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Paramedic Job Opportunities

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Slots Always Opening Up

SUSSEX COUNTY, DELAWARE, is the southernmost of the state's three counties and also the location of many, famous ocean beach resorts.  That along with a nice climate and very low personal tax burden make Sussex a nice place to live. 

If you're a certified Paramedic, it's even nicer because they are continually hiring to replace retirees and folks who leave the EMS service for other reasons.  The Delaware Technical Community College has an excellent 18-month certification program but class sizes are limited to 12 students.  While all three counties prefer to use "home-grown" recruits, the school doesn't graduate them in large enough numbers to fulfill the needs of the state.

The 99 Sussex paramedics operate from quick-response
units while local VFD's provide patient transportation
in their own ambulances.

A recent article in the Cape Gazette reported:

For the last two years, five positions have gone unfilled among a staff of 99 paramedics, said Bob Stuart, Sussex EMS director. At least 12 new paramedics have to be hired each year.

Stuart, who has worked for Sussex EMS for 23 years, said due to retirement and attrition the program will lose from 50 to 60 paramedics over the next five years. "The last two years we have lost and replaced 25 paramedics," Stuart said, adding the average paramedic works five to 10 years. "It's a very difficult job, and many people can't do it for the long term," he said.

Twelve paramedics left the program last fiscal year and 13 have left the program so far this fiscal year, Stuart said. The county funds scholarships for students who plan to work for Sussex EMS. In all, nine students will receive funding over the next 18 months, Lawson said.

Because of turnover, Sussex EMS spends an inordinate amount of time in the hiring process in an effort to keep the ranks filled.

The other two counties, Kent and New Castle, along with the Delaware State Police are also constantly looking for new hires, thus increasing the competition for the college's graduates.

Read the entire article in the Cape Gazette HERE.

Thanks to Mark Donovan

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Posted by on May 16, 2013 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing • Tagged: , ,

13 Cleveland firefighters indicted by a grand jury in payroll abuse cases

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One interpretation of FLSA exchange-of-shift rejected

Leila Atassi, reporting for the The Plain Dealer, posted this story tonight:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted 13 Cleveland firefighters Wednesday, accusing them of illegally paying co-workers to cover most of their shifts — freeing them to work other full-time jobs or run their own companies while continuing to collect salaries and benefits from the city.

The indictments, which include theft in office and soliciting or receiving improper compensation, might mark the first time firefighters anywhere in the country have faced felony charges for the illegal practice, commonly known as “caddying.”

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty said in a news release that the firefighters each failed to work at least 2,000 hours — about one year — of their scheduled time. The most serious case involved firefighter Calvin Robinson, who had colleagues work 8,456 hours on his behalf. That amounts to about 4 ½ years.

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The indictments come nearly a year after a special investigator hired by the city released his report recommending the prosecution of five firefighters. The investigator, retired federal prosecutor Ronald Bakeman, spent six months probing whether systemic payroll abuses in the Fire Department, flagged in a series of city audits, rose to the level of criminality.

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Robinson, who records show doubled as a substitute Cleveland teacher and an assistant Glenville High School football coach and operated a child-care center, worked only one full shift in two years. Sometimes, Robinson orchestrated trades that allowed him to be paid by both the Cleveland School District and the Fire Department on the same day.

Dever, who worked for his family’s paving company, traded nearly twice as many hours as he worked and was credited for four training drills during shifts he traded away.

Read the entire article here

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 15, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , ,

LAFD gets $1.6M to staff 11 ambulances with overtime crews until June

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Breaking news from the Los Angeles Times:

City Council finds money to halt controversial LAFD staffing plan

Kate Linthicum

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to give the Fire Department $1.6 million to reverse a controversial new ambulance staffing plan.

The money will pay for the agency to add 11 new ambulances to the department's fleet through June. And it will put at least a temporary halt to a redeployment that as of Sunday reassigned 22 firefighters per shift from engines to medical rescue ambulances.

…

The council did not commit to staffing the new ambulances next year, which Cummings said will cost $9 million.

For now, firefighters will be asked to work overtime to staff the ambulances, he said. On days the agency cannot find enough volunteers to work overtime, Cummings said he will opt to staff the ambulances instead of fully staffing the firetrucks.

He said he could not guarantee that the new money will keep firefighters on firetrucks. "I'm staffing for the community need, which is ambulances," he said.

On Friday, Cummings rejected a request from members of the City Council to postpone Sunday's start of the plan.

Posted by on May 7, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , ,

Sequestration Stymies Federal Participation at Fire Rescue Med

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… at least we still have 4th of July fireworks at the National Mall

There are two events at the IAFC Fire-Rescue Med that make the conference unique. The EMS section business meeting and the Federal Roundtable.

The bi-annual business meeting provides the section members with an update on projects and initiatives. One of the most valuable aspects of the meeting is a report of the liason partners to the IAFC EMS Section.  You get an up-to-the-minute snapshot of what is happening around fire-based ems.

Normally held the evening before the first general session, noticed that the always-present Drew Dawson from the U. S. Department of Transportation was not at the meeting.  

The second event started a couple of years ago, a panel of federal representatives that have an impact on EMS. Coordinated by Chief John Sinclair, these sessions were great in understanding the nuances of federal ems involvement.

Sadly, the federal roundtable that was scheduled for this morning was cancelled. No funds for federal travel.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 6, 2013 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Training & Development • Tagged: , , ,

LAFD reduces Light Force staffing to put 11 additional ambulances on the road

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"After asking for money and not receiving it, I am moving forward.” Chief Cummings said. “What we need is additional ambulances."

On May 5, staffing at 22 LAFD Light Forces (tiller truck + pumper) will be reduced from a staff of six to a staff of five. Eleven EMT-level ambulances will be placed in service.

This represents a 1/3rd increase in staffed EMT ambulances (total 45) and should reduce the workload of the 89 paramedic ambulances and the need to send a fire company first responder to medical calls.

Ben Welsh, Robert J. Lopez and Kate Linthicum (2013 April 25) LAFD chief presses ahead with firefighter reassignment plan. Los Angeles Times

Ben Welsh (2013 April 16) Draft LAFD ambulance plan. Los Angeles Times

Ambulance Transport a long-standing LAFD issue

After a high profile crisis in public confidence in 1999, the department embarked on an ambitious expansion program that was funded by the city council.

By the end of the expansion, LAFD increased the transport fleet by 40%. A June 2005 snapshot showed:

  • 83 paramedic ambulances
  • 45 EMT ambulances
  • 6 part-time transport units
  • "Paramedic asset" in every fire station
  • EMS Supervisor (Captain II) in every battalion
  • Expanded staff of civilian ems educators 

The department added 210 paramedic positions.

