not have a rush to judgment here.

I’m sure that there was a logical explanation for coaching a soccer team WHILE ON DUTY, just as I am sure that the facts in this case will show that it was solid decision-making in taking the apparatus three miles away from their station on the off-chance that they might get toned out.

So; what’s the “big deal”?

According to the news article, the LT stayed at the soccer match at the behest of the “other” firefighter while he and another firefighter took the ladder truck to the emergency call.

From the location of the emergency call, the “other” firefighter and his partner rode with the ambulance to the ER and left the ladder truck at the scene of the emergency call! Oops!

Then, also according to the news report, the LT apparently completed his coaching duties, returned to the station, where he allegedly “pressured” others into “covering for him”.

What strikes me at first is that they are running a three-man crew on a ladder truck, which quickly dissolved into a two-man crew minus their commanding officer!

But, the “big deal” in my opinion, was the misguided priorities, if the statements in the news article are supported by facts. Newspapers, right?

How can we get to that juncture in our careers where we can make such bad decisions with our commitments and put our communities at risk?

Now; the BIG “what if”.

The call that was allegedly ignored by the LT was a medical call and according to the news report, they had adequate manpower to handle the call, but, what if it had been a significant fire call, requiring the services of the ladder truck that was three miles south of their station house and they are the first due?

Yeah; kind of hard to justify it, isn’t it?

But, who knows; maybe the “two” won’t be unemployed for very long, what with the appeal process and all.

Let’s hope the appeal includes a return to common sense and core values!

Links are provided that serve as the source of my comments:

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/florida-firefighters-skip

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091209/ARTICLE/912091035/2416/NEWS?Title=Two-North-Port-firefighters-out-of-jobs-after-a-call-was-skipped

TCSS

Posted by chiefreason on December 9, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: department policy, firefighternation, heraldtribune, ladder truck, north port, soccer, unemployment

Will Tragic History Be Repeated? You Decide!

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Bill Carey’s blog: http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/find-six-for-six got me to thinking about our commitment to those that we have lost, why we lost them and what we are doing to honor them every day and not just once a year.

I believe that what we are witness to is a human behavior that is reinforced by the idea that our losses are not that bad, when compared to other occupations. That argument could be championed were it not for the empirical data that says, “Oh; we have been down that road before”.

Would it be fair to say that; if we are faced with the facts of an LODD that has a clear cause and a common sense, corrective action, we would follow it ourselves and even pass it along?

I would think so, assuming that we have taken the time to read the report.

So; why haven’t we seen any significant progress in reducing firefighter LODD in this country?

We are getting more timely information than ever before. Our mission has never been more defined and still, we can’t make a significant and sustainable impact on reducing LODDs.

I am going to list statistics for 1998 – 2008 and please notice that in the categories that I have chosen to highlight that the change from one year to another is fairly static, with very few exceptions.

2008

Total LODDs – 118

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 24

Deaths while training – 12

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 52

2007

Total LODDs – 118

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 26

Deaths while training – 11

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 55

2006

Total LODDs – 107

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 15

Deaths while training – 9

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 54

2005

Total LODDs – 115

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 22

Deaths while training – 12

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 62

2004

Total LODDs – 119

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 23

Deaths while training – 13

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 66

2003

Total LODDs – 113

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 36

Deaths while training – 12

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 51

2002

Total LODDs – 101

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 13

Deaths while training – 11

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 38

2001*

Total LODDs – 107

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 23

Deaths while training – 14

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 43

*does not include 9/11

2000

Total LODDs – 105

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 19

Deaths while training – 13

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 46

1999

Total LODDs – 114

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 26

Deaths while training – 3

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 56

1998

Total LODDs – 93

Deaths while responding or returning from a call – 14

Deaths while training – 12

Deaths due to stress/overexertion – 43

Source: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/ff_fat08.pdf

Again; we will often comment on someone else’s tragic loss(s) and proclaim our concern that “we are not learning from our mistakes and are destined to repeat them”.

