Pencil Pushers Have Gone 3 Years Without a Raise

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, CITY MANAGER Troy Schulte presented his proposed budget to the City Council members on Tuesday.  His $1.3 billion proposal includes a lot of cutbacks in several city services, but the one measure that has raised eyebrows is his suggestion to lay off 105 firefighters.  He told the Kansas City Star, as Kansas City’s economy remains stubbornly sluggish, firefighters should no longer be untouchable. "We have to make strategic reductions in public safety," he said.

City Manager Schulte  (K.C. Star)

In a most absurd justification, he is also quoted by the Star:

His budget letter to (Mayor) James recommended reducing the Fire Department by 105 positions because fire calls have dropped by more than 60 percent in the past 10 years. He said he believes the reductions can be made without jeopardizing public safety.

So there you have it.  The number of firefighters and fire stations is to be determined by how many fires you get, not what you need when get a fire.  By his logic, all the firehouses will then be clustered around the high-activity neighborhoods leaving those slow residential areas to stand in the front yard and watch as their rare house fires consume all they own.  As for the airport… well, a hot-line phone box will do.  How often does a plane crash out there, anyway?

But as the late Ron Popeil used to say, Wait, there's more!  Again from The Star:

Those personnel cuts would help free up about $7.6 million — money that could go toward raises for other city employees. Many of them haven’t had a pay increase in three years.

No raise in three years, but at least they'll still have a job.  This is budgetary Russian roulette.

Note:   He earmarked $5 million for police raises and the balance for other management-level employees.

The City Council at its regular session today  (Wednesday) publicly reviewed the proposed budget.  The Local had exactly 105 firefighters in the council chambers this morning making their presence obvious.  KSHB-TV Ch. 41 had their video crew there too, and filed this report earlier today:

Local 42 President Mike Cambiano believes that this just might be some sort of dance and preening on the part othe city manager leading up to contract negotiations with the FF's that begin in April.  In addition, the fire chief was never consulted by the city manager on these proposed reductions.

Later this afternoon, following the above video report, Fire Chief Smokey Dyer addressed the Council.  The Star reported this afternoon:

Dyer told the city council’s Public Safety Committee that Chicago, Memphis, Louisville, Dallas and Houston are among major U.S. cities that require at least four firefighters per pumper, in compliance with national fire protection standards. That staffing allows two people in the first pumper on the scene to begin spraying water on a fire, while two others can begin attacking the fire within a building and rescuing any victims.

Chief Dyer  (KCUR)

Kansas City began increasing its firefighting ranks and staffed up its pumpers ten years ago to meet that standard. But City Manager Troy Schulte has recommended cutting 105 firefighters, saying the city has far fewer fires now and can save $7.5 million without compromising public safety.

Such a reduction would force deployment changes and reductions to the pumpers, Dyer said.

Mayor James will present his response to Schulte's plan tomorrow.  However one councilman didn't wait to voice his opinion:

Committee Chair John Sharp said the city made a conscious decision in 2001 to beef up its pumper staffing and he opposes any change. He said the fire department has to accept cuts like all other departments, but not this way.

“I can’t imagine a worse way to make cuts in the budget,” he said.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/08/3417307/fire-officials-warn-cutbacks-could.html#storylink=cpy

The City Council will approve whatever budget is decided on in late March for the fiscal year that begins on May 1.

Read the earlier referenced story from the Kansas City Star HERE.
Read a more in-depth report on the city manager's plans HERE.

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Drivers Left With Sauer Taste

A SAUERKRAUT TRANSPORT TRUCK was involved in a messy accident Tuesday morning in the German state of Hesse shortly before 5 am.  The driver of the kraut-carrier misjudged the speed of a car directly ahead and drove into the rear of the car.  A second truck failed to react in time and crashed into the rear of the kraut transporter.

All photos via FNP

The secondary crash cause several hundred bags of sauerkraut to be flung out onto the highway where they splatted open in the sub-freezing weather.  The chopped kraut and the juices all froze almost immediately onto the pavement making an unnavigable slippery mess.

Shovels or brooms were no use on the stubborn chopped vegetable and the highway department had to send a salt truck out to cover and thaw the frozen mess.  The autobahn had to be completely shut down causing a 10-kilometer backup while the vegetables and vehicles were all removed from the crash scene.