Recession Erodes Resources

LAFD has been shrinking on-duty resources since 2008, reflecting the continuing impact on the city budget. We estimated that the department had 228 fewer firefighters on duty every day in July 2011 than they had in July 2005, with temporary closure of stations. At the start of the FY 2012 budget they closed 12 engine companies and 6 light forces, eliminated a division chief and 8 EMS Supervisors. A total of 357 positions were eliminated.

While the budget has shrunk since 2008, the number of requests for ambulances has increased.  On May 5, 2013, LAFD will have an ambulance fleet that is 6 paramedic ambulances larger than the 2005 fleet. There were 316,866 calls for EMS in calendar year 2011 – 298,205 in calendar year 2007

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on April 30, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

City Votes to De-Fund Their Fire Department

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Judge Points Out Disinformation Campaign
That Led to Upcoming Disbandonment

THE CITIZENS OF CENTRAL COVENTRY, RHODE ISLAND, voted Tuesday night to de-fund their fire department, knowing that it will probably cause a complete shutdown of services.

The special town meeting and vote for the action brought a large turnout to the local high school and when the results were tallied the measure to increase the fire levy to rescue the department was defeated by a 3-1 margin.

The line of voters outside the high school prior to the
special town meeting was long.  (Coventry Patch)

The problem began several years ago when 4 of the town's 7 fire districts merged into one.  When the new combined fire district wanted to prepare their budget, the Town Clerk's office told them to expect a certain amount of fire levy revenue to operate with.  Unfortunately this figure was about $700,000 too high but was not caught until three years later after the fire district had become $2.8 million in the red …. effectively bankrupt.

After being taken over by a state administrator to straighten the mess out, the solution presented to the taxpayers was for a 36% increase in the fire tax and that is what they voted down last night.

The next step taken is up to the judge overseeing the situation and it is possible that they will have to lay off all of their firefighters and sell off the assets (re: real estate and trucks) to pay off the debt.

TV Channel 10 reports:

Firefighter's union president David Gorman said firefighters will keep going to work until a judge tells them to stop. He said he was disappointed in the outcome, saying "Misinformation did not help. The judge alluded to that. I'm not surprised at all."

Richard Land, court appointed special master for the fire district says the likely next step is to sell off the assets. Land also says, while other districts in town have been asked for plans to help out, there's no plan yet to provide the same level of fire service.

Many who voted against the budget said the price tag was too steep.

Ch. 10 also filed this video report from the meeting:

 News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

The alternate plan that was proposed to be put in place if the levy failed was sealed by the court until after last night's vote.  It should be disclosed soon.

The Coventry Patch has the best review of what took place at last night's meeting along with a description of what has happened so far and the possibilities ahead.  They have links to their previous articles in the sidebar that touch upon the deliberate misinformation campaigns that a group of citizens and some town council members engaged in.

Read that ARTICLE HERE. 

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Posted by on March 27, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Videos • Tagged: ,

New Ambulances For Detroit

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Roger Penske Gets Involved – Things Happen

TODAY (Monday) IS THE FIRST DAY on the job for Kevyn Orr, Detroit's new State Emergency Financial Manager.  Coincidentally, Mayor Bing held a previously-scheduled news conference jointly with Roger Penske at 9:30 am where they announced a new plan that will be bringing 23 new ambulances and about 100 new police patrol cars to the city.

Crain's Detroit Business Daily reports today:

Eight corporations will spend $8 million to lease the vehicles. Penske Corp. Chairman Roger Penske said today that the police cruisers should arrive within the next 90 days, and the EMS rigs are expected to arrive within the next 150 days.

The corporations involved are Penske, Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group LLC, Quicken Loans Inc., General Motors Co., Platinum Equity LLC, the FirstMerit Bank, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Penske said Bing spearheaded the effort that began about six weeks ago.

"We believe these additional vehicles will enhance the visibility of police and fire efforts in the city of Detroit, improve safety and security in our neighborhoods, and have an immediate, lasting impact," Penske said at today's news conference at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building.

The vehicles to be leased are the Dodge Charger Pursuit; the Ford Taurus Interceptor; the Chevrolet Caprice PPV; and the Horton Terrastar ambulance.

The entire current fleet of junkers will be taken out of
service after the new units arrive in 3-4 months.  (WDIV-TV photo)

Reuters reports further:

"This is an unprecedented collaboration between the business community and the mayor's office," said Bing at a press conference with business leaders and public safety officials.

The effort to fund the ambulances and police cruisers was led by Roger Penske, chief executive of Penske Automotive Group Inc, who appeared with Bing at a press conference. The companies donated money to a tax-exempt nonprofit that will in turn lease the vehicles to the city, and well as pay for their upkeep.

Bing said the city's current fleet of 23 ambulances is aging and prone to mechanical failures. Some have 250,000 to 300,000 miles on them and of the 23, four or five are out of service on any given day. City officials have said that over the past three months as few as 10 to 14 ambulances are available at times for the city of 700,000 people and 143 square miles.

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Posted by on March 25, 2013 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing • Tagged: , , ,

Lexington Kentucky to End Brownouts in 2 Weeks

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Money is Found …. Rookies To Be Hired

THE LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, FIRE DEPARTMENT was informed last night that their 5 years of firehouse roulette will be ending on March 31.

The Urban County Council voted Thursday night to:

  • Provide $640,000 to pay for the overtime required to bring the FD up to full staffing through the end of the fiscal year on June 30;
  • Hire a class of 35 recruits to start May 6 and graduate in Mid-August;
  • Hire a second class of 30 recruits that will start in July and graduate in November;
  • Provide the necessary funds to pay for the overtime required for full staffing until all the recruits are into the field.

Herald-Leader

The Lexington Herald-Leader continues:

"Once we get those 65 people trained, we will have enough staff so we will have zero overtime and zero brownouts," Hoskins said.

Lexington now has 496 firefighters. In the future, an increase in the fire department's personnel budget will be necessary to maintain the department at its full, authorized strength of 557 firefighters, assistant fire chief Harold Hoskins, chief of operations said.

"I'm happy that the city's financial health has improved so we can take these measures to eliminate brownouts," he said.

WTVQ-TV was covering last night's council meeting for this video report:

 

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Posted by on March 22, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: , ,

The Whole Fam Damily Went Dipping!

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VFD Treasury Completely Plundered

THE CHAPMANVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT in Venango County, Pennsylvania, has been shut down since November 2012.  The Plum Township decertified the company as a fire protection provider after the department treasury was emptied and they couldn't pay their bills.

Yesterday (Monday) the VFD's treasurer Kimberly Keener, 41, was arrested at her home and charged with theft.  The Titusville Herald reports today:

Keener assumed the position of treasurer at the beginning of February 2010. In this capacity, it was Keener’s responsibility to maintain the funds for the fire department; which includes paying bills and writing checks. She was also responsible for making deposits into the department’s checking account, along with basic day-to-day book keeping.

