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Need Not Be Present To…Re-Certify!

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“Over 200 Massachusetts EMTs Suspended in Certification Scheme” is a headline that will get your attention!

Many of you will recall that FirefighterNation posted a news story back on May 27, 2010 about this: http://firefighternation.com/forum/topics/boston-firefighters-among.

In a recent news article (http://firefighternation.com/forum/topics/over-200-massachusetts-emts) that was posted on June 18, 2010, you will find more current information, including punishments that have already been delivered.

It has also been handed over to the states’ attorney general for further action, if warranted.

What struck me was the very last comment in the http://firefighternation.com/forum/topics/over-200-massachusetts-emts article. It stated:

Auerbach said some of the EMTs caught up in the probe expressed remorse for their actions, but others ‘did not quite understand the severity of their actions!

That statement simply blows me away.

Is it stealing?

Is it cheating?

Is it fraud?

Is it a criminal act?

Now; I am not sitting on my pedestal, high atop of moral ground, but; when you commit a dishonest act, you can either continue down that path and end up in REAL trouble or you can see the errors of your ways and correct it.

We are not talking about sneaking a peek at someone’s poker hand when they leave the table to go to the restroom.

We are not talking about taking a couple of tomatoes from your neighbor’s garden.

We are not talking about a kid writing the answers on their arm to test questions on a high school exam.

We are not talking about someone who drives 5 mph over the posted speed limit.

We are not talking about someone’s indiscretion only hurting them.

No; we are talking about someone who took money to go to classes, did not attend those classes and received credit anyway and was re-certified as a giver of advanced medical care.

We are talking about actions taken that will hurt a fire department ambulance service and a community for months and even years to come.

Others on the fire department who did the required work to re-certify as an EMT will be resentful and distrustful of those who “bought” their re-certification.

The face of the fire department will no longer be the face of one of the most trusted occupations on Earth.

The public will feel that their trust has been violated. They won’t know who to trust. They won’t know which ones cheated and which ones didn’t, so they will distrust ALL of them! It doesn’t matter to the public if this is the first or the tenth time. The time is NOW.

So; though the public might not be interested in learning the pathology of this scandal, I have to wonder if this type of behavior has been reinforced by years of not getting caught for other dishonest acts.

I have to wonder if these thieves cheated on exams during their high school days, then college and then, they fabricated a job resume that got them hired to their jobs. I wonder if they are getting “free” cable TV from their neighbors.

In their world, dishonesty has become their reality, so they would not view their dishonest actions as wrong or at the very least “no big deal”.

They got caught this time, so they’ll just pay the money again and take the test. No problem, right?

Ask yourself if you would rather have someone who cheated at card games, but studied hard, did their practicals, kept up on their in-service training so that they could re-certify their EMT license OR someone who paid off an instructor to get a free pass on their re-certification. Hmmm…

Get out the deck of cards!

How screwed up does your moral compass have to be to NOT comprehend that lying, cheating and stealing to gain re-certification of life-saving skills is wrong?

Here’s a paradoxical question for you and you don’t have to raise your hand: how many of you would cheat if you KNEW that you could get away with it?

Some of you will answer “no” and will be completely honest.

Some of you will answer “no” and be lying about it.

Some of you will answer “yes” because, in your mind, the reward is worth the risk.

Some of you will answer “yes” but will try to rationalize it with the old “I didn’t have time to study” argument.

Still, some of you will answer “yes” because the few times that you got caught, you simply had to re-take the test, get lectured by your parents and promise never to do it again. Oh; the AGONY!

So; would an EMT who got their certification COD be qualified? Would YOU want to take that chance?

How would you feel if you found out that the guy who did your surgery was actually the night shift janitor at the hospital?

Or that the marriage counselor that you are seeing has been divorced FIVE times?

How about the drivers’ education teacher who has not had a valid drivers’ license for three years (DUI) and is teaching your sweet child?

I know how I would feel!

Why then, would instructors want to risk their teaching certificates and their students be willing to violate the public’s trust?

For the money?

Because they are lazy?

Because they didn’t think that they would get caught?

Because they thought that they knew everything anyway?

Because they thought that they were “different and special”?

Because they didn’t care?

Because they weren’t smart enough to pass it on their own?

No matter; rational people won’t be willing or able to justify it under any circumstances.

It may not feel good to be beaten by a team that cheats, but it would feel worse to “out-cheat” them in order to win. Remember: cheaters never win and winners never cheat!

We have to continue to believe that hard work has its rewards. Honesty, integrity, moral fiber and ethics have to drive those of us who are in public safety.