The lanes were finally reopened at 9 am.  The woman driving the car was slightly injured and the two truck drivers were not injured at all.  The damage estimate was 157,000 Euros.

Franfurter Neue Presse has the STORY.

Hat tip:  Christian Lewalter.

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They're All Gone Now

THE LAST KNOWN SURVIVING UNIFORMED VETERAN OF WORLD WAR I has passed away in England.  It was announced today (Tuesday) that Florence Green of King's Lynn died in her sleep in a nursing home on Saturday, just two weeks shy of her 111th birthday.

According to published news releases,  Green joined the fledgling Royal Air Force in September 1918 at age 17 and served as a mess steward at two air bases in Norfolk.  Two months later the Armistice was signed ending the war, but she continued in the RAF until the following July.

The dear lady never mentioned her service in later years until a researcher at the UK military archives discovered her records.  On her 109th birthday the RAF honored her with a visit from a wing commander and a representative mess steward of today who brought a cake.

Mess Steward Hannah Shaw visited Florence in 2010
to help celebrate her 109th birthday.  (Ministry of Defence photo)

Her mind was alert and nimble right to the end.  On her 110th birthday someone asked her what it was like to be that old, and she replied, "It's not much different than being 109, I guess."  Her husband Walter died in 1970 and since then she lived with her oldest daughter, now 90, until the end of this past November when she entered the nursing home.

BBC News has the STORY.
The Associated Press has more details HERE.

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No Chance to React

THE FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA (near Erie) FIRE CHIEF and Assistant Fire Chief were traveling to a training session at 7 pm Thursday evening when a car coming the opposite direction crossed the center of the roadway and struck them head-on.

David Flint  (WICU-TV)

The crash killed Chief David Flint and seriously injured Asst. Chief Sharon Petri.  The driver of the other car, Joshua Nickerson, 29, was treated for minor injuries and released.

The Erie Times-News adds:

Flint was taken to UPMC Hamot, where he was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m. An autopsy conducted Friday determined that Flint died of blunt-force trauma to the trunk, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.

WFXP-TV

Flint was not wearing a seat belt, state police said. A passenger in Flint's car, 40-year-old Sharon C. Petri, of Edinboro, also was unbelted, police said. Petri was taken from the accident scene to UPMC Hamot. She was listed in fair condition on Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Nickerson was taken to Hamot for treatment of moderate injuries. He was later released from the hospital. Nickerson was wearing a seat belt, police said.

Flint had been the fire chief for six years.

WJET-TV has more plus a good video report HERE.

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This Time Was a Record-Setter

A FORMER SOMERSET COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, VFD president was sentenced Tuesday after admitting that he had stolen $820,000 from his fire company.  Henry Swincinski, 61, was president of the Windber Volunteer Fire Company from 2002 through 2010 when he pilfered the funds using his authority to access the bank account.  He had been a member of the VFC for 35 years.

The Somerset Daily American reports:

Swincinski was sentenced to 11 1/2 to 23 months in Somerset County Jail followed by seven years of supervised probation for 56 counts of theft by deception, all third-degree felonies. He must perform 200 hours of community service when he is released. (He was also ordered to repay the FD $810,000 restitution…..ed.)

In February 2010 Paint Township police charged Swincinski with 974 counts in two cases that involved taking funds meant for the fire company and Northern EMS and putting them in his own pocket. The multiple charges were for the offenses of theft by deception, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received from 2002 through 2010.

When the department was suddenly not paying its bills, Swincinski blamed it on the "hard times" and told the members that they would have to hold more fundraisers and make more money.

The Windber Fire Company was organized in 1899.

Read the detailed report in the Daily American HERE.
Windber Fire Company WEBSITE.

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Untold Hundreds Injured

AT LEAST 74 PEOPLE WERE KILLED and hundreds more injured when a riot broke out at a soccer game in Port Said, Egypt, Wednesday night  The home team, el Masry from Port Said had just won its match against el Ahley, a superior and favored team from Cairo, 3-1, when hundreds of "fans" poured out of the stands onto the soccer pitch and began brawling.