When Keener assumed the treasurer position, the investigation, conducted by the state Department of Auditor General Office of Special Investigations and the Franklin-based state police, found that the VFD’s general fund balance was $25,614.96. Today, the account has a zero balance. Police say the money is unaccounted for.

During the course of the investigation into the missing funds, it was found that Keener had misappropriated at least $25,316.66 from the VFD by writing checks payable to herself for $3,490; checks payable to her mother for $17,326.66; diverting a $4,000 check payable the fire department; and by distributing diverted Troy Township funds to her mother totaling $500.

Moreover, investigators say that Keener misappropriated at least $7,600 from the Relief Association by writing a check payable to her mother for $5,600, and a check to the fire department for $2,000.

Keener, who is also the wife of the fire chief, is being held in jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bond.

It all came unraveled back in October when the department ran out of money and couldn't pay its bills.  The township supervisors advised the FD that they would decertify the department unless all the elected officers and the board of directors, a total of 12 people, resigned their offices by November 7.  The officers were: Kevin Keener, chief; Kelly Keener, president; Keith Keener, assistant chief; Racheal Keener, vice president; Kristy Blake, secretary; and Kimberly Keener, treasurer.

By the deadline only four members had resigned and the supervisors went through with their promise and shut the department down and the investigation by the State Police got underway.  Since then three more directors have resigned leaving five others still hanging on.  Tellingly, all five of them are Keener family members.

On October 27, reporting on the upcoming hearing, Meadville Live listed some of the discrepancies that were being considered:

* Insurance coverage for trucks and fire station has lapsed due to non-payment.
* Dept Treasurer has allegedly failed to turn in required monthly reports to the supervisors.
* Dept. Treasurer has allegedly refused to allow anyone else to see the departments financial books.
* Dept Treasurer has allegedly used Relief Funds to pay non-approved bills.
* Some residents ordered food items from the department during a fund raiser and have never received the items.
* Fire Chief has allegedly failed to provide copies of training certifications of the fire dept. members.

 

At the Nov. 1 township meeting the supervisors ordered
the officers and board to resign, or the VFD would be decertified.
(PaLive365 photo)

The township has been financially struck by having to pay fees to neighboring FD's whenever they run calls into the twp.  With this arrest of Keener, they can now work aggressively to get the department up and running again.

The Titusville Herald continues:

A source close to the story told The Herald Monday that "we’re over the biggest hurdle we had." And, as a reorganization is likely near, there are questions about outfitting the new department with gear and funding.

"They (the former fire officials) still have the radios and things we need," the source said. "Nobody’s been in [the fire hall] in a long time."

The source told The Herald that the Chapmanville VFD Ladies Auxiliary has been paying insurance on the fire hall and the trucks, while Plum Township has been paying the fuel bills that keep heat in the building. Plum Township has also been paying surrounding fire departments for fire coverage in the absence of the Chapmanville department.

"We’re going to be starting a whole new fire department," said the source.

Read the entire article HERE.

See the Firegeezer earlier report on October 28 HERE.

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Posted by on March 19, 2013 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Firefighter Job Hiring Announced

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Lexington, Virginia, Opens Application Period

THE CITY OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, has announced that they are taking applications for full-time Firefighter/Medic.  The salary range is $34,528 – $41,043 plus benefits.

Full time positions with the City include a competitive fringe benefits package including 80% premium paid family health insurance (90% premium paid individual health insurance), employer paid participation in the VRS retirement and life insurance system, and paid vacation/sick leave. Optional participation in various insurance policies available, as well as deferred compensation and flexible spending accounts for childcare and medical expenses.

The full description of the job and requirements to apply are HERE (.pdf file).

Applications must be returned to City of Lexington, Human Resource Office, 300 East Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450 by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2013.

The 4-page application form can be downloaded HERE (.pdf).  You may contact the Human Resources office for additional information (540-462-3729), or e-mail: hr@lexingtonva.gov.

Lexington Fire Department WEBSITE.

Lexington is a lovely city at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains and is the home to two major universities.  Visit Lexington's virtual Visitor Center HERE.

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Posted by on March 15, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Recruiting • Tagged:

Organizational Hypoxia

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Recession creating lasting organizational changes in EMS

According to the Business Cycle Dating Committee the last recession ran from December 2007 to June 2009. I did not know that there was a committee of economists and policy makers that identified the start and end points of recessions … until I was trying to make sense of the results of the October 2012 survey of the largest city-based emergency medical service organizations.

Trends from the 2012 JEMS/FITCH 200 City Survey

The responses from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 surveys indicated that organizations were taking "temporary" actions in response to declining resources. No pay raises, not filling vacant positions, and deferring major expenditures.

In past recessions, it would take municipalities two budget years to fully recover. So we should have been back to Fiscal Year 2008 revenues by last summer.

The 200 City survey results paint a different picture. Some respondents noted three years of a hiring freeze or four years without a cost-of-living adjustment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted in 2012 that "many of the statistics that describe the U. S. economy have yet to return to pre-recession values."

When temporary becomes permanent

Past surveys indicated that the organizations were stretched but still delivering the same level of services. About 40% of the 2012 respondents agreed that the current economic situation has reduced services they can deliver.

Digging into the data, it appears that many middle manager positions were eliminated and the work pushed up or down the organizational chart. These are the folks that implement practices, execute policies and are the interface between the street providers and the agency head.

There is a clear trend in ambulance staffing, with agencies going from two paramedics to one-and-one staffing.

For ems first responders, more of them are replacing a four person fire company with a one or two person sedan or light truck.

Get all of the details HERE.

Just filling firefighter vacancies

Many fire departments have been under a hiring freeze since the start of the recession. Firegeezer noted in August that Los Angeles was hiring after a three year hiatus. The official LAFD announcement noted that the hiring was due to positions opened due to retirements. The department is looking to fill 350 vacant positions after the department eliminated 229 field positions. The department has almost 600 fewer firefighters in 2012 than 2007.

A relentless recession

I am pretty sure your hometown jurisdiction has proposed a smaller budget for FY14, probably with another raise in user fees and tickets.

Pension and retirement obligations remain an issue with municipalities. You may want to read this article in Governing magazine:

The 'B' Word: Is Municipal Bankruptcy's Stigma Fading? There's a growing sense among some leaders that municipal bankruptcy — unthinkable just a few years ago — may be a valuable tool.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on March 15, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

More Dirty Dipping Treasurers Go Down

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They Get Caught, But The Money Is Always Gone

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A SARATOGA COUNTY, NEW YORK woman, Virginia DeCaprio, 52, was in court yesterday (Monday) facing charges that she stole nearly $500,000 from the Charlton Fire District No. 1 while she served as treasurer and secretary from 2005 to 2010.  In an apparent plea deal, she admitted guilt to  second-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal tax fraud, both felonies.  She is now facing a prison term of 3 to 9 years.