If we don’t conduct ourselves in that manner, then we will be facing moral dilemmas each and every day.

And little by little, our public’s trust will continue to erode.

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 June 24, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

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.

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.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , ,

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.

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.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on January 7, 2010 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Blog Contest? No Contest!

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The FireCritic-the blog site with the “unadulterated” view of the fire service is hosting a Blog Contest for 2009. You can view it here: http://firecritic.com/2010/01/contest-netcast-and-best-of-2009/.

I am not participating in the contest. For one thing, it is NOT a best blog of 2009. It is either a best blogger or best blog site for 2009. No matter; he also sells T-shirts, though I prefer Black Helmet apparel. In fact; I got a sweet long underwear Tee and a ballcap with the BH logo just before Christmas. Too cool.

Why am I not participating?

Because I don’t write for a grade.

I write for you; my faithful readers who every now and then lets me know that I have touched a chord in them with something that I wrote.

Well; that’s not entirely true.

I also write because it helps me to process some very thought-provoking, nasty, bad stuff sometimes and it helps to “talk out loud”, so to speak.

I also have many goofy moments when I find something humorous and write about it. Funny thing is…by the time I finish writing about it, it doesn’t seem as funny. I’ll have to work on picking better subjects!

So, it is rather uncomfortable for me when someone thanks ME for something that I wrote and they read. It is I who should be thanking YOU for taking the time to read some of my “stuff”. I know there are times when 20 minutes in the can isn’t enough time, so I have been trying to compress my thoughts. But please know that I truly appreciate it when you let me know in some way that what I wrote touched you in some way.

No; I will not participate in a gratuitous contest if we aren’t going to categorize them (Best Supporting Socks, etc.) and review an entire year’s body of work in selecting the best blog/blogger/blog site/whatever-in-the-hell it is that they are contesting.

Now; here is where you-the readers come in. I have listed most of my works for year 2009. You won’t have to go back and search. I would like you to tell me what you thought was the best one and WHY? Yes; that means you would have to comment, but here’s the hook. I will select the best reply and that reply could win a hard-to-find Firefighter Monopoly game. Already have one? Hey; they make great gifts.

I have always considered myself a blogger for FireFighterNation. It is true that they set me up with my own digs at www.chiefreasonart.com, but the link between the two cannot be broken. I got my start blogging during the war years at Firehouse.com, moved to the safe harbor of IACOJ.com and then was invited to join FirefighterNation. My journeys start from here.

For the statisticians in the crowd; in 2009, I wrote and posted 60 articles on a wide range of subjects, including a great interview with Paul Grimwood. In addition, I posted 11 episodes of “The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie©”. It also goes without saying that I participated in numerous discussions.

So, if you would do me the honors…click, read, comment and WIN!

Deadline for the contest will be Midnight, January 17, 2010. All decisions are final.

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/when-the-dream-turns-to

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/2010-will-we-do-it-again

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/becoming-a-trustee-was-my

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/santa-wears-an-scbac

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/take-a-moment-with-paul

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/will-tragic-history-be

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/i-want-to-but-i-cant

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/straight-to-the-point

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/giving-thanks-by-giving-back

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/be-honest-call-it-bureaucratic

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/trading-precious-resources-for

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/could-it-happen-at-your

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/your-cheatin-heart

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/your-cheatin-heartsecond-verse

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/patriotism-or-sensationalism

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/west-virginiahotbed-for-arson

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/unity-surgically-removed-and

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/are-you-nuts

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-art-of-blogging

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/where-is-the-outrage

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/just-enough-time-to-diethe

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/lodd-not-so-fast

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/fire-act-time-to-cut-and-run

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/what-is-learned-that-is-not

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/fire-actgovernment-bail-out

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/eol-conferencewhos-going

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/forward-progress-on-reverse

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/new-havennew-hope

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

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/ricci-dont-lose-that-number

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/cultivating-a-civilized

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/who-represents-you

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/was-it-smoke-or-a

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/follow-the-yellow-safety-brick

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/so-you-dont-have-the-time

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/brothersisterhood-illusion-or

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/your-back-up-may-be-your

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-body-wont-do-what-the-mind

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/chief-youre-fired

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/a-defective-maintenance

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/is-it-complacency-or-lack-of

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/ordering-from-the-risk-menu

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/building-a-risk-assessment

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/can-we-put-risk-out-of

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/union-banning-members-from

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/how-did-we-get-to-this-point

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/the-safety-of-air-ambulances

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/when-a-discussion-reaches

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/what-has-happened-to-our

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/blogging-and-its-dangers

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/lead-and-get-the-lead-out

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/signal-5555-lt-kevin-kelley

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/baptism-by-fire-or-death-by

http://www.firefighternation.com/profiles/blogs/interview-with-chief-mark

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.chiefreasonart.com

Posted by chiefreason on January 3, 2010 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , , ,

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

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 December 9, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Your Cheatin’ Heart…

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

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

Another headline; another cheater exposed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winners never cheat and cheaters never win?

