labor firegeezer on 14 Aug 2008 09:40 am
Fire Chief Items
* THE WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA FIRE CHIEF Jacob Lisman tendered his retirement notice yesterday, to be effective this Friday, Aug. 15. Chief Lisman served the department for 30 years, rising through the ranks.
He is credited by the W-B Local for having a good relationship with the FF’s and having to endure crippling staffing cuts imposed by the city council over the past few years. The FD’s minimum on-duty staffing is 17, but they have been operating with only 14 min. since the last attrition. The city has refused to hire any new firefighters for the past eight years, choosing to let the uniformed contingent dwindle to unsafe levels.
The Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice has the STORY.
The Times-Leader has MORE.
* Fire Chief Kenny Jacobs of the Melrose VFD in New Mexico is under a verbal attack by the small town’s mayor and the police chief. It seems that a probationary firefighter was arrested on a drug charge and the VFD didn’t immediately suspended him. The fire chief says that you can’t fire volunteers.
But there’s something deeper behind what’s really going on here. Read this STORY in the Clovis News Journal and then read the citizens’ comments at the end of the posting.
* In another promotional opportunity, the fire chief of Park Ridge, Illinois announced his retirement effective Sept. 2. Ed Dubowski has been on the department for 30 years, serving the past 10 years as Fire Chief.
The Journal has a nice write-up on his career HERE.
on 14 Aug 2008 at 12:28 pm 1.Jeff said …
Fire Chief Kenny Jacobs of the Melrose VFD, needs to get in touch with reality. Any time a volunteer is arrested for a serious charge such as the mfg. of meth. with the intent to distribute he needs to be suspended or completely discharged from the department. Remember, being under investigation or suspected of is far different than being arrested for crimnial activity. Think about the message your sending to the community that you serve “Yea we got dealers and users coming to assist you”. Yes I am a Chief officer in a volunteer dept., and yes I’ve removed two members in the past 7 years for substance abuse problems that resulted in an arrest, it was and is the right thing to do, just think about the liability!
on 16 Aug 2008 at 9:54 pm 2.ED said …
As a chief in a volunteer fire dept , our policy states if a FF is arrested or under investigation by police . The FF is placed on adminstrative suspension till matter is resolved. If convicted our town ordinance states that the FF to be terminated from the position, because we are considered town employees. It is called ” behavior unbecoming of a FireFighter “.