The Saratogian reports:

Prosecutors say she used fire district credit cards to purchase items, including 18 printers, 11 computers, digital cameras, a washer and dryer, iPods, a refrigerator and freezer, a 12-bottle wine cooler and a wishing well lawn ornament that was displayed in her front yard until shortly before her arrest.

She also wrote 374 checks to herself totaling more than $50,000 and 136 checks to her husband totaling more than $40,000 and paid herself $272,000 for hours she could not prove she had worked.

DeCapria’s brazen thefts were staggering considering the small size of the volunteer fire department which, in 2011, had 40 volunteer members and a $308,723 budget. The year before, in 2010, DeCapria paid herself $158,187 — more than half of the district’s entire tax levy for that year.

"DeCapria stole taxpayer funds, which were paid by residents of the fire district for fire protection, not for Mrs. DeCapria to buy iPods, laptops, plastic surgery, cigarettes and Schwann’s frozen food delivery for herself and her family," Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said in a statement.

She is free on bail until she is sentenced on May 6.  Read the entire article in The Saratogian HERE.

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IN BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, the former financial secretary of the Warrington Community Ambulance Service is in jail for want of bail after being charged with stealing more than $642,000 from the firm in a 4-year period.

Danette Lewchick, 56, was arraigned Monday on charges of theft, forgery, computer trespass and dealing in the proceeds of illegal activities. If convicted on all charges, she could face more than 40 years in prison. District Judge Jean Seaman set April 1 for Lewchick’s preliminary hearing.

PhillyBurbs.com continues:

She became the ambulance services’ financial secretary in 2008, three years after filing for bankruptcy to get out from under more than $400,000 in debt, including $40,000 owed to casinos in Atlantic City, according to court records. By April 2008, she had full control of bookkeeping records.

Her attorney, Jeffrey Solar, said his client has "a severe gambling addiction."

Police began their investigation into the ambulance services’ financial records last year. Warrington Ambulance is partially funded through public money, but also takes in donations and insurance payments for the cost of services.

Investigators started by reviewing the ambulance company’s Citizens Bank account. They said they found that during a two-week period in July 2012, Lewchick allegedly took cash, had checks written out to herself and made ATM withdrawals from the account for a total of $82,000, most of which had been transferred into her personal account. Additionally, two board members said their signatures, which were needed for authorization, on the checks had been forged, police said.

Police then checked in to other accounts and said they found checks written to "cash" or to Lewchick between 2008 and 2012 ranging in amounts of between $600 and $25,000. According to court records, cash withdrawals and ATM transactions were made by her on those accounts as well.

Investigators compared the actual bank statements with the records kept by Lewchick and found the records were altered to match forged banking records, according to court records. They also discovered that Lewchick was making fraudulent payroll entries that enabled her to receive pay beyond her entitled amount between 2008 and 2012, police said.

To further their investigation, police reviewed video surveillance of some of Lewchick’s ATM transactions. They said many of the withdrawals were made at Parx Casino in Bensalem, or at bank branches in Upper Southampton and Bensalem — between the casino and Lewchick’s home and job. Other transactions were completed in Quakertown, police said. Gift cards to Sands Casino, other items associated with Pennsylvania casinos and a one-way plane ticket to Las Vegas were found in Lewchick’s car, court records show. Detectives further reviewed state Gaming Control Board records and found that Lewchick had been frequenting Parx Casino since August 2010, but had also been gambling at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem.

 The story goes even deeper than that.  Read the full report in PhillyBurbs HERE.

Posted by on March 12, 2013 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News • Tagged: , , , ,

Las Vegas Recruit School Graduation Put On Hold

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Class of 14 on Suspension

GRADUATION CEREMONIES FOR A LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Fire – Rescue recruit school was suddenly put on hold Thursday.  At the last moment some allegations of cheating on the final exam surfaced and the entire class is being held in limbo while an investigation is conducted into the problem.  "Due to a possibility of cheating, the city has begun a full investigation into what took place during a written exam given to individuals currently going through the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue academy," a fire department spokesman was quoted in a statement.

Las Vegas F&R Training Academy  (Google Satellite View)

KLAS-TV posted this video report:

 8 News NOW

The exam is a 100-question test prepared by and graded by the state fire marshal's office and is voluntarily administered by local FD's in their recruit training.  It was the state FM's office that discovered the discrepancy in the Las Vegas tests and then notified the LVFD.

This is the first time in memory that a problem with cheating has been connected with their recruit schools.  So far, there have been no specifics disclosed of what this problem may be.

KSNV-TV also filed this video report:

 

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on February 16, 2013 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Recruiting, Training, Videos

Investing in your profession and yourself: 10,000 hours to greatness

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"It's not going to build itself"

Jean M. Twenge has linked high self-esteem with low academic performance. The University of San Diego associate professor has published two books about narcissism: Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled-and More Miserable Than Ever Before (2007) and The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (2010).

The research and examples of risky, unrealistic self-confidence of 20 and 30 somethings - raised in an "everybody wins" environment – resonated with my recent experience teaching emergency service providers.

Not only do they not know what they do not know (unconscious incompetence), they reject feedback. Working at the university saw many college students move from hard majors, requiring math and science, into easier majors. In some cases they graduated high school with inadequate preparation for math, science or writing,

Or, as an academic colleague pointed out "… only 7% of the eighth graders reached advanced  level in math, but the other 93% feel real good about themselves." Almost half of the Singapore and South Korea eighth graders achieved advanced math level in the 2012 assessment.

Mastering Success

Malcom Gladwell's description of the 10,000 hour rule in Outliers (2008) has provided one explaination of how to move from unconscious incompetence to unsconscious competence . Cribbing from Wikipedia:

A common theme that appears throughout Outliers is the "10,000-Hour Rule", based on a study by Anders Ericsson. Gladwell claims that greatness requires enormous time, using the source of The Beatles' musical talents and Gates' computer savvy as examples. The Beatles performed live in Hamburg, Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time, therefore meeting the 10,000-Hour Rule. Gladwell asserts that all of the time The Beatles spent performing shaped their talent, and quotes Beatles' biographer Philip Norman as saying, "So by the time they returned to England from Hamburg, Germany, 'they sounded like no one else. It was the making of them.'" Gates met the 10,000-Hour Rule when he gained access to a high school computer in 1968 at the age of 13, and spent 10,000 hours programming on it.

Does high self-esteem hinder organizational development?

Last year we ramped up the discussion of EMS as a profession. This included three articles during EMS Week when we compared the 40 year progression of emergency physicians and nurses with ems providers:

Is EMS REALLY a calling?

How EMS physicians became recognized and rewarded

Making Paramedicine a Profession

For emergency physicians and registered nurses, developing their professions seemed to be in response to the low esteem, pay and power they had in the 1960's. It took two formal attempts over 25 years for physicians to get EMS recognized as an emergency medicine board subspecialty.