I’m not convinced at this point.

Are you?

TCSS.

Art

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

Posted by chiefreason on October 25, 2009 • Filed under: Miscellaneous • Tagged: , , , , , ,

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: , , , ,

Interview With Dave Iannone

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First Published 5/28/04

Author’s Note: Dave Iannone and his business partner, Chris Hebert co-founded what was to become Firehouse.com. Their interests were sold and they now collaborate on FirefighterNation.com.

 

CR: Dave; thank you very much for your time. It is such an honor for me to interview the co-founder and publisher of the world’s leading emergency services website-Firehouse.com.

 

DI: Thank you. I definitely appreciate the opportunity to personally thank the users of Firehouse.com, especially the highly dedicated users that are the members of the IACOJ!

 

CR: Firehouse Magazine has been in firehouses since 1976. Firehouse.com went on line in 1998. Do I understand that you literally ran it out of your house for a while?

 

DI: Yes; Firehouse.com started in 1998 on Christmas Day and for the first few months was just a two or three person operation, barely full time, until mid-1999 when the initial partnership with Cygnus Business Media turned into a full time gig for us. We initially moved to a small office with about six full time staffers in late 1999 and moved to our present new headquarters in 2000 and now we have about 25 full time personnel-from news to sales to web development-that manage Firehouse.com and the website Officer.com, which we acquired in 2003 and has quickly re-established itself as the leading on-line source of news and information for law enforcement. It’s still a long way from being as large and in-depth as Firehouse.com, but it’s on the way. Later this summer, with the addition of managing the other web sites and new web portals of Cygnus, we’ll likely be moving to even larger facilities.

 

CR: What were your expectations for the website compared to the magazine? Was there concern at the time that the website might render the magazine “obsolete”?

 

DI: The true power of Firehouse.com is the fact that we’re able to work closely with and joint brand ourselves with not only Firehouse Magazine, but also with our two trade shows; Firehouse World in San Diego and Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. As we move forward, we’ll be tying more and more features together from the three groups, including content-driven web casts that feature the same powerful editorial content from the magazine and PowerPoint and other features similar to that of our conferences. Readership-wise, we’re close to a half million unique visitors a month, which is more “circulation” than the top three publications in the industry combined.

 

CR: You designed the award winning website for your Hyattsville Fire Department. Was this your model for what was to become Firehouse.com? How did you become the head of such a prestigious organization?

 

DI: The HVFD site was definitely a good model, but what was really key was a part of it that we called the DC Fire/Rescue Wire, which was very popular in 1996 and 1997, featuring daily, updated incidents from the Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland areas. We thought: if that worked, wouldn’t something that did the same-a “CNN.com of the fire service”, if you will. The HVFD site was what got me personally interested in doing web sites. We started a web site on Fire-EMS Network. At the time, I was still in college in ’95 or ’96, but figured that I’d give it a shot at trying to design it myself. Ironically, we ended up acquiring the Fire-EMS Network in 2002, expanding it to be a fully functional web directory and a state-by-state news and resource area on Firehouse.com.

 

CR: I read that you got interested in the fire service when you were only 12 years old. Was there a defining moment or was it a family tradition?

 

DI: I did get started when I was 12. It’s amazing the information that’s available on-line, isn’t it? LOL. There wasn’t a family background. My mother was actually taking care of a sick relative and we moved to the Hyattsville area and while looking for a local organization to get involved with and already having a general interest in the fire service, that was that! The Chief of the HVFD responded to a letter and up I went. I’ve held a variety of positions in the HVFD, including Fire Marshal, Lieutenant and I still serve on the Board of Directors as Chair, but my time has been relatively limited in riding and such, but I get there when I can.

 

CR: Let’s talk about writing. I put my writing style as somewhere between the fifth grade and Hunter S. Thompson. That sounds redundant, doesn’t it? Anyway; who are your influences?

 

DI: The Washington Post and CNN. I’m mostly a news guy at heart, so breaking news is where I got my start in journalism and where I’ve received most of my accolades personally…which fit in very nicely with Firehouse.com; bringing together my web, news and fire service background. When a big story breaks and the national fire service needs to know about it, Firehouse.com prides itself on reporting it as quickly and accurately as possible, including getting sources, permissions, photos, etc.