Yet; when a tragedy occurs like what happened in the Russian nightclub: (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEqnRLjYbQHY&pos=9), we can’t seem to get our heads around “the whys”.

When you look at this country’s deadliest fires and similarities start to line up, we see patterns of that same human behavior; from owners of these death traps ignoring zoning policies to a person’s lack of or ignorance of basic fire safety procedures (example: have two ways out) and the most prominent mind-set of “It can’t happen here or to me”.

Look at this long list without shaking your head, because we all know that won’t fix it!

We have to take the lead in our communities to avert such tragedies.

How?

With relentless public education starting with our own children, strict ordinances, effective inspections and tough enforcement followed by significant penalties.

Iroquois Theatre Fire – December 30, 1903 in Chicago, IL

602 died in the fire caused by a velvet curtain coming into contact with hot stage lights. Backdrops painted with highly flammable oil paints accelerated the flames. Contributing to the high death toll were no sprinklers over the stage, the fire curtain did not contain the fire, no emergency exit lighting, smoke and heat vents did not work and many exit doors were either locked or did not swing out.

New London School Explosion-March 18, 1937 in New London, TX

296 – 319 died as the result of an undetected natural gas leak. The gas accumulated in a crawl space under the school and filtered through the building until it made contact with an electrical source, igniting an explosion that collapsed the structure. At the time, natural gas was a colorless and odorless gas. As a result, Texas required adding mercaptans to make the gas odorous and more detectable. The practice was soon implemented worldwide. This incident remains the worst school disaster in U.S. history.

Rhythm Night Club Fire-April 23, 1940 in Natchez, MS

209 died in this fast-moving fire that started in front of the main entrance door. The fire spread quickly due to decorative moss that had been draped over the rafters. Due to the dry condition of the moss, it produced flammable methane gas. Contributing to the death toll were windows being boarded up, blinding smoke, panic and ensuing stampede to escape through a back door.

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire-November 28, 1942 in Boston, MA

492 died in the fire that started when someone lit a match, catching paper decorations that adorned the walls and ceilings on fire. It caused panic among the roughly 1,000 people in attendance. The capacity of the club was 460 persons. Contributing to the death toll were no sprinklers and open common areas. Exit doors did not swing out, many doors and windows had been sealed closed and the primary exit was a revolving door. It is the worst night club fire in U.S. history.

Hartford Circus Fire-July 6, 1944 in Hartford, CT

168 died in the fire that started when a side wall of the tent caught fire. Over 100 of the fatalities were children under the age of 15. Contributing to the rapid fire spread was from the tent being coated with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline/kerosene, a common waterproofing process at the time. The rapid fire growth also caused the tent to collapse, trapping spectators beneath the burning debris. There were also inadequate exits, blocked exits and over-crowding that made escape difficult, if not impossible.

Winecoff Hotel Fire-December 7, 1946 in Atlanta, GA

119 hotel guests died after an early morning fire spread very quickly through the hotel. It trapped many people on the upper floors and many jumped from windows to their death. Contributing to the death toll were no sprinklers, only one exit stairway which became impassable in the early stages of the fire, because many of the doors had been propped open. There no fire alarms as well. It is the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history.

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire-December 1, 1958 in Chicago, IL

95 fatalities resulted from a fire that started in a cardboard trash can located in a basement stairwell. 92 of the victims were children. Contributing to the death toll was the wooden stair banister that spread the fire to the second floor and attic. This blocked escape from the second floor. Furthermore, combustible walls and ceilings accelerated fire growth with no sprinklers to contain the flames, no automatic fire alarms causing a delayed response from Chicago FD. The exit stairway was also not enclosed. As a result of this fire, Life Safety codes were developed.

Beverly Hills Supper Club-May 28, 1977 in Southgate, KY

165 dinner guests died from what was believed to be an electrical fire attributed to aluminum wiring. Contributing to the death toll were the club’s open design, spiral staircases, corridors and dining rooms. Over-crowding, lack of sprinklers and obscured exit signs made a rapid escape for the 3000 guest and 200 employees very difficult.