At the end of 2012 Justin Schorr reflected on the impact of EMS 2.0, a concept he developed three years ago with Chris Kaiser: The Hour is Late.

Do we feel too good about ourselves to dig-in and build EMS as our physician and nurse colleagues have? 

In EMS 2.5: Beyond The Buzz, I say it is time to stop whining. We need to start building the profession.

Invest in yourself

In the 10,000 hours journey to greatness you must invest in yourself. For evidence-based practice focused on patient outcome, we need paramedics and emts with bachelor and graduate degrees. 

No one else will do it for you.  Check out this ems1.com post: Hi, my name is Mike and I have emergencytitis. We need to move beyond the adrenalin rush so we can help more people and get much better pay and recognition.

You can start by taking one college class in the second semester of Spring or the Summer semester.

You can make an industry-changing impact by learning calculus-based statistics and science.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on January 31, 2013 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire officer preparation, Funding & Staffing, Training • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Detroit EMS can only get 50% of its crews on the road. Promised ambulances from two years ago never purchased.

6 comments

A continuing cycle of dysfunction

For the third time in the past decade, Detroit EMS is at a crisis point with a worn-out fleet of ambulances. Only 10 of the budgeted 19 ambulances are on the street.

This latest crisis, as unfolded in the media:

When Commissioner Donald Austin arrived in July 2011 the headline read:  “More Ambulances, More Training, Less Fear” New Detroit Fire Commissioner Donald Austin reaches out to medical community, says 22 new transport units will start arriving in January. Not writing up guys for minor uniform infractions

In a September 28, 2011 article, WJBK Fox 2 determined that the city had not ordered the ambulances: Detroit Hasn't Ordered Promised Ambulances  The mayor's office responded with this statement:

"The city continues to work to obtain the necessary funds to secure the new rigs. The specifications for the vehicles are complete. The bidding process is complete. We have been in conversation with a number of lending institutions, who have expressed an interest in supporting this effort. However, none have yet made the final commitment to allow the purchase to move forward. We are optimistic that one of our lending institutions will soon step up to allow us to complete the deal and improve our EMS fleet."

When Charles LeDuff did a follow-up, one year after he highlighted the problems of  Detroit EMS, he raised a question if the ambulances were ordered in this December 2011 article:

One Year Later: Detroit's EMS System Still in Need of a Cure: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Last night WDIV/NBC4 reported that the city has been operating with as few as 10 ambulances in the past five days:

Detroit EMS reportedly short on units

The ambulances have 175,000 to 200,000 miles. The Fire Commissioner is still looking for funding to purchase replacement units.

Groundhog Day

Bill "Firegeezer" Schumm did an August 24, 2010 post: "A Rotating Cycle of Hopeleness …" that provided a bleak picture of Detroit EMS.

At that time the city was staffing 22 units but only getting 14 to 16 on the street. Within the fleet of 45 ambulances, 31 were out-of-service for mechanical reasons. Little evidence any repair or maintenance work was being done.

What is different in 2013

City is contracting with private ambulance companies to handle the less urgent requests.

Local business donated and installed GPS tracking.

The warehouse has toilet paper and blankets from earlier high-profile events that generated citizen donations.

And a donated 1983 aerial tower that has been warehoused for over a year and never deployed.

Mike "Fossilmedic" Ward

This morning:

Scott Ziegler

Last night while you slept, squad 4 rescued 2 kids from a burning house and transported them with the fire truck to the ER doing CPR en route….because there were no EMS rigs available…no EMS rigs available.

 

Posted by on January 29, 2013 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Review of “Burn”

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This is a must see documentary

My tribe filled up a row in the back of the AMC LOEWS Georgetown 14 for the 8:30 pm showing on Friday. The theatre was about 3/4's full.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spent a good part of today thinking about what we saw and what it means.

Adam O'Conner from "Real Detroit Weekly":

A brilliantly-filmed documentary with exquisite camera work and editing, including a very appropriate and well thought-out soundtrack, Burn shows exactly what trials and tribulations the firefighters of our once-great city face every single day on the job.

Extremely limited funding, a city that is crumbling upon itself – both literally and figuratively – and the obvious physical hazards that each worker faces on a daily basis are only a few of the depressing themes shown through this great work of cinematography.

Birds-eye views of the city, camera work that gives a literal perspective of fighting a fire from within a burning building and lots of personal interactions and dialogue spent at the firehouses with the crews all add an air of personal investment, though each stops just short of being entirely devastating and emotionally-draining for the viewer.

In response to a question posed by O'Conner in his review, a response from the directors/producers:

… the City of Detroit granted us access to the department with no creative control.

It was a months-long process of discussions about the scope of the film. We maintained that we would be honest and fair and they trusted us, bit by bit. It was a bold and courageous move for a beleaguered administration, but one we are grateful to them for.

You'll notice in the film we don't discuss the history of Detroit or the "how we got here" — we presume any American with a basic education has an understanding of that. We also don't point fingers, because that's not compelling storytelling.

Our goal at the outset was to make an apolitical film that focuses on who these guys are and the work they do. The best war films aren't about war, but about the guys who fight the fight. They get into your heart and they stay there.

Again, thanks so much for the great review!

Best,
Tom Putnam & Brenna Sanchez
Director/Producers, BURN

Tom Santilli interviewed Putnam and Sanchez for examiner.com. I found this part of the interview helpful in considering my reactions to Fire Commissioner Donald Austin:

Of all of the people in the movie, Fire Commissioner Donald Austin seemed to be the most fascinating. A native Detroit-er, he comes over from California with high hopes and ends up seeming in the film like his spirit gets sucked dry. Is he in an impossible situation, or did he strike you as simply the wrong man for the job?

Brenna: It's an impossible position, an impossible job. Because the city doesn't have any money. Dollar resources are strapped. Human resources are strapped. I think he's doing the best he can. He's smart, he's honest, he works so hard. He came in with an idea that he was going to re-structure a contemporary, urban fire department.

Tom: And instead, he was given an ax. A hatchet. To make cuts.

Santilli, Tom. (2012 December 05) Movie review: 'Burn' a documentary profiling the Detroit Fire Department. examiner.com

Though it’s a well-made and eye-opening film, as a Detroit-er, I also found myself feeling slightly agitated and frustrated while watching Burn. Another movie about how bad things are in Detroit?

While Burn exposes some real problems facing our city, it’s yet another black eye for a city whose image has already been beat down and demolished.

When a film sheds light on problems facing Detroit and yet fails to provide us with any real answers, rays of hope or even possible suggested paths to salvation, it is difficult for me to understand the point.

Enough is enough with showing the ugliness of Detroit, there should be a real sense of responsibility to enlighten the masses on what should be done, if anything. Or like a bunch of pyromaniacs, are we supposed to derive pleasure as we sit back and watch a city burn?