Xinhua

The players from the two teams ran to the safety of the locker rooms with the assistance of stadium security people, but two players were still injured before they could get off the field.

el-Ahly players run for their lives to the locker rooms  (Xinhua)

This video posted by Youm7 News opens with the el Ahley players being chased off the field:

Xinhua News reports:

Due to insufficient security, most of the fans entered the stadium with sticks in their hands and supporters of the two rival teams started fighting each other.

The riot was caused by some insulting posters carried by the Ahly fans, Nile TV reported. One of the posters read "Port Said is like rubbish and it has no men."

Chief of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Hussein Tantawi, ordered two military helicopters to transfer the players, fans and the injured to the capital Cairo.

Egyptian Prosecutor General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud ordered an investigation into the riot. The parliament will hold an emergency session Thursday over the incident.

The rioting spilled out of the stadium into the surround streets forcing shops to close and bar their doors.

In Cairo, another match was being held between Zamalik and Ismaily.  During their half-time break, news of the riot in Port Said was delivered to the stadium officials and it was decided to cancel the second half of the match in case the rioters were planning on spreading the protest to the other stadium.  When it was announced to the fans in attendance that the rest of the match was cancelled, they began to riot, setting fires throughout the stadium.

The chief of the military police vowed to track down those responsible and arrest them.

The Sydney Morning Herald has an extended report HERE.

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Child Porn Claims Another One

A HOUSTON, TEXAS, FIRE CAPTAIN HAS RESIGNED following his arrest and incarceration for possessing child pornography and "inappropriate online contact" with an underage girl.

Saul A. Fiszer

Saul Fiszer, 49, was arrested earlier this week and placed on leave.  He has been with the HFD for 18 years but volunteered to resign on Friday.  He has been in jail since Tuesday on $20,000 bond that apparently nobody is willing to post for him.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

On Jan. 10, Fiszer's wife found a frequently called number on his cellphone, according to court records. Posing as him, she began texting the number.

Fiszer's wife "found that the person texting her from the cellphone was a 14-year-old female who resided in Casper, Wyo., and referred to Fiszer as 'Daddy,' " the records state.

Confronted by his wife, Fiszer "admitted to her that he had been chatting online and trading pictures" with the teen, according to records.

Fiszer told police that he tried to kill himself by running a hose into his vehicle from its exhaust, but the suicide attempt failed when he ran out of gas.

Houston police confiscated Fiszer's laptop and media storage devices that held pornographic images and a video of children, investigators said. Officials said they found at least 450 images of child pornography.

KTRK-TV adds:

Fiszer's wife told investigators that she contacted the girl's parents as well as police in Wyoming to report the incident. Police there confiscated the girl's cell phone.

According to court documents, Fiszer's wife confronted him about the girl and she said he admitted to her that he had been chatting online and exchanging lewd pictures with the girl. The wife also told authorities that she had previously destroyed Fiszer's old laptop after she discovered he had been chatting with other women on the internet.

KTRK also filed this video report:

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Ex-Wife's Boyfriend Arrested

A VOLUNTEER FIRE OFFICER, GLEN RUSSELL, 43, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was getting out of his car Tuesday mid-day when he was suddenly ambushed by a masked man carrying a shotgun who fired on Russell.  Despite being hit several times, Russell managed to run into a nearby bank lobby seeking help.  The bank employees locked the door and called for police.

Glen Russell

The Reading Eagle continues:

(Russell), a Berks County real estate agent was ambushed and shot by his ex-wife’s lover as he arrived for a counseling appointment with his former wife at a Spring Township office complex, according to court documents available today.

Glen Russell, 43, of Pottstown was shot multiple times with a shotgun by Christopher Yingling, 41, of Birdsboro about 11 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of Spring Commons Professional Office Village, 2917 Windmill Road, police said.

Russell told police that Yingling had shot him, and Yingling was arrested about two hours later at his workplace in Cumru Township with the help of Cumru police, investigators said.

Christopher Yingling  (Angstadt / Reading Eagle)

WFMZ-TV filed this video report Tuesday evening:

The police have not found a motive yet from Yingling who is being held on $150,000 bond charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.

