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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: , , , , , , ,

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: , , , ,

Unity Surgically Removed and My Dissection Objection

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Then, let’s do it…

 

As ONE!

 

TCSS.

Art

 

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

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

Dare To Be Different!

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 What gives any of us the right to feel or believe that we are entitled to be called a firefighter?

 

For some of us, we have held a steady job, been married, are raising children, are helping with community projects in our small, rather rural communities and all the while, we have been thinking about joining the local fire department to help out…so we do!

 

We are interviewed, accepted and are issued gear, along with a pager. Does this entitle us to call ourselves “firefighter” or to be regarded by others as a firefighter?

 

For others, getting on a paid fire department has been in the family for four generations and has been your childhood dream. It’s never been an option; it has been your destiny. Your goal is to serve in a large city where history has been witness to some monumental fires and extraordinary firefighters.

 

We get our name on the hiring list, go through the testing including CPAT, complete our interview and get confirmation that we have been hired. Does this entitle us to call ourselves “firefighter” or to be regarded by others as a firefighter?

 

It occurs to me after joining this website that there is a “Who’s Who” of current and former firefighters who are offering up a plethora of information on a wide range of subject matter. The training articles are second to none and the authors are likewise. The author’s style and tone of their articles do not discriminate nor differentiate between career, paid on call or volunteer firefighters. It is information that anyone who wants to improve their skills as a firefighter can do so. Do you think the authors of the blogs, news articles or training articles even care about what TYPE of firefighter you are? Oh sure; there will be articles on rural water supply that may only apply to a rural, volunteer department, but on the flip side, you will see articles on aerial truck operations that are interesting to guys like me, but are targeting metro firefighters. We can’t leave out our friends in wildland firefighting. They engage in some highly specialized tactics that warrant their own niche as well.

 

Did I say “type of firefighter”? I certainly did.

 

All MEN/WOMEN are created equal. Firefighters are NOT!

 

This may be contrary to what you believe or have been told, but it is an educated opinion that is supported by years of personal observation. We have seen nicely choreographed illustrations from authors who have been on both sides of the spectrum. They have been career firefighters who have gone on to volunteer. We have also seen the other swing where volunteer firefighters have become career. In both cases, the firefighter is taking SOMETHING from where they came to where they’re going. It might just be oodles of experience and the respect that experience will earn you with your peers.

 

Why does it matter so much to want respect or acknowledgement or acceptance from people that you don’t even know? Why would you presume to even EXPECT respect from someone that you don’t know, because isn’t one of the pillars of respect built on knowing the person? In my mind, you are being disrespectful by immediately wanting respect simply because you are on a fire department. When these people have not seen us perform our tasks, then how can we expect them to measure us all the way to a level of respect? We can’t and we shouldn’t, because it is wrong and very frustrating for those who don’t understand.

 

And on the other side of the coin, how can we say that we are the SAME as they are if we haven’t seen them perform their tasks, which are only in our realm of basic skills until they go to academy and start riding the trucks. It changes right then and there. We are no longer the same. Numbers of calls and time spent in classes and training cans DOES change all of that.

 

For me, it has never been about puffing my chest out around the paid guys. When I got my FF II certification, I knew that I was better for taking the training, but didn’t bother to gauge it against a career firefighter. It didn’t occur to me and frankly, it didn’t matter. I was trying to raise the bar for our fire department. As we progressed, so did respect between us, because we realized that our training would help hone our skills and keep us sharp. Respect could be measured in the amount of training that you did or didn’t do.

 

And with regards to training outside of the department with other departments? It was done with the intentions of LEARNING and not whether career guys were busting on us. It was about doing it right or doing it wrong and having to do it again. And if you had to do it again, then you shouldn’t complain that you were being picked on, but rather, shut up and do it right. What; because you are in turnout gear, you are entitled to get a free pass? You think that’s respect?