MGM Grand Hotel Fire-November 21, 1980 in Las Vegas, NV

87 hotel guests died and more than 700 injured when an electrical fire spread through the 26-story structure. Contributing factors were PVC piping, wallpaper and plastic mirrors that created smoke and toxic fumes. In addition, there were no automatic sprinklers in the casino portion of the building that had hazardous wall and ceiling finishes. The hotel portion had many unprotected vertical shafts, openings that allowed smoke to enter and fill the exit stairwell and doors automatically locked behind people once they exited into the smoke-filled stairwells.

Happy Land Fire-March 25, 1990 in New York City, NY

87 club-goers died when they could not escape from a fire that was intentionally set. Contributing to the loss of life were fire exits were blocked to prevent patrons from sneaking in, no alarms or sprinkler system and the fire was set in the only stairwell. Some were able to escape by knocking down a metal security gate.

Station Nightclub Fire-February 20, 2003 in West Warwick, RI

100 patrons died from a fire caused when the rock band Great White’s tour manager set off pyrotechnics at the beginning of their show. This caused the soundproofing foam at the back of the stage to catch fire, race to the ceiling and spread very quickly. Panic caused the 404 patrons to race to the front entrance to escape the acrid smoke. Contributing to the death toll were no automatic sprinklers and failure to use other exit routes.

In addition to these historic fires, there are some noteworthy incidents with multiple fatalities that occurred when the victims made a panicked effort to exit a facility as a result of an “other-than-fire” emergency.

If you have ever wondered why you can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowded theatre; well, here it is:

The Italian Hall Disaster-December 24, 1913 in Calumet, MI

73 people-mostly children-died in the Italian Hall Disaster in Calumet, Michigan. The tragedy occurred during the copper mine strikes on Christmas Eve in 1913. It was a benefit Christmas party for the children of striking miners in Calumet.

The program was in the upstairs of the Italian Hall. During the program, a man or men opened the doors at the bottom of the stairs leading to the outside and yelled “Fire”.

The participants of the party, mostly children, rushed down the stairs and tried to get out.

There was no fire. The doors opened inward and the first children to the doors were crushed against them. More and more party-goers came down the stairs.

It was believed that strike breakers hired by the mine captains committed this heinous act, but no one was ever found or convicted. All died of suffocation.

Nearly whole families died that day.

The Italian Hall was torn down, but they left the doorway and a plaque in memoriam.

The Who Concert Stampede-December 3, 1979 in Cincinnati OH

While waiting to get into a concert by the Who, 11 fans were crushed to death and dozens injured.

Festival seating or general admission was partially blamed for the tragedy. In addition, there was a lack of security and ticket takers. The practice of festival seating was banned in Cincinnati shortly thereafter.

E2 Nightclub Stampede-February 17, 2003 in Chicago, IL

The Epitome Chicago and its upstairs dance floor, E2, was a popular nightclub in Chicago. It was reported that the stampede that caused the deaths of 21 patrons and injuries to more than 50 was the use of pepper spray to break up a fight.

Patrons unfamiliar with its noxious odor panicked and rushed to the exits. Victims were trampled to death and others died of suffocation. The only exit known to most were the narrow, steep front stairwell with narrow doors that opened in; a fire code violation. As more victims tried to get out, they were forced onto victims who had already fallen and were against the exit doors and blocked attempts to get the doors open.

More than 1500 patrons were reported at the nightclub that evening.

Source for highlighted information: Google search

Once again, I will say that we must take the lead to protect our citizens from themselves. It starts with educating them and then identifying the establishments that pose significant risks to public safety.

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on December 7, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: beverly hills, life safety, lodd, station

I Want To, But I Can’t!

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Shortly after I moved to where I currently reside, I wanted to join our local, volunteer fire department. I had to submit a letter to the fire department, which I thought would be simple enough. How wrong I was!

