commentary & current events firegeezer on 27 Jun 2007 07:39 am
Charleston Backlash Continues
THE CHARGES AND COUNTER-CHARGES ARE just getting going. Many of the uniformed rank-and-file are anxious to get into the mud pit, but are restraining themselves until the immediate mourning is over.
It started on Sunday when the lead newspaper in Charleston, the Post & Courier, published a scathing article about the FD’s lack of a viable Incident Command System led to a rapid deterioration of the incident. The article is HERE.
Then on Monday, Dave Statter at STATter911.com published an email from IAFF President Schaitberger that has been posted on several union local websites. In this letter, Schaitberger categorized a litany of complaints about how the Memorial Service was being utilized for political purposes and sloppily assembled due to the as-yet unexplained desire for a rapid assembly. Read the EMAIL HERE.
Yesterday Jim Bowie, the lead coordinator for the memorial service, sent an email to STATter911 countering Schaitberger’s accusations, labeling the IAFF President’s statement as: “…. a page of untruths, false and inaccurate.” Then Bowie proceeds to unwittingly admit that he did do those things that he was accused of.
For example, Bowie admits that he did invite Rudolph Giuliani to speak, and that he (Bowie) is involved in Giuliani’s campaign. He claims that the IAFF did “have a seat at the table” in the planning sessions, but the charge remains that all those people “at the table” were only told of firm decisions after they were made by a select few in secret meetings. He also admits that the State regulations on 2-in-2-out (that he was involved with implementing) were finalized at 2-in-1-out as a compromise. Firegeezer thinks that this is the wrong time to be admitting a willingness to compromise of firefighter safety. There’s more……read Statter’s email exchanges HERE.
Today, Mike Parrotta, the State IAFF president, chimes in with his refutation of Bowie’s email. Parrotta expresses his view of the controversy. Dave Statter has published it HERE.
There will undoubtedly be more coming out of South Carolina in the next few days (weeks?), so file these in order so that you can keep up. Later today Firegeezer will be opening a daily dialogue on the points that have been publicly laid out. Today we will consider the Fire Chief’s defense of his style of incident command. Check back later.