 

I want to see an end to the career/vollie debate. We all know what we are capable of doing. We know if we have the right to call ourselves “firefighters” and to have the privilege to wear the gear and to serve our communities. We cannot take anything for granted; least of all training and our interactions with other departments on a mass incident.

 

As far as respect?

 

Worry about getting it from your kids, your fire department and your community first. That should be all that matters anyway.

 

Then, you can look at how you measure up with others who are in the fire service. Use it to weigh your strengths and weaknesses, then share your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. If you set out like you have nothing to prove and conduct yourself with a reserved and quiet humility, respect will sneak up on you before you know it. You may not hear it, but you WILL feel it.

 

Ask yourself if you want to be the same as all of the other firefighters or do you want to be different?

 

Dare to be different!

 

Tell yourself that you’re entitled to pursue the possibilities that exist in becoming the best firefighter that you can be for your family and your community.

 

Respect the honor, tradition, history and the dangers associated with firefighting.

 

Work on your life-saving skills and forget about saving the world.

 

Study hard and train hard. Word will spread. Respect will grow.

 

There you go; all because you dared to be different!

 

TCSS.

Art

 

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

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

Who Represents YOU?

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A few years ago, an East Coast friend and I were lamenting out loud that we didn’t have a national organization that REALLY represented the silent majority in the volunteer fire service.

 

Now; I want it understood that, if some of you who are reading this served on committees at the national level of the National Council on Fire Blah, Blah, Blah; this is NOT directed at you. I don’t need anymore hate mail for a while. But, how many of you who have worked for a fire service organization at the national level ever saw more than 20% of surveys returned? I rest my case. There IS a silent majority of firefighters in this country.

 

So, my friend and I floated the idea and were amazed at how many others felt the same way. What was done in jest was catching traction. I mean; there was some serious chatter about creating a new, national organization that would listen to us, work for us and become our strong voice for issues that were not being addressed at the national level. (Sidebar: it is noted that many organizations have addressed personal safety to varying degrees). An example could be a lack of programs for things like college tuition credits, property tax breaks, retirement benefits, annuities, etc. for people willing to volunteer their time in their communities. And let’s face it; we have a President well versed in community involvement, don’t we?

 

It was getting more and more evident that organizations were getting together to discuss “issues”-real or imagined-and would argue about the pecking order and the seating chart, who would get credit for the “plan” and most importantly, who would pick up the tab for the conference then and the program down the road later. Oh and make sure that your participation finds its way into your resume for future consideration of another organization that you intend to single-handedly rescue! (Sorry; I’ll put the sarcasm away).

 

I have always held that providing fire service to communities should be an intimate, local issue; from deciding what type of fire protection, to funding for it, deciding who should be on the fire department and to provide a grievance process for when expectations are not met; expectations of the fire department and the community being one and the same.

 

Let’s be honest here; how many of you KNOW what your community expects or are your expectations what you THINK their expectations are?

 

How many of you operate under the don’t ask/don’t tell or my favorite what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas mantra and especially for the “bad” stuff?

 

In summary, how many departments FEAR getting their communities involved because of that whole “control” thing?

 

We want to be called “heroes”, but will run like our hair’s on fire if they have reason to call us “convicts”…and there’s been a “few” of those times lately, hasn’t there?

 

We want their money, but we want it with no strings attached. Our reasons for wanting it should be good enough, right?

 

What would your public’s reaction be if they found out that you had been sneaking up their taxes, but have never applied for a grant?

 

Does your best efforts measure up to your community’s yard stick? Or does we did our best still cover it?

 

Does parking the rig out front while you sweep out the truck bay define your training program?

 

Now that I have your attention, let’s get back to fire protection as a local issue.

 

 

Until FIRE Act came out, I was fully prepared to work within our local boundaries for funding, but I soon realized that the “redistribution” of my tax money wouldn’t benefit us locally, so we started applying for grants.

 

We are 1 for 7. For (5) years, the Peer Reviewers told us that we didn’t need a new truck, so we gave up and went for SCBAs. We GOT that grant, but then they told us last year that we didn’t need the compressor to fill them!