Then, I submitted a second letter with the same end result.

I have never taken rejection well and what you are about to read are my thoughts that I wrote down and tucked away. That was in the Spring of 1980. You-my readers- are seeing this “journal entry” for the first time. And for the record, I was voted onto the fire department in September of 1980.

Though it is many years old, some of it may very well apply today for some of those hoping to get their chance today or some day.

Hopefully, you will see the lesson, persevere and pursue your dream.

Sometimes, what we want most is the hardest to get!

I want to join a fire department, but I can’t.

It’s an old group, tight-knit and set in their ways. If they don’t know you, then they already don’t like you. Besides, I don’t think like they do and none of them has the patience or the desire to listen to what I have to offer.

I want to listen to them, but I can’t.

I’m not one of them. I’m not a firefighter or at least their perception of a firefighter. I don’t drink or smoke, so that is two strikes against me right there. My wife and I both have jobs, so I’m not the ‘king of my castle’, according to them.

According to them, ‘A woman should be home taking care of the kids’.

‘Uh, we don’t have kids’.

They say, ‘Well, then, that should give her more time to clean your house and cook your meals’. I want to appreciate their world views, but I can’t.

I want to be a firefighter, but I can’t.

I don’t have enough ‘votes’. The others don’t know me well enough to vote for me. They know that a vote for me is a vote for change. That would mean going against the old guys and though they want to, they can’t.

I want to volunteer for my community, but I can’t.

Though it may sound simple enough, I guess that I haven’t lived in the community long enough to call it ‘my community’. Apparently, it still belongs to ‘them’. When the time is right, I MIGHT be selected; you know, to ‘volunteer’.

I want to understand the process, but I can’t.

They don’t understand that I need them as much as they need me. What do I need from them? I need their affirmation and acceptance.

What do they need from me? They need my willingness to expend a physical effort. I want to pull hose, throw ladders, cut vent holes, pull ceilings, shoot water, roll hose, wash the trucks and show department pride, but I can’t.

If they were to put me on the department and I behaved like that; well, the next thing you know, I would want to be chief.

They want to put me on their fire department, but they can’t.

They don’t want to feel threatened. If they let a young guy on, it would be the beginning of the end for their good ole group. Besides; the community is happy with what they have. They tell them so every time another house burns down.

They want to keep me out, but they can’t.

They don’t have a young man’s strength anymore; neither in strength of conviction nor in strength of character. They could think of it as a new dog to kick around if that would make it more appealing to them. Lots of dirty jobs would get done, so they’ll vote me on as a probie. Note: Probie No Wake Zone; can’t rock the boat!

I want to listen and learn, but I can’t.

The old boys haven’t kept up with the ever-changing complexities of tactics and technology. They are set in their ways and are teaching obsolete methods that are no longer accepted practice. I want them to teach me new and cutting edge methods, but they can’t.

I want to go to fire school, but I can’t.

The old guys are insulted that I would DARE to go outside of the department for training. After all; ‘we’re just VOLUNTEERS’. I want to believe that Fire knows the difference, but I can’t.

I want to believe that they have my best interests at heart, but I can’t.

I want to make the fire department better NOW, but I can’t.

There aren’t enough who think like I do. If I give in and give up, I will never realize my dream. I could do the easy thing and quit, but I can’t.

They want me to be like them, but I can’t.

Please grant me the strength and the will to affect change. Grant them the wisdom that should come with their age and experience.

Then, grant each of us the ability to bridge our differences and to build on our similarities.

If we can do that…if we WANT to do that…

THEN, THERE ISN’T ANYTHING THAT WE CAN’T DO.

TCSS.

This article is protected by federal copyright laws under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella. It is written by Art Goodrich aka ChiefReason. It cannot be re-produced in any form without the expressed written permission of the author. Visit: www.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on December 1, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: community, fire department, fire school, volunteer, vote

Be Honest; Call It Bureaucratic Bulls**t!