Perhaps that’s an unfair, biased take. But being born and raised in Detroit, I couldn’t help but feel slightly burned by Burn.

Funding for film release/distribution remains an issue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go HERE to make a direct donation.

You can pay $15 to download an additional 90 minutes of Detroit ($20 for DVD).  Go HERE.

Or you can pay $250 to have FEO Dave Parnell (retired Engine 50) make you dinner. Go HERE.

Go HERE to request a viewing in your town.

No official information on when a DVD of Burn would be available.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on December 8, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Funding & Staffing, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Detroit BURN – Tonight @ 8:30

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AMC Lowes Georgetown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will post a review this weekend.

If you are going tonight, please share your reactions in the comments section.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on December 7, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Firefighter Furloughs in Wilkes-Barre

1 comment

Not So Jolly This Season

"I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS" won't be the favorite song in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, this month.  On Thursday the city told 11 firefighters that on Saturday – two days hence – they would be furloughed for an indefinite period of time.  This will leave the 2-station FD with but 11 firefighters and 2 paramedics on each shift.

WNEP-TV reported:

The layoffs come just in time for the holidays, and what fire chief Jay Delaney said is the department’s busiest season.

"It’s our busiest time of the year for medical emergencies, extension cord fires, candle fires. People use innovative ways to heat their houses," said Chief Delaney.

The chief said despite the layoffs, both fire engines the department has will still be used everyday for every shift. He also said all shifts would remain fully staffed, with 11 firefighters and two paramedics.

Chief Delaney says that "service to the public
will not be affected."  (WNEP-TV)

Not reported was what their definition of "fully staffed" is.

WNEP-TV covers the furloughs and their impact in the video report:

 

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Posted by on December 2, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 27

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Tuesday Morning – The Check's In The Mail

Does your local VFD rely on pancake breakfasts and Bingo games to raise much-needed funds?  For thousands of small, rural areas, constant fund-raising to eke out a few bucks to keep the firehouse going is a way of life that can seem defeating at times.

So imaging what it felt like for the volunteers in Dakota, Minnesota (pop. 323), the other day when a lawyer strolled into the station with a check for $140,000 and handed it over.  It turned out that it was the bequest of a local citizen who had died recently and left the VFD some cash.  The city officials already knew that Eleanor Sanford, who had died in September, was leaving some funds for the organization, but everyone expected it to be around $10,000.  Weren't they surprised?

The Winona Daily Times reported:

Shortly after Eleanor died, city clerk Lana Gerlach was told that she had left money to the department. "Neither one of us could even talk," Lana said, describing the moment that she and (Fire Chief Scott Hoeg) first saw the check.

The $140,000 is almost equal to eight years of the department’s operating budget, Lana said. The money has been put into a fund that will likely go toward purchasing a new fire truck.

If the department does buy a truck, Scott plans to put Eleanor’s name on the front. "She’d like that," Lana said, with a smile.

Winona Daily Times uncaptioned photo

The donation could be the largest amount received by any area fire department. The most the La Crescent Fire Department has received — that the fire chief or city finance director could remember — is $4,000. Lewiston’s biggest donation in recent memory was $15,000, and for the Winona Fire Department the top amount is around $5,000.

The local townsfolk are not surprised at Eleanor's action because she has long been a community philanthropist and supporter of her home town.  So, congratulations to Dakota, Minnesota, for your lovely gift.  I'm sure you are deserving of every penny.

Join us in getting our equipment checked out now, will you?  I'm heading for the Bunn-O-Matic to get more coffee started and then we'll meet back in the day room.

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Amazon Cyber-Monday Deals All This Week!

 Computers and Accessories
Gifts for Him and Her
TV, Video and Audio Gifts
Clothing and Shoes
And much more!

CLICK HERE to enter the world of great savings and order now.

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Posted by on November 27, 2012 • Filed under: Funding & Staffing, morning lineup • Tagged: ,

Wow, thanks to my FaceBook friends

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Snarky whine gets genuine help

I tweet snarky observations when on road trips. Posts driven by boredom and irritation. Unexpected reaction when I snarked on FaceBook.

Arrived at Reagan National Airport (DCA) at 6 am for a 10:32 Saturday flight. Planned to knock out some work, including Saturday's Car-Toon.

Historic Terminal A has no lounge but JetBlue has eight stools with power outlets.

The delays start  (and the issue from the airline side)

At 7:59 am get an alert from TripIt that the flight is delayed 20 minutes. No big deal.

Equipment issue at Omaha is delaying departure, mechanic looking at plane.

At 8:19 am the second alert from TripIt adds 4 hours. Ouch.

Needed part is at Kansas City repair center … trucking part to Omaha. (Thats a 2.5 hour, 172 mile trip)

Double check with FlightStats …. yep I will spend most of the day in Terminal A.

(grumble grumble)

FaceBook whine yields generous response

Post a picture of the FlightStat alert of the 265 minute delay with the caption "Planned to sleep on the plane … hard to stretch out in historic Terminal A."

Wow, a lot of friends surfing FaceBook. Two with airport connections provide actionable suggestions.

Have to admit I am just whining and not in distress.

The delays continue:

Third alert at 12:30 adds 30 minutes

Fourth alert at 12:49 adds 30 minutes

Fifth alert at 13:39 adds 57 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frontier runs a lean system. No electronic status board at gate, heard no announcements about delay.

Gate attendants were busy reticketing passengers … at some point the later flight was morphed into the morning flight number … requiring the reissuing of boarding passes again.

In a 15:04 response to a friend that provided an actionable suggestion:

Nap, shoes shined, checkbook balanced, EuroCafe lunch and three more delay updates. Maybe 5 pm.

A never ending cascade of missed details.

Like an emergency call that starts with a problem, this trip continued to have missed details.

Oops, need to add fuel to fly to Kansas City … need to re-open cabin door while the fuel truck returns to our location.

Finaly arriving at Kansas City, the contractor that staffs the rental fleet bus did not plan for a plane to arrive 6.5 hours late, did not change pattern.

The wait for the rental car bus becomes 30 minutes … nice sunset … getting colder … serenaded by a recording saying that the rental fleet bus is on a ten minute schedule … when calling our rental car vendors told "… we have no control over the bus."

Nor do I on outside impacts on travel.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on October 22, 2012 • Filed under: aircraft, Funding & Staffing, Technology & Communications • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Failed Fire Company Finagles Finances to Fill Fire Chief’s Bank Account

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But Nobody Knows Where the Money Is

In February of this year the fire chiefs of the other six fire companies that protect the town met and voted to pass along their concerns to the Johnsberg Town Council about the Wevertown Fire Company's training, its ability to work safely and cooperative at fire scenes, and the certifications of its 15 members.