 

What’s my point, you ask? Simple; we DO need a truck, so we applied for and received through our state a zero interest loan for its purchase.

 

And that compressor that we don’t “need” will be purchased at some point with money from fundraisers.

 

Funny, isn’t it? We all receive those emails in BIG, BOLD ALL CAPS that says WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP when they are wanting a piece of legislation passed for their special interests.

 

Do you believe that it’s all in OUR interest? If you do, then click your heels together (3) times and say “there’s no space for our foam” or something like that.

 

So, the moral of this story is: You represent YOU! If you wait for someone else to help, you will find yourself in a hole… and look who’s throwing the dirt on you!

 

Create relationships in your community, your county and state government. Know your politicians. They’re the ones asking for donations to “take back government”; whatever that means.

 

How will you know if you’re doing enough?

 

Easy; the mayor will be following you on Twitter and your state rep will be calling you by your first name.

 

But, we STILL need a national organization that thinks like we do!

 

TCSS.

 

This article is protected by federal copyright laws. No reproduction of any kind is permitted without the expressed permission of the author. This article is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella.

Posted by chiefreason on May 18, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , ,

Union Banning Members From Volunteering?

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Specifically, volunteer firefighting!

 

Oh; I assume that you can still volunteer at the animal shelter, homeless shelter or the youth football league, but the days of you providing a vital volunteer service to your community as a volunteer firefighter are over, according to The Albany Times Union, N.Y. newspaper. See article: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=761517

 

It is highly suspicious that the union would single out members who also volunteer as firefighters where they reside. So, Albany, NY firefighters who belong to the IAFF and who live outside of Albany will no longer be allowed to volunteer without facing sanctions* by the union.

 

Apparently, the union feels that members cannot be injured while working their “side” jobs on their days off. I guess that you cannot get injured standing in traffic while filling the boot for Jerry’s kids. And perish the thought that members could be hurt playing softball, hockey, rugby, bicycling, motorcycling or rock climbing.

 

Does anyone else find it rather odd that the union would single out volunteering on a fire department as the only activity that could hurt firefighters; thus, costing taxpayers money?

 

So, it’s fine and dandy if their effort at a secondary activity is monetarily rewarded?

 

Without seeing the “decree”, does it specifically state “volunteering as a firefighter”?

 

What about POC (Paid On Call)? Can you volunteer for an AMBULANCE service? What about a “private” fire company or industrial fire brigade? Are any of these activities approved under the union rule?

 

If so, then the intent of the ban is more than obvious to me!

 

So, I find it reprehensible. Telling anyone what they can and can’t do during their OWN time is wrong and bordering on unconstitutional.

 

I can only say to the union: try as you might and wish all you want, but volunteer fire departments are here to stay. In fact; in these tough economic times, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an increase in volunteer fire companies.

 

Don’t get me wrong; I am not anti-union. I am grateful to the IAFF for their work on behalf of firefighter safety, but on this issue of forcing members to stop volunteering, I am deeply saddened and disappointed that they would attack the very fiber and foundation on which this great nation’s fire service was built.

 

Call me crazy, but I think that the union is missing a golden opportunity with the volunteers. I would be seeking their support, offering them services for a volunteer member’s rate and paving their way to full membership some day.

 

Sam Fresina, the local union representative said, “This is nothing against volunteers. This is simply us enforcing an international bylaw for the purpose of taking care of our residents. People in the city of Albany pay our salaries, and it’s incumbent upon us to give them the best possible service that we can”.

 

Sorry, Sam, but it has EVERYTHING to do with volunteers or more importantly, the union inserting themselves in the private/public lives of their members. Regardless of the motive, it is driving a wedge between career and volunteer.

 

And that’s too bad, because BOTH serve vital roles in the communities where they live and serve.