Glen Russell is a long-time member and a Deputy Chief of the Limerick Fire Company in Montgomery County.  He remains in critical but stable condition in the hospital today.

The Reading Eagle has the details of the story along with an eyewitness' account of the shooting HERE.

Limerick Fire Company WEBSITE.

Hat tip:  Radical Ron

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Onerous Residency Law Forces Action.

THE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, FIREFIGHTERS are in a jam thanks to the city's oppressive residency requirements.  St. Louis, like many other failed cities, requires its employees to live inside the city.  These laws are usually a tactic to keep more of the taxpayers on the public payroll instead of being shunted aside by better-qualified people who don't live in the city.  This has a bad effect on firefighters and police officers who traditionally will sacrifice their own comfort and abide by the law in order to keep a job that they really love and do well.

The hang-up for most younger workers in the city is the fact that the school systems in these places are just as bad or worse than the rest of the city government and the employees do not want to send their children to non-productive public schools.  The St. Louis schools are so bad that they have lost their state accreditation.

The St. Louis Beacon tells, …. because the firefighters have to live in the city, their choice is between unaccredited public schools, charter schools or private or parochial schools that charge tuition.  If the choice is to pay tuition, the bill can be a hefty one. Wayne Killingsworth said he is paying more than $20,000 a year for his children to attend parochial schools.

Missouri has a state law that requires surrounding jurisdictions to accept students from municipalities that don't have accredited schools into their schools and the tuition and transportation costs are to be borne by the home jurisdiction.

But the couties surrounding St. Louis are balking at accepting the foreign students and now five firefighters have filed a suit asking the court to force the school districts to obey the law and allow them to enroll their children.  Again from the Beacon:

Ryan, who was rebuffed in his effort to enroll his child in Kirkwood, said he doesn't mind having to live in the city, but he doesn't think his child's education should suffer.

"I would prefer to remain in the city and have my daughter attend an accredited school," he said, adding that instead, she is "trapped in a failed district."

"All we are asking," Ryan added, "is that the Outstanding Schools Act be enforced as written. We don't want the future to be unpredictable when it comes to our daughter's education."

IAFF Local 73 is supporting their challenge.

Read the entire article in the St. Louis Beacon to learn the details of this problem and challenge HERE.

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Pair of Notorious Guns Auctioned Off Saturday

TWO GUNS LEFT BEHIND BY BONNIE & CLYDE when a police raid on their Joplin, Missouri apartment caused them to flee, were sold at a Kansas City auction house Saturday for $210,000.

On Friday Firegeezer REPORTED HERE on the upcoming auction and we included some brief history on the two firearms, one a Thompson submachine gun and the other a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun.  The machine gun is the only "Tommy" gun that the Barrow gang is known to have carried.

Mayo Auction photo

The guns were seized by the raiding policemen on April 13, 1933, and kept as spoils by one of them who later gave them to the great-grandfather of the people who sold them this week.  This marked the first time they had ever been sold since they were stolen and kept by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Both items were sold fairly quickly and the same bidder won both guns, paying $130,000 for the Thompson and $80,000 for the Winchester.  The successful telephone bidder was not identified publicly other than as "an East Coast gun collector."

This brief video shows the guns on display at the auction room just prior to the sale:

For more information on the guns' histories, refer to the Firegeezer story HERE.

In an article on the sale after its conclusion, the Joplin Globe wrote:

The weapons are believed to be among those seized after a raid April 13, 1933, at the outlaws’ apartment hideout near 34th Street and Oak Ridge Drive in Joplin.

Five lawmen in two cars, armed only with handguns, descended on the apartment, and a bloody gunfight ensued. Two of the lawmen — Newton County Constable John Wesley Harryman and Joplin police Detective Harry McGinnis — were killed. Clyde Barrow, Buck Barrow and fellow gang member W.D. "Deacon" Jones were injured.

After the raid, police confiscated guns, a camera and personal items from the apartment, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The film in the camera, which was developed by The Joplin Globe at the time, was of special interest. The images on the film, which include some with the guns, were the first to identify the outlaws. Historians say the publication of those images in newspapers across the country spelled the beginning of the end for the duo.

Read the entire article HERE.

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