 

CR: Did you ever envision that your writing would have such a powerful impact on the fire service?

 

DI: Well, I wouldn’t say impact really. Maybe early on, a lot of things were me personally, including the Worcester warehouse tragedy, as you mention below, but now I do a lot behind the scenes and it’s really a team effort seven days a week, which makes Firehouse.com what it is. It’s much more than a business or a job to most of us and many of the staff are in the fire service or have family who are.

 

CR: One of your pieces that really stands out in my mind was on the Worcester, MA warehouse tragedy, the memorial services and funerals for the six firefighters. Was it your idea to tape the event as a way to raise money for the families?

 

DI: We had worked very closely with New England Cable News during the tragedy and Chris Hebert, also a member of Hyattsville and a DC firefighter and co-founder of the site, went to Worcester and the entire service was quite moving. We actually spent a lot of time outside of the event taking photos and a Worcester police officer ended up getting us close up access to the service, once he found out where we were from and mentioned that he’d been following all of the coverage on our site. Even though over 30,000 firefighters were in attendance, it was a pretty clear mission that it was something all firefighters should witness. We worked with NECN to produce the tape, with the proceeds going to the families. We wouldn’t have remotely done it any other way or in a way to make any profits on such an event.

 

CR: Then, to honor those lost on 9/11, you removed all advertising from Firehouse.com on the first anniversary.

 

DI: Yes; a lot of sites were doing that, but we decided pretty early on, probably six months or so before, that running advertising that day was just not the right thing to do. We dedicated a lot of time and people to providing extensive coverage of the anniversary and to the memorial services, with staff even staying at the hotel next to the office to ensure ‘round-the-clock coverage. We also helped raise about $50 million for the IAFF’s 9/11 Fund.

 

CR: You pour passion into your writing. The death of AnnDee Huber, the 16 year-old explorer from Newcastle, WY touched an entire nation of firefighters and it was your story that articulated those feelings so eloquently. Did you hope to effect a change in attitudes towards alcohol use by firefighters when you wrote it?

 

DI: Some things just strike you when you read about them as absolutely ridiculous. The fact that any firefighter would get behind the wheel-even though it obviously happens every day-drunk, is insane as it is. But here you have a young person, with great potential, whose only interest is being in the fire service and she is struck down because someone made a very bad decision. Whether it made a difference would never be known, but hopefully, someone somewhere thought twice. Still, every day, from big city, career departments to the tiny, volunteer fire department, someone is running lights and sirens while under the influence. Just a shame that it took such an incident to really bring it to prominence…and even still, it wasn’t the top story on the national news. Personally, I think that it should have been, because, if firefighters didn’t read it on Firehouse.com, they hopefully would have elsewhere.

 

CR: More recently, the story of the Niles, OH Fire Department’s refusal to suppress a house fire was almost a runaway train. What were your thoughts as this story developed?

 

DI: Ah, that’s been a little while back (my own admission in not responding sooner)…without being there, who knows exactly the who, what, where and why of local politics. But whether it’s a house on fire or someone having a heart attack, you would hope that the duty to act would compel you to not worry about the legalities and politics. But, such is Life.

 

CR: You are an accomplished writer, photographer and of course, a web designer. Obviously, photographs and websites are very visual. With writing, you have to create a picture in the reader’s mind. If you could only do one of the three, which one would it be and why?

 

DI: I couldn’t possibly choose. Seriously; I’m where I am because of all three…plus, that firefighting thing!

 

CR: Do you start your day with a cup of coffee and a newspaper? What would be a “typical” day for you?

 

DI: Well, recently, I’ve taken over as VP of Publishing for the Interactive Division of Cygnus, overseeing the development of all the sites; so my day is a bit more business than thinking about fire and rescue all of the time, but an hour doesn’t go by without me checking the front page of Firehouse.com and giving some suggestions. I’ve got a great team of people, more than two dozen full time, working on the site. I do stay pretty active in the bigger picture and long term projects on Firehouse.com, including our upcoming promotion of the movie Ladder 49, marketing partnerships, expanding the MembersZone content and features to bring more value to that area and developing an on-line, web cast/training series that we hope to launch later this year!

 

CR: What do you do for recreation? TV? Music? Movies?

 

DI: BIG movie buff; also a fan of Law and Order, CSI, Seinfeld and anything on HBO. My beautiful girlfriend also keeps me quite happy. We’ll be traveling to her hometown in Russia later this year. She’s a graduate student at Johns Hopkins.

 

CR: How many trade shows do you attend in a year and do you have a favorite?

 

DI: Not as many as I used to (fire, that is)…actually more; it’s just now that they’re in other industries. I definitely have no complaints about our Firehouse World show in San Diego…great place to be in February, when it’s snowing back East. And, of course; Firehouse Expo and Firehouse World are the best!

 

CR: I have been told that I have to ask you about the Webteam. What can you tell us about this elusive group?

 

DI: The WebTeam is a group of web developers and designers who manage the site. We have a separate news team that finds, posts and coordinates the headlines and news content. The WebTeam develops new content sections, handles customer service inquiries (except MembersZone, which has its own support team member) and does a lot of the great work that you see on the site every day. We’re actually now developing the next generation of Firehouse.com’s front page, with more content and a more streamlined, less ad-heavy look. (Well…same number of ads…just less intrusive in appearance). About 2/3 of the WebTeam component of the staff are in the fire service.

 

CR: Firehouse.com has become a profit-generating venture for Cygnus. Since so many other dot.coms went missing or were DOA, to what do you attribute your success?

 

DI: We didn’t over-invest. Firehouse.com certainly was in an investment mode for the first few years, but we never blew tens of millions of dollars. One of the many advantages of being tied to Firehouse Magazine is: that’s all of the marketing that we ever needed. Most of our early users found us through the magazine or by word of mouth. We’ve always grown wisely, adding staff when needed and when it’s been justified financially with good decision-making.

 

CR: You predicted over 100 million on line “views” in 2003 for Firehouse.com. Did your prediction come true?

 

DI: Absolutely. And we’ll well surpass that this year with nearly 400,000 page views daily on many days and over 500,000 unique visitors a month.

 

CR: I did a survey at our website and found out that the reason they visit Firehouse.com is for the discussions. Reading the news was a close second. Does this surprise you?

 

DI: That’s not surprising, given that the members of the IACOJ are our most dedicated forum users. Overall, news dominates our traffic, accounting for 50% of all page views. The forums are about 10% of page views and a significantly important group, because it’s where the discussion about every issue in the fire service takes place and people notice that and get involved. Whether it’s the attorney from the NY training tragedy talking right to the users or the wife or sister of a fallen firefighter logging on just to say “thanks for being there”, when their loved one was lost. The community aspect of Firehouse.com is exceptionally important.

CR: A sidebar to that is that IACOJ members hold 40 of the 50 top spots for number of posts at Firehouse Forums. And you are approaching 78,500 registered forum members (Note: this was at the time that the questions were submitted back in February). That is a phenomenal number.

 

DI: We’re actually approaching 90,000…a significant rise since we also integrated the forum membership with our global site-wide registration. We also have tens of thousands of users that join for the MembersZone and separately for our free email service. There’s a lot of lurkers out there certainly…in recent months, nearly 3,000 unique people have posted. More than 10,000 new users have signed up this year alone.

 

CR: You seem to have unlimited resources. Are you taking what you have learned at Firehouse.com and applying it to other Commerce Connect businesses or vice versa?

 

DI: We’re taking the same concepts and starting to apply it to other industries. We’ve already seen great success with our acquisition of Officer.com last fall, more than doubling traffic since we took over. Next up is the Security industry…residential, commercial and industrial-not homeland-and after that, who knows…we have many industries, including Construction, Remodeling, Photography and more that are relatively green, when it comes to significant web expansion.

 

CR: You are within minutes of real time with your fire service news coverage. Have you considered television as an outlet? A 24-hour station devoted to the emergency services?

 

DI: Not really in our business model. We focus on the web for the most part. We’ve talked about daily headlines on an Internet radio station perhaps, but there are already some models out there; some that work and some that don’t that have fire service headlines. Who knows what the future holds, but we’re mostly focused on the web. While 50,000 daily users on a web site is pretty impressive in an industry with just 1.5 million people or so, it wouldn’t take a lot more for a TV or such to be successful.

 

CR: Any last thoughts on the state of the nation’s fire service and Firehouse.com’s role?

 

DI: We just hope to keep being an important player and the most important one, hopefully, in keeping America’s firefighters and rescue workers informed on a daily basis on what’s going on in the industry. Hopefully, many things will continue to bring the fire service community together and perhaps to save a life here and there; when someone sees other near-misses and tragedies elsewhere and learns something new or about a situation that they hadn’t experienced. Plus; we’re always looking for great, positive stories about departments and individuals making an impact in their communities and within the fire service.

 

CR: Again, Dave, I feel so fortunate that you shared this time with us. Thank you very much.

 

DI: Thank you!

 

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

Posted by chiefreason on January 17, 2009 • Filed under: Interviews • Tagged: , , , ,