In March, after looking into the complaints, the Town Council voted to withold any further funding for the Wevertown company until they could see some of its records, including membership and training lists, equipment lists, and their financial and operating information. The fire company headed by Fire Chief Jarrett Brown refused to cooperate and voted to disband.

Denton Publications / Grybos

On April 10 they notified the Warren County Fire Coordinator that they were officially offline. At that moment they only had two members, Chief Brown and his wife.

In June Chief Brown stunned the Town Council by claiming that the fire company, a private non-profit corporation, could see off all of its assets and distribute the proceeds to the membership (Mr. and Mrs. Brown, as it turned out). Town officials told him that all of those assets were purchased with taxpayer funds and their only choice was to give all the assets including apparatus, equipment, and real estate, to the community according to state law.

 In August Chief Brown (left) began selling off the assets with his energy directed toward selling the three pumpers that the FD owned, one of which had a bank lien on it. The Town then got an emergency restraining order from Supreme Court Justice Robert Muller and rushed over to the firehouse to find all three firetrucks gone and Chief Brown not telling them where they were. The Town then padlocked the building, seizing the remaining assets.  Since then the firetrucks have been located.

Justice Muller held his first hearing yesterday (Thursday) since issuing the temporary restraining order and Wavertown VFD's lawyer began by complaining that Johnsburg Supervisor Ron Vanselow has undertaken a "bullying" campaign against Fire Chief Jarrett Brown and that the town had no business stopping the sale of the department’s three fire trucks.

The lawyer, Terrence Hannigan told the judge that the dissolution and distribution of assets was being handled properly. He also insisted that Chief Brown was not "pocketing" the proceeds of the sale of assets.

The Glens Falls Post-Star continues:

Johnsburg Attorney Tony Jordan countered that the fire company has refused repeated town requests for information about the department’s financial situation and the whereabouts of equipment purchased with taxpayer dollars. The company has also refused to provide a list of members, he said.  "The town has a responsibility to provide fire service for the residents of Wevertown," Jordan said to Judge Muller. "Then we would know where the cash is going."

Jordan referenced statements Brown made in June to the Johnsburg Town Board, indicating he believed the fire company’s two remaining members — Brown and his wife — could sell the firehouse and keep the proceeds.  "That showed the mindset of an individual who thought those assets were his own," Jordan told the court.

A lawsuit filed Thursday at the hearing by the fire company alleges the restraining order scuttled a pending sale of one of the company’s older trucks, valued at $15,500, and cost the company the proceeds.  Another of the company’s trucks was sold to a private dealer and those proceeds will pay off the more than $150,000 in debt on the vehicle, Hannigan said.

WNYT-TV filed this video report following yesterday's hearing:

 

Justice Muller ordered the restraining order to remain in effect and gave the town 10 days to respond to the lawsuit. And still nobody is saying where all the money went.

Firegeezer says: Stay tuned …. they're just getting warmed up.

This article utilized several reports and stories from:
The Adirondack Journal
The Glens Falls Post-Star
WNYT-TV Albany

Thanks to Elwin M. for assistance

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Posted by on October 19, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

City of Pomona eliminates a fire station

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The value of public records

Code2high.com is a website that provides a comprehensive photo collection of police cars, fire apparatus, unique vehicles, frequencies, and general information for numerous emergency service agencies in Los Angeles County.

It also dives into the details of public safety operations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pomona Fire Station 181 closes

Last night Code2high.com posted a link to 24 pages of public documents related to the September closing of one of the eight fire stations that serve the city. 

Pomona City is one of 58 cities that contracts with Los Angeles County for paramedic squads and fire suppression services. Pomona is Battalion 15 within the county fire department.

Reducing a $3.7 million gap in FY 2014 Budget

The city council voted on a budget that significantly reduced library services and eliminated one engine company through closure of Station 181.

Monica Rodriguez, in a June 16 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin article outlines the issues: Pomona council to consider closing library, cutting fire services to balance budget

The executive summary of an August 6 memo from Deputy City Manager Mark Gluba to the mayor and city council describes the situation:

Over the past several years the City of Pomona has faced drastic fiscal and operational challenges due to the loss of significant revenues with all City departments ,as well as the L.A. County Fire Department, requested to identify potential budget saving measures for consideration.

As a result the City has negotiated savings in excess of 12% across all labor groups and eliminated over 240 staff positions. The City requested that Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby (and his predecessor P. Michael Freeman) provide recommendations to effectuate a significant reduction to Pomona Fire Services Contract.

The realignment recommended herein, is based on a Fire District proposal following negotiations with staff to effectuate necessary savings to the City, while mitigating negative fire service impacts from closing a station.

Proposed Fire Cost and Service Reductions to City Fire Services Contract

Moving rigs and expanding Fire Station 182

Last month the city started these activities

  • Close Fire Station 181: Engine 181, Truck 181 (a tiller-quint) and Battalion 15
  • Temporarily relocate Light Force 181 (Engine 181 and Truck 181) to Station 185
  • Temporarily remove Engine 185 from service and eliminating all associated personnel and overhead costs
  • Develop a station construction plan for expansion of Station 182, City purchased adjacent parcel of land.
  • Relocate paramedic squads to Station 183 and 184

Calwatch, blogging in M-M-M-My Pomona provides the background of Pomona fire services, stretching before the county contract started in 1994: Looking at fire – the last place to cut. Calwatch notes that the 1994 city council decision was fiscal: "At the time the city would have saved $2 million out of its $14 million budget."

Temporarily closing Engine 185, a three person fire company, in FY 2014 represents a $2.5 million saving and elimination of nine positions.

When Station 182 is expanded:

  • Relocate Truck 181 to Station 182 creating a station equipped with a 4 person truck. 3 person engine, 2 person paramedic squad and Battalion Chief 15.
  • Disband Engine 181, a two person light force engine.
  • Restore Engine 185, a three person engine.
  • Return Paramedic Squads to Station 182 and 185

The permanent closure of the two person Engine 181, which operated as the pumper in a light force company, will save the city $1.5 million and eliminate six positions.

You can go here to read all of the city documents.

A Los Angeles County Light Force is a four person truck company and a two person engine company.

Light Force 181 responding in 2009:

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on October 3, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Breaking News: Near Miss Reporting loses federal funding … may shut down this Friday

1 comment

Near-Miss Takes a Fatal Blow
IAFC Announces Federal Funding to the Acclaimed Program Has Been Cut

Fairfax, Va., Sept. 25, 2012…Today, the IAFC was notified that the federal Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program funding that supported the internationally acclaimed National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System was not renewed. The system, which has become a staple in local fire department's daily safety resources, national data collection and college-level fire sciences class curriculum, will be cut off as soon as this Friday, September 28. The IAFC is working with program partners and others to save the cache of invaluable data compiled by responders throughout the U.S. and Canada.