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I will provide the pertinent links at the end of this blog. But first…the blog.

On February 9, 2007, a terrible tragedy occurred in Baltimore, MD.

Fire Cadet Racheal Wilson died during a live burn training exercise at an abandoned row house. Her death lit up the fire service discussion boards across this country over a multiplex of issues. The incident brought swift and sweeping changes within the Baltimore City Fire Department; most notably the removal of the Director of Training and the resignation of Chief William Goodwin.

Despite our opinions for some of the many issues involved in this tragedy, it cannot be refuted or disputed that Fire Cadet, Firefighter Apprentice, Firefighter Candidate, Firefighter Trainee, Probationary Firefighter* Racheal Wilson was employed by the City of Baltimore and more precisely, by the Baltimore City Fire Department at the time of her death.

*(There was some confusion over the proper terminology with regards to a firefighter in the process of completing their training)

Who can argue that Cadet Wilson was not an employee of the fire department? It would seem pretty obvious. The NIOSH LODD report (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200709.html ) states in its opening sentence, On February 9, 2007, a 29-year-old female, career probationary firefighter died…

Pretty specific, wouldn’t you say? So; what could be the issue?

Fire Cadet Wilson was at work on February 9, 2007, was involved in a training exercise as part of her final phase of training, died while training at work for her employer and at the time of her death, engaged in tasks that were required as part of her job as an employee of the Baltimore City Fire Department for the City of Baltimore.

Therefore, under the Public Safety Officers Benefits (PSOB) program, Fire Cadet Wilson’s surviving family members-in this case, her two children-should receive a lump sum pay out of PSOBs in the amount of $295,194.

Nope!

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), at least for the moment, is DENYING THIS CLAIM submitted on behalf of the children by their father.

The reason (because there is ALWAYS a reason)?

According to sources, it is because the Baltimore City Fire Department failed to submit paperwork establishing her eligibility for the funds.

WTF? (This means, “What did I just read/hear”)

Now; I have two questions to ask: 1) WHERE IS THE NATIONAL OUTRAGE OVER THIS BUREAUCRATIC NONSENSE? And 2) Why wouldn’t the application for PSOBs be included in everyone’s insurance packets, post employment paperwork or beneficiary designation documents, as part of their Human Resources employee management tools?

It is strange that we will bust our asses to get the all-important exit interview from some bottom-feeding under-achiever, but we can’t insure that death benefits are properly AND promptly paid? (Hey; HR gurus…write PPP on your whiteboards. If you can remember what SHRM means, you should be able to decipher Properly Promptly Paid death benefits.)

Could It Happen At Your Firehouse?

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Posted 11/08/09

When my nephew isn’t deployed, he is based at Fort Hood, TX. He and his family live in Killeen.

I guess you could say that he is career Army. He is currently on his 3^rd tour in Iraq. Thank God.

I was sending messages back and forth with family on Thursday, November 5^th and all were grateful that he was “safe”. That is to say; he wasn’t at Fort Hood. It was strange to say it then, but on November 5^th, it was safer for Jeff to be in Iraq rather than at his home base.

Why are we witnessing these awful events? Why is it that, every time something terrible happens; people familiar with the perpetrator fall into two camps: the “he was a really nice guy” to “there was something really strange about the guy”. Perhaps that is why we can’t always stop these tragic events; we are looking at the same person, but we don’t SEE the same person.

With the Fort Hood shootings, irony never loomed larger. A psychiatrist went crazy. Even more ironic is the fact that other psychiatrists didn’t notice that their colleague was acting and talking crazy.

As I watched it on TV, I kept thinking about the old cowboy movies where the cavalry would have an Indian scout and you didn’t know if he would lead the soldiers into an ambush. I mean; a Muslim in the U.S. Army going to Afghanistan to fight against Muslims; would he be conflicted?

The news was fermenting anti-Muslim sentiments and that is unfortunate for the law-abiding, devoutly Muslim/devoutly American sectors in our country. But the news kept playing it; “Nadil Malik Hasan-devout Muslim…Nadil Malik Hasan-opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…Nadil Malik Hasan-shoots 52 unarmed Americans on our nation’s largest Army base and 13 are dead”.

Hasan was described in an interview by his cousin as a “good American”. If so, then I guess you should nominate Timothy McVeigh for a posthumous Congressional Medal of Freedom!

What would cause this man to shoot people who had done him no harm and who had no say in his deployment orders, but get shot-some multiple times-because they were unfortunate to be where he was on this day? It appears, based on the fact that he was giving away personal items before this heinous crime, to be a hate crime and anti-American in nature.

If Hasan had wanted out of the military bad enough, he could have gotten out and without shooting anyone. It’s interesting that he was willing to take training, bumps in grade and a paycheck that was said to be six figures without missing a beat. Then, when his marker came due and he was to be deployed to Afghanistan, he didn’t want to go. No; I think that it is deeper than that. Regardless, the ball was dropped at Walter Reed and Fort Hood.

Nadil Malik Hasan committed an act of terrorism. There are pieces of information coming together since the incident that indicates that this person “snapped”, but put a lot of thought and planning into his crime. And it bears some scrutiny.

There should be some takeaways from this incident that the fire service can learn from.

For example: If a CISD team is debriefing us, then who are debriefing THEM? If we are sharing in graphic detail to a team and others are doing the same with the same team, then wouldn’t you think that there would be a saturation point for these teams?

Just like we “rehab” our people at an incident, should we not do the same for CISD teams?

Then, there is the problem of recognizing issues with our firefighters. Everything from drug and alcohol abuse to arson can find the most inopportune time to present itself and then, it’s too late.

Does anyone have a problem with holding regular roundtables with their people to find out what’s on their minds?

I would think it would be prudent of leadership to take an active interest in the people who are relied upon to carry out our missions. They need every available tool and every advantage to be successful and that includes good, mental health.

If the dinosaurs in the fire service continue to believe that talking about “feelings” is a sign of weakness, then we’d better be prepared to clean up the mess that will surely follow.

Do you ever wonder if any of the close calls and near misses are the results of our people not being in a good, mental state at the time of the call?

Or will you continue to believe that “you will get use to it” and develop that “mental toughness” that we hear so much about”

Yeah; put it right there next to the applications for disability and your turnover rates.

Let’s face it; they aren’t like you or me…

And they SHOULDN’T be!

Related reading posted on Monday, November 9,2009: http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?95922

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on November 8, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: chiefreason, cisd, firefighters, fort hood, shootings

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 19^th.

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

Posted by chiefreason on October 18, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: american flag, chester, chiefreason, commission, firefighter, flag, johnson, krapf, patriotism

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: arson, chiefreason, firefighter, firefighternation, west virginia

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

Posted by chiefreason on October 11, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: career, interoperability, nvfc, volunteer

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Archives for my-size-up

Iroquois Theatre Fire – December 30, 1903 in Chicago, IL

New London School Explosion-March 18, 1937 in New London, TX

Rhythm Night Club Fire-April 23, 1940 in Natchez, MS

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire-November 28, 1942 in Boston, MA

Hartford Circus Fire-July 6, 1944 in Hartford, CT

Winecoff Hotel Fire-December 7, 1946 in Atlanta, GA

Our Lady of the Angels School Fire-December 1, 1958 in Chicago, IL

Beverly Hills Supper Club-May 28, 1977 in Southgate, KY

MGM Grand Hotel Fire-November 21, 1980 in Las Vegas, NV

Happy Land Fire-March 25, 1990 in New York City, NY

Station Nightclub Fire-February 20, 2003 in West Warwick, RI

The Italian Hall Disaster-December 24, 1913 in Calumet, MI

The Who Concert Stampede-December 3, 1979 in Cincinnati OH

E2 Nightclub Stampede-February 17, 2003 in Chicago, IL

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