 

*Resolution 2 directs the IAFF to delete Article XV, Section 3 and insert a new subsection to the list of defined misconduct as “working a secondary job part-time, paid on call, volunteer or otherwise as a firefighter, emergency medical services worker, public safety or law enforcement officer, or as a worker in a related service, whether in the public or private sector,where such job is within the work jurisdiction of any affiliate or which adversely impacts the interests of any affiliate or the IAFF.

Upon a finding of guilt…it is recommended that the penalty include disqualification from holding office in any affiliate and/or expulsion from membership for the period that the misconduct persists. Charges filed for the misconduct described…shall be preferred by a member of the charged party’s local and/or member of an adversely affected affiliate.

 

This article is protected by federal copyright and cannot be re-printed in any form without the expressed permission of the author.

Posted by chiefreason on January 22, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

So, You Don’t Have the Time?

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First Published 3/23/03

 

Many of you know that I draw from my experiences and training as a member of a volunteer fire department. That is especially true when dealing with the problems and the issues that face the small, rural volunteer organizations that are indicative of the majority of our nation’s fire departments.

I have no difficulties in exchanging thoughts and ideas with career firefighters and am quite comfortable when around them. I must admit that I love to sit and listen to the career men and women relate their experiences because many will answer more calls in a 30 day period than a lot of volunteer departments will answer in a year! It is not my intentions here to start a vollie/career debate; but to merely point out that, though our core values and goals are the same, our problems are distinctly different. Two that come to mind are recruitment and retention. That is what we will explore from the volunteer perspective.

 

Not long ago, we discovered in our department that there seemed to be a core group of officers and veterans that gave a disproportionately larger number of hours-i.e. effort to the department than the others. I felt that it was important to send a strong message to the others in order to strengthen their commitment. So, what I did was; at a monthly meeting, I pulled out all of the officers and anyone with more than ten years on the department and asked them to leave the room. That left thirteen in the room. What I asked them next was; if this was your core group, who would be your officers? I had them “elect” a chief, assistant chief, captains and lieutenants. It produced some very interesting results. Ironically, the “chief” that they elected is now a lieutenant with the department. It would not surprise to see him as chief somewhere down the road.

 

So, we had their attention on the issue of not relying on the fact that the veterans and officers as they knew them would always be around. They had to start preparing NOW for the future of the fire department. Then, I had to tackle the issue of the “perceived” constraints on everyone’s time. It is not a problem that is ours alone but is one that is shared throughout the nation. It can destroy departments and here’s why: 

For the past several years, volunteer fire departments have been hit with an almost apathetic attitude in their communities when it comes to recruiting and retaining new firefighters. I don’t have the time has become the mantra of young, able-bodied men and women who, when approached by their fire department will tell them in short order that they don’t have the time. If they do join the department, they will only give you what time they feel is left over from their very hectic schedule and life style. I believe that selfish has replaced selfless in today’s society.

Not long ago, my fire department had a few members who were well below the average for training hours, stating that they didn’t have the time. I decided to take a pragmatic look at it, for I have always held that if it is important to you, you will MAKE time. I also wanted to make certain that I wasn’t being overly critical of our younger members.

 

In a calendar year, there are (8,760) hours. From that, I will subtract as many time-consuming activities that come to mind on a daily basis during the year. Here goes.

 

Most of us will work (2080) hours at our regular jobs in a year’s time. I will credit everyone with (80) hours a year in vacation time. I will even give you another (40) hours a year for sick time. If you work for my company, you get (9) paid holidays a year for another (72) hours. We have to sleep, don’t we? Of course we do, so you all get (8) hours a night for a total of (2920) hours a year. Hey, we have to eat sometime. Most of us go through the drive-up for breakfast, but I will still give you a (1/2) hour for breakfast, a (1/2) hour for lunch and (1) hour for dinner everyday for the entire year. That adds up to another (730) hours. You get a night out every week to go to pool league, bowling, darts, canasta; whatever personal recreation you enjoy. You get (5) hours for it-remember, you have work tomorrow-and that’s (260) hours just for you! Church activities earn you another (208) hours. School activities twice a week will total (260) hours a year. Time with your spouse-that’s quality time-is good for (10) hours a week for (520) a year. Keep in mind that this time is for the two of you together, in the same place at the same time with no one else around. No; bedtime is not in these hours. Single folks get more recreation time, if they choose. What are we up to so far? Don’t tell me. You probably belong to another organization such as Lions, Shriners, Masons, school board, village board, church board and that is another (3) hour meeting each week for a total of (156) hours. Now, let’s see what we have for a total. (7326) hours! According to my math, that leaves (1434) hours. Under my plan, you’ll get an outdoor activity each week for a yearly total of (416) hours. Do relatives “drop” in once in a while? I’ll assume every other week for a total (104) hours yearly. You’re probably taking classes one night a week for (4) hours, so that figures out to (208) hours a year. Have I missed anything? Probably, but I have left some flex in this scenario and have been more than liberal out of fairness. The total hours stand at (8054), leaving (706) hours for other activities. What about the fire department? If yours is like mine, you want (100) hours a year out of your members. That includes training and fundraising. You are left with (606) hours to do with as you would like!

 

Still believe that you don’t have time for the fire department? Granted, fire calls will come at all hours of the day or night and will undoubtedly interrupt some of your other “scheduled” activities, but you have that (606)-hour cushion that you can tap into.

 

Just think about all of the time that we waste on gratuitous activities; on activities that add nothing to our communities’ quality of life. For (100) hours a year, you get immeasurable satisfaction in learning skills that will help you to help others. I don’t see a down side! And besides; has TV really been that good lately?

 

You can join the millions of couch potatoes in this country or you can join a dedicated group of public servants who can make a difference when the call for help comes in.

 

I’ll tape it and watch when I have the time. Right now, I need to go to the fire station for a training session. It’ll take some time, but according to my math, I have plenty of it! What’s your excuse?

 

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

Perpetual Motion: The Career/Volunteer Debate

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 First Published 1/25/04

 

That’s right! Right here/right now. Once and for all; the final word on this age-old argument is…..

 

A question!

 

Aren’t both types of firefighters critical to our fire service efforts?

 

Of course they are!

 

Grab a snack before we tiptoe through this minefield together, because quite frankly; I am going to literally try to rationalize out loud why we have to argue one against the other in a “who’s better” debate for what; bragging rights?

 

Day Two. I haven’t moved from my desk since my last sentence. I must draw on all my strength and background as a volunteer firefighter for a perspective.

 

When I got into the fire service as a volunteer, our fire department didn’t have a library of reference materials from which to learn. The only fire magazine we got was Fire Chief and the chief wouldn’t share it (Rank has its privilege!). The training officers for the fire department at the time were twin brothers who worked for the local telephone company. Great guys! They could find a bad phone line and could affix a button to a fire phone and have it blow the fire siren, but they didn’t know beans about SCBAs or fire behavior. Their knowledge of building construction consisted of helping the one build the other’s garage!

So, where did a volunteer go to get their much-needed introduction into firefighting?

 

Neighboring department? Well, sometimes, but basically, they had the same problems.

 

Fire marshal’s office? No; they set standards, curriculum, the DATES of the training and certified training through testing. Weekend dates back then were non-existent. Weekdays or weeknights; usually during the hours when volunteers were at their paying jobs.

 

Fire service institute? Ding, ding, ding! That’s where it started for me and can anyone take a wild guess at who taught the classes? Career firefighters!

 

And it intimidated the HELL out of me. You know how they always said, “In my classes, there are no stupid questions”? Well, I wasn’t willing to take the risk, so I sat silently; listening, and in total awe of the knowledge of my instructors. I didn’t even want to hear about friction loss or hand tools. I wanted to hear the stories about the “big ones”, the rescues and using ladder trucks. Even when my early instructors were telling me their war stories, I was learning from their experiences that were gained every duty day that they worked. You aren’t going to learn that kind of stuff from someone who hasn’t had an occupied, structural fire in three (3) years! You can only get it from a career smoke eater who is willing to moonlight as an instructor. If some of you don’t think that career firefighters don’t care about volunteers, then why do so many of them teach us?

 

Fast forward to today. I am no longer intimidated by career firefighters. They taught me well. Some of my very best friends are still career or retired from career. And they will always have my gratitude, respect and friendship.

 

I can remember a time when some career fire departments had a “no fraternization” policy with volunteers. Back in the day and before sensibility prevailed, volunteers were right up there with dirt under the fingernails! BUT THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!

 

Why does the air get so charged with negative energy when someone mentions a career/volunteer issue? Whether it’s interoperability, mutual aid, funding, promotions, health and safety, fire tactics and on, the discussion immediately deteriorates into a flurry of insults and insensitivities as soon as someone attaches the labels of career or volunteer to their reply with such pronouncements as “volunteers; we do it for free” or “career; nobody does it better”.

 

From the volunteer perspective (mine), I think some of it is manifested in the attitude that we see when the discussions turn to benefits, wages, unions, fire standards, fire training and legislation that addresses career firefighter issues and excludes the volunteers from much of it. It appears that the focus moves away from public service to one of self-serving. Look at the discussion of the Niles, OH FD and Weathersfield FPD. It took a New York minute for that FH.com thread to turn into a career/volunteer “fist fight”. Volunteers were screaming that they would have gone out of their district-some said by “jumping” the call-to put the fire out. Of course they would have, because many small departments are salivating to catch a working, structural fire! That’s part of that jealousy that exists between career and volunteers. Career FDs without any doubt catch more structural fires on the average. More vehicle accidents; more rescues; more HazMat and MORE PUBLIC ATTENTION. There are very few volunteer or combination departments in the U.S. that have more call volume. They are the exception.

 

WE choose our career paths. Some chose to go to full-time fire departments. Others, like me, chose to go to work for a company and then volunteer their time on a fire department and as I said; we chose that.

 

But it’s our communities who choose what type of fire protection that they want. Full time coverage will most likely cost more and taxes paid will bear that out. Volunteer coverage might be less expensive, but with some drawbacks, such as manpower, rapid response time, age and condition of equipment and level of experience/knowledge of the firefighters. Let’s be honest; many volunteers question the abilities of their officers and vice versa. Again; career firefighters choose their career paths and are promoted to rank by training and testing. Volunteers are, in many cases, still being elected, selected and by entitlement, are aspiring to their rank. But that is being addressed in many departments and is a topic for another article!

 

Whenever there seems to be a push to get ALL firefighters to a level of firefighting skill that will insure an appropriate response to mitigating an incident, it is usually the volunteer sector yelling “foul”. We can all, and I do mean ALL, train to the minimum standards, but will always lose the “in-service”, continuing education and the on-the-job hours to the career departments and that’s a fact!

 

Let’s switch to the career perspective; also my perspective.

Some career firefighters still harbor attitudes towards volunteers that date back to the early ‘80s. And we will not change that attitude. Don’t try! You won’t penetrate that crust with a jackhammer!

 

The majority of career folks knows and understands the socio-political reasons for volunteer firefighters and their skill levels, because they are still training them. If I am an instructor, I will take it very personally if my classes of volunteers were not adequately trained. But that’s the ones who will show up for class, ready to learn.

They know that we all do what we do for the same reasons. I am tired of that well-worn cliché that says career or volunteer-we are all professionals. Well, “professionals” do not treat each other with so much disdain. They treat each other with respect. And we know that respect is not given, but is earned; everyday and not just when the tones drop. There has to be respectful dialogue and honesty between us. Respect for the fact that, even we, as firefighters from different career paths, are “a different tool in the fire service tool box”. And it’s the communities who select “the tools”. That may over-simplify it, but the point is that we employ our skills when advancing on a fire in the same way with the goal of suppressing the fire. Being effective is not a career/volunteer issue, but is all of our duty.

 

Career personnel have to do it right and do it better with every work shift. The law of averages says that if they don’t, then Murphy’s Law will get them. I don’t think for a minute that they are “jealous” of the volunteers. Quite the opposite. I am somewhat jealous that they can “live the dream and even eek out a living at it. Most are just like the rest of us; saddled with mortgages, car payments, college tuition and taxes that are too damned high! Yeah; I’m jealous of that!

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t address the “other” segment of career firefighters; those who started out as volunteers. I can feel nothing but unmitigated pride for them. They remember their roots and they are quick to give credit. And that can only help to bridge the “old” arguments and perceptions.

 

In closing, I will use the analogy of athletes and firefighters.

I know that there were better athletes than me in my high school class, just as I know that there were better firefighters than me. Isn’t our goal to always work towards getting better?

 

What it comes down to is natural ability, desire, practice and the right attitude. Working hard with a “losing sucks” mentality. Getting everyone on the team to believe in themselves for the sake of the team. And then going out and beating the snot out of the opponent; in our case, fire.

 

And, as a volunteer, I will say that being on a rural, volunteer fire department doesn’t make us the Farm Team!

 

Sorry. I couldn’t resist one last time.

 

And be safe above all else.

 

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

A Snapshot of Christmas, 1958

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I started a discussion a few weeks ago and I asked, “If you could have just one thing for Christmas, what would it be?”

 

I never told anyone what I wanted…until now.

 

The one thing that I want is for every one of us to give to someone else.

 

My reason is simple: I believe that we have gotten so involved with managing our own lives around our jobs and families and are worrying about the state of the economy, the two wars, the price of fuel, the scandals and the dysfunction of governments at the local, state and federal levels that we have forgotten about those less fortunate.

 

It is true that some choose to live their lives content to have food, clothing and a place to live and nothing more. Living day to day can be just as complicated as managing a portfolio of investments for some. They are proud people who refuse to take help.

 

Then, there are those who, through no fault of their own, battle Life to a draw every day, can’t catch a break and watch as many others enjoy the American Dream. They apply for assistance, hoping to use it as a bridge to a better life. And without regard for their current state of affairs, they volunteer to help others.

 

I have such a deep admiration for these people, because when I look at them, I see my mom and dad.

 

Mom and Dad fell into that category of “too proud to take help”. When I was young, the local chapter of the Lions Club thought that they would brighten our holidays by giving us a Christmas basket full of all kinds of goodies. My parents were very offended and angered by this gesture of good will! They refused the basket, much to the disappointment of me and my sisters. It is a lesson in human behavior that I will never forget!

 

I wish that I could roll back the calendar to 1958. It was on this Christmas that I didn’t get anything on my Santa’s list. I was six years old and didn’t know that we were poor. I must have missed that meeting. At least, no one had bothered to tell me that times were tough and Dad had to spend all of the money that he made to feed us, keep clothes on us and to keep the house warm.

 

I remember that, on some days, Mom would light the oven, open up the oven door for more heat, because we couldn’t afford more coal to heat the house.

 

But Christmas, 1958; there I am in the picture with my sisters, my arms crossed, my lower lip jutted out and I am pouting, because I didn’t get what I wanted for Christmas.

 

I want to believe that I was too young to understand family finance. I felt like Old Santa had given me a swift kick in the butt, because Mom and Dad had told him that I had been a bad boy that year. I was SIX! I had issues, OK?

 

When I think of the families who can’t share the joy of the holidays, because they don’t have the means, it tears me up inside.

 

That’s not to say that they have to believe in Santa Claus, but they have to believe that, at least one time of the year, they can be blessed with the generosity of a caring and giving community.

 

Many of us talk about how intrusive Government has become. We can recite all of the social programs that Big Government provides, but Government doesn’t have the HEART that harbors compassion. THAT heart beats within our own communities. That is your heart and mine! WE are what give a community its identity-its soul!

 

How many fires have we responded to over the years that were caused by space heaters and candles; used because the occupants couldn’t afford to heat their place any other way?

 

How many kids have we seen in skimpy jackets and no mittens to warm their hands?

 

How many of us have heard children crying because they can’t have that ONE thing that they want for Christmas?

 

How many of us understand that this can also be the cruelest time of year?

 

And we can’t forget the elderly either, because they have become “orphans” in our society, too. They have no family and no reason to “celebrate” the holidays.

 

So, for the young ones, it might take a material good to brighten their holidays. Maybe just a used winter coat and a pair of mittens.

 

And for others, it might take just a kind gesture of a warm meal and some Christmas cookies would be all that they need to restore their faith in human kind.

 

I have given more this year than ever before; not because I can, but because I want to.

 

That picture from 1958 reminds me that: it shouldn’t be about how I feel, but what I feel for others.

 

In the words of my dad when he gave back the Christmas basket: “give it to someone who NEEDS it”.

 

Experience the true joy of the holidays by giving.

 

And have a safe and happy holiday season.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

God bless you all.

 

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: Christmas Stories • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Alcohol and US

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jahn_collage

First Published 11/11/08

I am going to start this blog off with a picture. Please take a moment to study the images before you read on:

 

Beautiful family, huh? The kids are precious. It is a wholesome picture of bright promise. Unfortunately, it is a picture of tragedy.

 

You see; the mother and two children were killed in a vehicle accident, the victims of an alleged drunk driver. The husband, who was not with them, is a volunteer firefighter for the Dwight, IL Fire Department. The accident happened near Joliet, so his department was not the department responding to this incident.

Read more from the AP Press:  A neighbor reacted with sadness Friday morning to news of the tragedy.

“They were very friendly,” Iris Wilder said of the family.” They were there for me when my husband died.”

“We are sometimes so involved in our own grief we don’t know what is going on in the world around us,” Wilder said. “I am so sorry to hear about this.”

Police said Getz was driving west on Gardner Blacktop when she crashed into the Jahns’ car, which was traveling south on Illinois 47 about 8 p.m. in an unincorporated area near Mazon.

The impact forced the Jahns’ vehicle to roll several times before coming to rest in a cornfield southwest of the intersection, the release said.

Police said the children were ejected from their seats. They were taken to Morris Hospital, where they were pronounced dead about 9:30 p.m.

The children’s mother was pinned in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims were members of the First Christian Church of Morris, where they were actively involved. Wilder said the Amanda was involved in the youth group at the church.

Doesn’t this just turn your stomach?

 

How many discussions have there been about drinking and responding, drinking at the fire house, drinking is OK in moderation and on and on.

 

How many of you have responded to the twisted and torn carnage of a high speed accident and discovered that alcohol consumption by one of the drivers was a factor? I have actually responded to a scene where the driver got out of his vehicle with his DRINK IN HIS HAND!

 

Here is a snippet about the “alleged” drunk driver: Ann Marie Getz, 43, is now being charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, which is a Class 2 felony, said State’s Attorney Sheldon Sobol. Because the charge is for more than one death, she could get up to 28 years in prison, he said.

A warrant for her arrest has been issued and bail is set at $1 million. Getz is currently in intensive care at Morris Hospital under police guard. She is not expected to be released until next week, at which time she will be taken directly to the Grundy County jail, said Sheriff Terry Marketti.

Getz, 43, was initially charged with felony DUI and disobeying a stop sign in the crash that killed Amanda Jahn and her two children.

A very good friend of mine is the former fire chief in Dwight. I am sure that he is struggling with this news. My heart goes out to him, the city of Dwight and their fire department and to the Zahn family.

More lives lost to an alcohol-related accident. More lives destroyed by bad decisions. More discussions about getting drunks out from behind the wheel.

The fire service needs to take a strong stand on drunk driving, but we can’t do it if we have those in our service who feel that it’s OK to drink alcohol and respond to incidents.

It starts with US.

TCSS.

Posted by chiefreason on January 12, 2009 • Filed under: My Size Up • Tagged: , , ,