"When the IAFC started this program, we were creating something completely unique that took on firefighter line-of-duty deaths head-on and at their root," said Chief Hank Clemmensen, IAFC president and chairman of the board. "At the time, we didn't know if it would work, but we took the risk because we believed that chiefs and front-line responders, working collectively, could make a difference. It's unfathomable that now that we have proven results, the peer reviewers didn't believe in it."

The IAFC had been awaiting the results of the most recent peer-review process, and official word finally arrived that future grant funding would not be forthcoming.

"The IAFC is a staunch supporter of AFG. We fought for its creation and continue to lead efforts to make sure those funds exist to support local programs and ensure the peer-review process stays in place," continued Clemmensen. "But, it's a bitter pill to know that members of the fire and emergency service placed such a low value in a program that empowers all local responders, benefits all departments and directly contributes to the reduction of all line-of-duty deaths."

The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, which has earned the support of 13 partner organizations and countless testimonials from all walks of the fire service, was created as a free, voluntary, confidential, non-punitive and secure reporting system to improve firefighter safety by providing lessons learned to local departments.

"Losing the ability to collect safety data on this scale is hard to believe, but what's particularly devastating is the loss of the ability for fire departments to pull the analyzed data back out and put it to use in their communities," said Matt Tobia, chair of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section and a member of the Near-Miss Advisory Committee. "The word 'system' is the most critical part of the program's name. Our concern is not about the IAFC losing a grant; it's about the fact that the fire and emergency service has lost a system of things it can't afford to: confidential, nonpunitive reporting; collection of national data; access to that data; packaged reports on trends and lessons learned; training curriculum—all gone."

Based on a similar program in the aviation industry, the Near-Miss program quickly outpaced the air-industry counterpart in both the amount of data being collected and the number of tools to provide both raw and aggregated data back to the community. It became a national model in its own right, sharing its successful models with other industries. In 2009, it was recognized nationally with the Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award, presented by the Congressional Fire Service Institute.

Just this summer, the Near-Miss program celebrated the posting of the 5,000th report and a nationwide survey in which 73% of respondents said that reviewing near-miss reports influenced how they approached their jobs and 35% changed their written operating guidelines based on near-miss reports.

While Near-Miss is one of many programs that contribute to national reduction of line-of-duty deaths, it's approach that empowers responders with a voice and officers with data and resources was widely credited with leading a grassroots, cultural change.

"This program has allowed the fire and emergency service to come so far in reducing line-of-duty deaths and we're going to take aggressive action to be sure fire departments don't lose that ground," said Mark Light, IAFC CEO and executive director. "We'll be working to understand what areas the reviewers perceived as deficient and what we can do to come back with a strong proposal for future funding."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on September 25, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Funding & Staffing, News • Tagged: , , ,

Was Firehouse Fire Set to Coverup a Crime?

1 comment

"…. opportunities for misappropriation to occur without detection"

THIS PAST DECEMBER THE LINN-SAN MANUEL VFD firehouse in Hidalgo County, Texas, burned down while the members were at a neighboring station attending a Christmas party.  Firegeezer posted a VIDEO REPORT HERE on December 12 telling about the destructive blaze that destroyed not only the firehouse, but the VFD's only pumper and most of their equipment.

KGBT-TV image

The only vehicles that were not damaged were their tanker and two brush trucks that they had taken with them to the other station.

After investigating the blaze, the Sheriff reported that his investigators believe the fire was intentionally set to hide evidence that money was misspent or missing, but no suspect was determined.  In March, following a tip, the Hidalgo County Commissioners requested an audit of the VFD's financial practices and on September 6 the county auditor's office issued a report on its findings.

The Monitor newspaper published a review of the report that says in part:

Poor recordkeeping fostered opportunities to steal money paid to rural northern Hidalgo County's primary fire department, county auditors say.

The scathing review of the fire department’s reimbursements for providing fire protection and emergency services revealed that more than $330,000 in county-funded expenses often lacked supporting documentation. The funds in question include $79,000 earmarked for travel purposes to conferences and emergency calls and another $40,000 where auditors could not even determine the purpose of the transaction.

The five-month examination by the Hidalgo County Auditor’s Office also found the fire department lacked evidence that some of the emergency calls it was reimbursed for responding to even occurred.

Concerns about the volunteers’ financial management had already led Hidalgo County Precinct 4’s emergency services district to cease funding that pays for the fire department to respond to emergency calls in the northern Hidalgo County community. But the Hidalgo County auditor’s office recommended to commissioners in the Sept. 6 report that they terminate the county’s own funding agreement until the department addresses "significant weakness in the management of its finances."

Prior to the release of the auditor's report, the county had already suspended all taxpayer funding of the department temporarily until the details were released and the department responded.  With regard to the arson charges, Sheriff Lupe Trevino told The Monitor:

Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said his office’s "working theory" is that the fire was started to eliminate evidence of financial misconduct. While some paperwork was lost in the fire, Treviño said the audit’s findings are among the evidence his investigators have independently uncovered.

"One of the easiest cases to investigate is financial fraud because once you put it in writing, someone will always have a record of it," he said. "It’s just a matter of finding that database."

 Read the entire, detailed report in The Monitor HERE.

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Posted by on September 23, 2012 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Funding & Staffing, investigations • Tagged: , ,

Mayor Arbitrarily Shuts Down Fire Station

1 comment

…. And Blames the Firefighters

MAYOR GEOFFERY SZYMANSKI OF the small City of Lackawanna, New York, arbitrarily closed one of the town's three fire stations Thursday because he was upset with the overtime costs that are mounting in order to keep the equipment staffed.  He immediately followed the lead of other failed city leaders by blaming the firefighters for the lack of enough people to keep the engines in service while claiming that the firefighters are engaged in "overtime and attendance abuse."

When everybody shows up for work, there are still
only three people on each piece of apparatus.  (WGRZ-TV)

WGRZ-TV reports:

"We cannot continue to pay excessive overtime when they have some of the best jobs in Erie County," said Szymanski. "Now, granted, they are a great, professional fire force. They are professionals in firefighting and EMT. However, I have to not only look at their situation, I have to look at the taxpayers' situation."

The city usually schedules nine firefighters per shift to cover the three stations in the city. But from now on, the Mayor says, if two firefighters call in sick for that shift, he will close Station 2 on Abbott Road in the city's southern district instead of calling in off-duty firefighters.

The spokesman for the firefighters' union points out that the city is undermanned because open positions due to retirements are not being filled and that there are some members who are on injury leave yet are being blamed for "calling in sick."

WIVB-TV interviewed the mayor in this video report:

 

Mayor closes fire hall due to overtime

Still following the practice of other similar cities, the mayor says the citizens are still safe because they have a mutual aid pact with Buffalo to fill in their shorthanded responses.

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Posted by on September 7, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: