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TheWatchDesk.com plans to close and reorganize … are message boards still important?

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TWD is closing this weekend for reorganization

 

 

 

 

 

TheWatchDesk.com (TWD) is a legacy Washington DC based message board created and run by local firefighters.

In a 2009 article, It is a Labor thing … :

Two-hatting is a polarizing and emotional issue. Phantom, a DCFD employee and PG volunteer, describes the start of TheWatchDesk:

The concept that underlies the operations of TWD had their start in late 2000 when International Association of Firefighter’s Local 1619 attacked members of surrounding locals for volunteering in Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire Stations.

… This board quickly became controversial and moved into private ownership with better software, it was then that Phantom registered the name “TheWatchDesk.com” and with the help of Zorro established the site.

Part of the reorganization is the removal of Phantom from TWD. Last night, Dave Statter covered the ominous announcement (HERE).

Varsity, bare-knuckled discussions

TWD was created in the epicenter of fire department digital presence. Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert started the Metro DC Fire/Rescue Wire in the late 1990s 1980's, along with one of the first fire department websites: Hyattsville VFD

 

 

 

 

A 2007 article, Digital vs. Reality: The False Facade of Websites, describes the PG digital community:

The original Hyattsville site was one of the most sophisticated for its day. Besides getting Iannone and Herbert an opportunity to create Firehouse.com, it was the start of the explosion of fire company websites, blogs, myspace and social networks.

Thirty of the thirty-seven volunteer companies in Prince George’s County run a web site, as well as the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, Fire Commission, IAFF Local 1619 and the county fire/rescue department.

What distinguished TWD was the blunt, in-your-face, posts. A lot of posters were blowing off steam, calling out others and demonstrating the same behavior you would see in a large urban firehouse kitchen.

Many were appalled. I loved it. 

Few voices, many listeners on message boards

I looked at firehouse.com participation (October 2007) when one poster was approaching 8600 posts. Wendt would eventually break 10,000 posts and then walk away from all discussion boards:

You need to register in order to post on the firehouse.com forums.  As of last week (October 10, 2007) there were 163,375 registered users.

The top ten percent of the posters represent 8575 to 664 cumulative posts. There is an exponential drop off from the top six posters.

I was surprised to learn that 85% of the registered members of Firehouse.com forums have never posted a message.

  • No posts 138,604 members 84.8% of membership
  • One post 8,825 members 5.4% of membership
  • Two posts 3,378 members 2.3% of membership
  • Three posts 2,115 members 1.3% of membership
  • Four posts 1,382 members 0.8% of membership
  • Five posts 999 members 0.6% of membership

This progression continues, with the top 10% of the posters responsible for 295,305 posts. That represents 39% of all of the posts made on the forum.

As TWD started up I was running the community college fire science program and meeting with many chiefs. Was surprised how many commented on what they saw on TWD. 

In a slightly exasperated post, regs1 described his reality as a board administrator:

I give you the opportunity to take it completely over, you too can have the great income that you know we make, you can run it anyway you wish, you can deal with the various request that come from other departments in other states.

You can deal with the legal requests, calls from reporters, and yes even decide about what gets posted and what does not. You will get to know the supreme court decision of larry flint vs Jerry Falwell and how it effect the twd operation.

You can find ways to pay the hosting company for hosting the site, and bandwidth.

In an earlier version of the announcement, regs1 referred to actions taken by federal agencies over similar free speech issues. The unique city/state that is the District of Columbia follows federal government rules, regulations and legal precedents.

Is it time to move on?

Message boards have been strangled by the top ten percent of the posters. The issues are stale, newcombers are harassed away, the same "controversies" seem to be in an endless loop, and the power posters act entitled.

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs and personal websites have exploded. Not aware of any organization using message boards a source of revenue or even to collect eyeballs or emails.

Thanks to the dedicated crew that established and ran TheWatchDesk. They have done righteous work under challenging conditions.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 31, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Blogs, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Technology & Communications, Training & Development, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Morning Lineup – March 22

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D. C.  FEMS – You Are Not Alone!

If you have been keeping up with us the past couple of weeks, then you have seen the exposing of some serious administrative problems bubbling out from the Los Angeles City Fire Chief's office.  While the troops in the field have no doubt already suffered from internal morale and operational problems as a result of the incompetence of their chief, it all broke open for public perusal 12 days ago when it was widely reported that the LAFD had been fudging their response time averages to make it appear that they were doing a much better job than they really were.  See the Firegeezer report from March 11, LAFD Admits Inflating Response Time Results Favorably.

That seemed to be the trigger point that opened the gates and other woes, ineptitudes, and inexcusable cover-ups came tumbling out.  Beginning with more about the bogus response times, excessive repair times from the maintenance division plus extra wear and tear on the apparatus due to increased run distances, thanks to brownouts and unit shutdowns, overwhelmed the shop that already had a 30% cut in mechanics.  On top of that, some serious issues with the dispatch center that had been kept quiet also leaked out.  To review those items, see Firegeezer March 18 posting, LAFD Woes Continue .

The FD's issues with obfuscation and inability to function in the administrative level got even worse the other day when the bumbling Fire Chief Brian Cummings attempted to bury the response time flap by (illegally) shutting off the records including dispatch times and locations of emergency calls to the public and the press.  As you can probably guess, this had the opposite result and has seriously backfired on the "West Coast Ellerbe" who has been backtracking and double-clutching for the past 48 hours.

Chief Cummings attempted to justify his news blackout by ginning up a dubious excuse that HIPAA laws forbid the department from disclosing information that could expose patients' personal medical information.  And the guy attempted to use "guidelines" issued by the City Attorney to justify his coverup, issuing a brief statement to the press:

"The City Attorney has preliminarily opined that the Department should immediately cease the practice of releasing [Private Health information] to any source not specifically authorized under the Privacy Rule's treatment, billing, and operations exemption."

Oh no we didn't, said the city attorney's  chief deputy.

"The City Attorney's Office does not have a practice or pattern of ordering media blackouts,'' Carter said. "We don't give orders to the police chief, and we don't give orders to the fire chief. … The city attorney provides legal advice and recommendations to our client just as with every other department. We don't make policy."

…. effectively tossing the ball back to the mayor who was blindsided by all this because the West Coast Ellerbe, Cummings hadn't told anyone of his plans to violate the law.  As one prominent First Amendment attorney told the press, the fire department is "taking a law that was meant for something entirely different and trying to make it" fit their interests.  The mayor has apparently had enough of Cummings' free-lancing and is now distancing himself from the renegade department head.

Villagairosa and Cummings two days before
the mayor threw the fire chief under the bus.

Simone Wilson, a columnist for the LA Weekly who has been on this story from the beginning, wrote yesterday:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who hand-picked Cummings last September and has been lovingly tugging at the chief's puppet strings ever since, totally humiliated his political plaything this afternoon by demanding — via passive-aggressive "open letter" — that the LAFD go back to its old method of full disclosure.

Mayor Villaraigosa turned on Cummings, blaming him for this whole mess in a public statement:  "In the absence of a written legal opinion giving your department guidance, I believe it is our duty to provide information to the media and the public. At a time when the Los Angeles Fire Department needs more transparency — not less — I am (directing) you to immediately resume releasing information that provides LAFD incident specifics without violating federal law."

Read Simone Wilson's complete article in LA Weekly online HERE.

Dave Statter has spent the night compiling a good, thorough report on this HIPAA flap and the mayor's embarrassment and posted it this morning on STATter911 HERE.  Firegeezer recommends that you click over there and read his illustrative report.

So how does this meltdown equate with DCFD Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe?  To begin with, we have two previously-admired fire departments that are staffed with proud and extremely competent firefighters and paramedics that have had to watch their respective agencies rot from within due to incompetent and self-serving chiefs and mayors.  Both fire chiefs seem to be hell-bent on saving their butts without any regard for the good of the FD or the citizens that they serve.  The two mayors, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Vincent Gray of Washington, have deliberately appointed two toadies who have no administrative competence other than to serve as the mayor's yes-man.

Separated at birth?

This ill-conceived strategy is coming back to bite them both.  But even more disappointing is the damage being done to two fine fire departments and as a result, to the citizens.

Let's get our own records into the public domain now and get this equipment checked out.  I'm going to get more coffee going.. we need it today.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

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Posted by on March 22, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, morning lineup • Tagged: , , , ,

Is our obsession with urban “War Years” like the military’s nostalgia for their Cold War ways?

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What Does Secretary Gate's Outgoing Message to the Military Mean to the Fire Service?

Fred Kaplan, writing in Salon.com, describes the message former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates shared at the military academies during his recent goodbye tour:

The Army needs to shift from a garrison peacetime force that's preparing for a possible head-on armored clash against a foe of comparable strength to a mobile force that's fighting actual "asymmetric" wars against rogue states and insurgents.

The Air Force needs to pull back from its traditional obsession with high-tech air-to-air combat and focus more on joint operations—surveillance, precise air strikes, cargo transport, and rapid rescue—that help the troops on the ground.

The Navy needs to focus less on aircraft carriers and more on vessels that can maneuver in coastal waters.

Not Mincing Words: On his way out the door, Robert Gates gives the military some refreshingly frank advice.

Thinking the Unthinkable

As we start our NINTH fiscal year with shrinking budgets, I am wondering if the fire service is having the same mis-match of old mission facing new community needs.

ICMA Press published "Making Smart Choices about Fire and Emergency Medical Services in a Difficult Economy" (November 5, 2010) as part of their InFocus bi-monthly subscription.

Written by Fitch and Associates consultants Jay Fitch, PhD and Michael Ragone; and Best Practices in Emergency Services editor-in-chief Keith Griffiths. Your municipal leaders will consider this a valid reference book.

Labor and fire administration should get the 22 page ebook.  Go HERE for a four page executive summary that includes the 20 questions the city manager should discuss with the fire chief.

"Unthinkable" Factors:  Fire Suppression trends 1986 – 2008

  • The number of actual fire responses declined by one-third.
  • While residential fires still account for 84% of all structure fires, responses have declined 30%.
  • Deaths in residental fires declined 42%.

Drops in structural workload between 1994 (5621 fires) and 1999 (2367 fires) is what drove Baltimore to close four engines, two truck companies and a battalion chief in 2007.

I am sure there is a similar drop in structural fire workload that guided the 2011 Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) deployment. 

Over a three year period Los Angeles has eliminated 228 firefighter positions from daily field assignment.

Workload is up

While structure fires decline, the number of events has almost doubled in the 22 year retrospective, with medical calls the biggest contributer to the higher response workload.

Los Angeles shows four dials that track current workload each day. 

At 6:22 pm on July 4, 2011 LAFD handled 1022 requests for service, including 9 structural fires and 815 ALS/BLS calls since 0001 hours.  Go HERE to see entire dashboard.

We still go to fires

Andy Fredricks took a detailed look at FDNY statistics from 1950 to 2000.

In his presentation, "Don't Worry 'bout that Nozzle, Kid, 'cause We Don't Do Fires.", Fredricks observes that the number of occupied structural workers (OSW) continued to climb every year, closely linked to the city's population growth.

Most civilian rescues came from OSWs, with prompt action by first arriving units making the difference. You still need to force entry, perform primary search, operate handline, achieve horizontal ventilation and all of those other basic fire suppression tasks.

We add new technology and learn from ongoing research  by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Underwriters Lab (UL) .

For example, FDNY's latest Seagrave pumpers are equipped with 2000 gpm pumps, changing a 50 year old specification requiring 1000 gpm.  The change increases ability to supply tower ladders and use alternative water sources.Elliot Goodman

Dave Statter's recent posting of the US Park Police video dramatically shows that we still go to fires. Elliot Goodman photo of 921 Decatur Street NW on July 1,

Click on Early raw video: U.S. Park Police chopper crew captures recent two-alarm DC rowhouse fire.

Do not have the "perfect" solution

When I was a company officer assigned to a "border" station, we would run every day with an engine company from another jurisdiction. They were still operating a engine company with two rigs … and a crew of three.

The guys said they were afraid if they went to single pumper engine company, they would lose another position and become a two-person, one pumper engine company. 

Today we are challenged when sending a half-million dollar fire company with a crew of four as an ems first responder.

Up to 80% of urban engine company responses are for ems assists. 

Syracuse implemented a "Mini-Max" concept in the 1970s, using a pumper with a 50' telescoping waterway and mini-pumper.  At the start, the mini-pumper handled vehicle and rubbish fires, especially in hard to access parking garages and back allies.

As semi-automatic external defibrillators were allowed to be used by non-paramedics in the late 1980's, the Syracuse mini-pumpers became the primary ems first responders, 

(PS, would love to get a copy of an 8000 word article about Syracuse mini-pumpers written by Lieutenant David Reeves from Station 7 in the 1990s.  Update – District Chief Reeves runs the Maintenance Division )

Tom Shands provides a current perspective on Syracuse operations, they still link an ems first responder vehicle with each every engine company. (Photo credit Shapiro Photography)

Syracuse reports that 62% of alarms are EMS-related.

Click on the title to access the December 2010 Firehouse.com article: Innovative Rigs on the Street: Syracuse’s New Pumpers

Is there another configuration of suppression fire forces that provides adequate response to structural fires and covers ems first responder events?

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on July 11, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DCFD lives … maybe! Fire and Emergency Services Logo Clarification Act of 2011

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Press release from Councilmember Jack Evans

The “Fire and Emergency Services Logo Clarification Act of 2011” would provide that District firefighters may continue to wear the DCFD logo on their uniforms despite a controversial order from Chief Kenneth Ellerbe requiring all personnel to wear “FEMS,” as well as to pay for certain changes to their uniforms.

“No one is arguing against the policy justifications for elevating the stature of the emergency medical services portion of the department,” Evans said. “However, just look at New York City’s iconic “NYFD” logo, used for a department that serves a number of functions, none of which are suffering because they are not all included in the department’s logo. Around the country, a logo consisting of a city’s initials in front of “FD” is universally recognized and inspires confidence and cooperation from residents.”

“Further, a workforce that hasn’t received a pay increase in five years should not be asked to incur additional out of pocket expenses.

Link to press release "Evans Introduces Police & Fire Legislation: Bills Aimed at Public Safety & Employee Morale" HERE

Jack Evans FaceBook page

Jason Cherkis (2011 April 05) "Jack Evans Takes on FEMS" Washington City Paper

This is PROPOSED legislation that requres discussion and vote by the city council.

 

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dcfdsid, posting in TheWatchDesk, shares FDNY mission statement:

Mission Statement of the New York City Fire Department (better known as FDNY)

As first responders to fires, public safety and medical emergencies, disasters and terrorist acts, FDNY protects the lives and property of New York City residents and visitors. The Department advances public safety through its fire prevention, investigation and education programs. The timely delivery of these services enables the FDNY to make significant contributions to the safety of New York City and homeland security efforts.

Core Values of the Department

SERVICE
The Department continues its unwavering call to protect and serve.

BRAVERY
Bravery is the ability to overcome fear through fortitude, instinct, compassion for others and training.

SAFETY
We strive to keep our citizens free from danger, especially deliberate, harmful acts. With the best equipment and training, the Department can reduce the risk to the public and its members at fires, emergencies and medical incidents.

HONOR
The enormous commitment necessary to perform the Department’s tasks requires excellence of character. We inspire each other through pride in our unit, which is a belief that every action reflects on all the members of the unit, both past and present.

DEDICATION
A commitment to the objectives of our mission is an essential part of our code of conduct. The faithful observance of duty calls for us to fulfill our obligations professionally and honestly.

PREPAREDNESS
By combining all of the components of our core values, the FDNY will maintain its constant state of readiness to meet all threats and challenges, traditional and new.

see FDNY link HERE

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on April 5, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, culture, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mendelson: I support the Chief in moving away from the “DCFD” designation. Dennis Rubin did damage to the efforts to assert the EMS mission and a small part of that was re-asserting the DCFD designation.

2 comments

Councilmember Phil Mendelson, Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, responds to email:

"Calling them FEMS will not improve out-of-hospital emergency medical care."

Mr. Ward,

I support the Chief in moving away from the "DCFD" designation. Dennis Rubin did damage to the efforts to assert the EMS mission and a small part of that was re-asserting the DCFD designation.

I have told Chief Ellerbe, however, that the change must be phased in. Further, I told the chief that he ought to consider alternatives such as "DC Fire & EMS." The Chief indicated that he is open to these suggestions and that he will work with the union presidents.

I appreciate that EMS status has changed since 2006. Nevertheless, it does make a difference, a subtle but important difference, when the agency is called the "Fire Department" rather than "Fire and EMS Department."

Still, I recognize the fiscal impact. I think it is small with regard to the agency; I will watch that.

As for members, this is why any change ought to be phased in. I look to the union for guidance.

Thanks for your comments.

– Phil Mendelson

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related articles:

January 1, 2010: Singing Pigs, Resistant Cultures and DC EMS

January 4, 2010: Two DC EMS Snapshots

I appreciate Councilmember Mendelson's response.

 

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on April 3, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, culture, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Calling them FEMS will not improve out-of-hospital emergency medical care

8 comments

Email copied to each DC Council member:

Councilmember Phil Mendelson
Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary

Chairman Mendelson:

I appreciate your dedication to focus the fire department on its EMS mission.

I have to share a frustration with the effort to ban "DCFD" and the eagle/badge emblem.

The majority of employees that staff the ambulance in 2011 are dual role firefighter/emt and firefighter/medics.

This is a significant change from the single-role ems employees staffing transport units before the 2007 EMS Task Force.

The other symbolic change since 2007 was in the paint scheme of the ambulances. From white with red/blue stripes to a white over red scheme designed to make them look more like fire department units.

A decision maker within the fire and ems department said the change was made to make ambulance duty "more palatible" to the dual role firefighter/medics and firefighter/emts that staff the units.

Every big city fire department is involved in EMS first response, most also operate the ambulance service.

None of those with ambulances have felt the need to change the identity of the fire department.

Not FDNY (New York City), LAFD (Los Angeles City), Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami-Dade, St. Louis, Memphis, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas or Houston.

I get the symbolism, and that it was one of the EMS Task Force recommendations.

I also remember the excitement and efforts of the members of the fire and ems department to get the gold eagle/badge logo on the rigs and on the uniforms as soon as they could. Many of the uniform patches, t-shirts and decals were direct employee purchases.

Part of the emergency service lifestyle is that many employees buy additional shirts, t-shirts, "job-shirts" and jackets that proudly proclaim their affiliation with a storied and proud emergency service agency.  Outlawing the wearing of DCFD branded clothing creates a personal financial impact on the employee.

It is fiscally imprudent to require a massive change of decals, uniform patches and uniform shirts – it will NOT change employee attitudes or symbolize to the public a change in focus or dedication of the firefighters, ems providers and civilians who make up the fire and ems department.

A recurrent tradition is that a new fire chief "marks" his territory by changing the color of the fire trucks or the uniform patch.

I am confident that Chief Ellerbe does not need to make the same type of marking to assure fire department focus on EMS.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  sent March 29          >>>>>>>>>>>>

When Chief Rubin reinstated the golden eagle/ badge logo in 2007, it was altered to reflect the EMS component.

Noticed that many of the news reports used the older version of the logo that did not show the changes. 

Hmmm

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on March 31, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , ,

George Washington Bequest Creates University

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Happy Birthday George!

Working in a university named after our first president, you would think I could spin a couple of yarns about the big guy.

Actually, the Medical Center focuses on the GWU role in the 1981 attempt on President Reagan’s life.
Like old firefighters, the story grows with each telling. Rawhide Down interviews.

Back to George …

Wealthiest President

In 2010 24/7 Wall Street calculated the net worth of every president. George came out on top with $525 million (2010)

His Virginia plantation, “Mount Vernon,” consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland, run by over 300 slaves.

His wife, Martha Washington, inherited significant property from her father.

Washington made significantly more than subsequent presidents: his salary was two percent of the total U.S. budget in 1789.

from The Net Worth Of The American Presidents: Washington To Obama

Bequest to Establish a University

The George Washington University grew out of President George Washington’s desire to establish a national institution of higher learning.

Washington believed the nation’s capital was the logical site for such an institution. He left a bequest toward that objective.

Founded by an Act of Congress

Washington died before his vision was carried out.

The Rev. Luther Rice and three friends took up the effort; President James Monroe and 32 members of the U.S. Congress also became involved.

On Feb. 9, 1821, Monroe signed the Act of Congress that created the Columbian College in the District of Columbia, a private, nonsectarian institution.

GW opened its doors in 1821 with three faculty members, one tutor and 30 students in a single building. At that time, Columbian College was located between 14th and 15th Streets, about a 30-minute walk from the Capitol. Its curriculum included English, Latin and Greek, as well as mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, reading, writing, navigation and political law. The first graduates received degrees in December 1824. Shortly after, Columbian College added a medical school and a law school.

DCFD Engine 23 almost lost in campus expansion

The university is the largest non-federal landowner in the city, with most of the apartments and hotels around the campus purchased for student housing.

The original plans for a new library in the early 1970s would have destroyed the 100 year old quarters of Engine 23. The community got the firehouse designated an historic landmark.

Opened on November 25, 1910, Station 23 was the last one in the city to use horses to pull its firefighting equipment.

Oct 2010 Centennial (Elliot J. Goodman)

Michael Barnett (Feb 2, 2004) A night with the firefighters of Engine 23 GW Hatchet

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on February 22, 2011 • Filed under: culture, current events, News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Who Was D. C.’s First LODD?

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Who Really Was the First Firefighter LODD in the Nation’s Capital? 

WASHINGTON POST’S JOHN KELLY WANTS to find out.  Mr. Kelly writes a daily column that generally features historic and cultural items around the city and he recently posted what he thought was the answer to “Who was Washington’s first line-of-duty casualty in the fire department?”  But now he’s not so sure.

For decades it was widely believed, and even recognized by the DCFD, that Benjamin Greenup was the first LODD in the fire service of the city.  John Kelly writes in his column today:

Benjamin Greenup was killed May 6, 1856. In those days, pumps were powered by hand, not steam. The equipment wasn’t as heavy as later steam-powered engines and so was pulled by the firemen themselves rather than by horses. Greenup, a member of the Columbia Fire Company, was killed when the engine he was pulling down Pennsylvania Avenue on the way to a blaze collided with a lamppost, crushing him underneath the pumper’s wheels.

Washington Post photos

Greenup’s large grave marker at Glenwood (Cemetery) is carved with a detailed depiction of his death.

But wait, there’s more!  Greenup just might not be the first, after all.  A year ago a retired DC firefighter and historian, Jimmy Lloyd came across some evidence that there was a previous FF who died at a fire two months before Greenup’s demise.

It’s quite a story and sounds plausible to me.  So CLICK HERE to read Kelly’s column and see if you agree.

Recommended additional reading:

 

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Posted by on January 16, 2011 • Filed under: history, Line of Duty • Tagged: , , , , ,

UPDATE2: What is more important? Drug lab in a dorm room or a non-working fire alarm in a nine-story freshman residence hall? Harbin Hall at Georgetown University gets 15 minutes of infamy this morning, fire alarm works four hours later. Fire evacuation alarm delayed in April 2010 fire.

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Harbin Hall

Before 6 am this morning, Georgetown University Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers were investigating a report of a “weird odor” on the top floor of Harbin Hall when they discovered a small drug lab in one of the dorm rooms.

Upon finding chemicals, a heating element and ventilation equipment, DPS assumes that there is a meth lab in Room 926.

DPS initiates evacuation of the 592 resident, nine-story freshman dorm.

The local evacuation fire alarm does not work.

Built in 1965 and renovated in 2000, FossilMedic speculates that the the Harbin Hall freshman dorm has no fire sprinklers and an overworked local evacuation fire alarm system.

Ninth floor Harbin Hall - lab found in Room 926

Vox Populi, the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, a weekly newsmagazine at Georgetown University, has been providing updates HERE.  Of course, follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/GtownVoice

UPDATE Fire alarm DID work four hours later:

All Harbin residents were evacuated at about 6 a.m. this morning. Patrick Killilee, executive director of Student Housing, emailed Harbin residents at 9:19 to let them know they were allowed back into the building, only to send another message at 9:32 a.m. announcing the area was restricted to students and would be evacuated. Molly Mitchell (COL ’14), a freshman living on Harbin 5, said a fire alarm sounded at around 10:45 a.m. this morning, prompting another evacuation. The area between Harbin and Village C West remains restricted students.

from theHoya.com (HERE)

UPDATE 2: EARLIER DELAY OF FIRE ALARM ACTIVATION – 8TH FLOOR STOVE FIRE

From April 21, 2010 theHoya.com, Eamon O’Connor: “Stove Fire in Harbin; Students Evacuated”

According to eighth-floor residents, when a student initially tried pulling the fire alarm on the eighth floor, the alarm did not react. A resident then pulled the fire alarm on the sixth floor, which reacted with a slight delay, according to Larkin.

Frank said all normal alarm procedure was in effect. “All fire protection systems, including the fire alarm, functioned as they should. DPS was notified of an active alarm by the fire alarm system due to a smoke detector at the eighth floor lounge of Harbin Hall,” she said. DPS and Facilities staff each responded to the incident immediately, in line with fire emergency standards.

The alarm systems, which comprise devices like sprinklers and smoke detectors, are regularly inspected and tested by an external specialty company hired by the university, according to Frank. “There were no deficiencies in Harbin at the time of inspection or tonight,” she said.

Although none of the emergency sprinklers in the building went off as a result of the incident, Frank said the sprinklers were not triggered because the fire had been contained to the oven and maintenance workers put out the fire before it could set off the sprinklers.

entire article HERE

Was the inability for a student to activate the eighth floor evacuation alarm in April an operator error?

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on October 23, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Prevention & Education, HazMat, News, Twitter • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fire at the Willard Hotel! – 1861

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Shortly after arriving in Washington DC, President Lincoln had the Zouaves quartered in the U. S. Capital building.

Construction of the new dome had been suspended and the building was used as a barracks, hospital and bakery.

Early in the morning of May 9, 1861, a fire erupted in a store that was adjacent to the Willard Hotel.

The New York Times provided the story:

The boys had a taste of their former calling this morning, which was highly relished. About 3 o’clock word was sent to Col. ELLSWORTH that a large building on Pennsylvania-avenue, occupied as a clothing store, adjoining WILLARD’s Hotel, was on fire, and the assistance of his men would be grateful.

No sooner was a call made for volunteers, than the lads were ready. About 300 of them started off for the various engine-houses to get the machines, which was done, in many instances, by breaking open the doors, as the Fire Department of the city were not particularly energetic in responding to the alarm.
(rest of story HERE)

District of Columbia volunteer firefighters protected the city with eight engine companies and two truck companies.

Harpers Weekly May 25, 1861

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS FIRE?

While Colonel Ellsworth had no fire experience, his second and third in command were respected assistant chief engineers in the New York fire department.

All of the company commanders were foreman or assistant foreman.

Ellsworth was commanding operations when a volunteer chief from one of the DC volunteer fire departments challenged Ellsworth’s command of the incident.

His response was a classic reflection of the times:  ”Well,” said the Colonel, “if you have more men here than I have, you can take it.”

Harper’s Weekly article from May 25, 1861, was gushy:

They worked like heroes, performing wonderful feats of agility and bravery. They formed pyramids on each other’s shoulders, climbing into windows, sealing lightning-rods, and succeeded in two hours in saving the whole structure. (…)

For want of a ladder, two Zouaves held another down from the eaves, while he, with his head down, played water into the burning building.

By time the Harper’s Weekly article was published, the Zouaves were suffering their first command tragedy.

The Willard Hotel also had a major fire in 2010 [Statter911 HERE] and 1922 [HERE]

next week: Tragedy in Alexandria

References:

(1861, May 11) From the Fire Zouaves.; How the Boys put out the fire at Williard’s. The New York Times accessed 09/05/2010 at http://tiny.cc/3b6y1

(1861, May 25) Regiment in time to save the hotel. Harper’s Weekly.  Accessed 7/30/2010 from http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/may/winans-steam-gun.htm

(1887) The Fire Zouaves. In A. E. Costello: Our Firemen: A History of New York Fire Departments, Volunteer and Paid, from 1609 to 1887. (pp. 286 – 303). New York: A. E. Costello.

Beitler, Stu. (2008 July 23). Washington, DC Willard’s Hotel Fire, May 1861. Accessed 7/26/2010 at GenDisasters.com from  http://tiny.cc/em43z

Embery, Jim (????) The Volunteers and the Federal Fire Department.  Accessed 07/29/2010 from http://www.dcfd.com/deptinfo.htm

Hermann, Marc A. and Shaun C. Grenan (2006 January 19) “TIGER! ZOUAVE!”: Portraying the 1st Fire Zouaves (11th New York Volunteers) website accessed 07/26/2010 at
http://www.myrtle-avenue.com/firezou/

<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mike worked on a project about Reconstruction after the Civil War
This is one in a series of articles about the Metropolitan Fire Department established in Manhattan in 1865.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on September 9, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Major Incidents • Tagged: , , , , , ,

He is under that pile, I think

2 comments
Not FossilMedic's workspace

Not FossilMedic's workspace

I am not a neat person. When the workload gets heavy, stuff piles up.

A colleague took a picture of my office when I was the EMS boss and emailed it to everyone.

I received a Fire Prevention Notice of Violation for excessive storage of flammable materials.

Wrapping up an academic year where I attempted to be the boss AND teach a full academic load.

Not recommended.

It gets better next week, when the Summer semester starts.

Here is a tidbit from the growing pile of “gotta write” items for Firegeezer.

LOOKING FOR TWO BATTLE-READY EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIANS

Medical Director/Assistant Medical Director
Washington DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department – Washington, DC

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department seeks a highly qualified Medical Director and an Assistant Medical Director. The District of Columbia is home to close to 600,000 residents and nearly 1 million daily commuters and visitors. Washington, DC also hosts 18 million visitors annually, ranging from world leaders and diplomats to schoolchildren learning about our government system and its roots. The District of Columbia is a community that is working hard to build and sustain neighborhoods while strengthening services to children, youth, seniors, families and individuals.

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (Fire & EMS) is a 2200 member, all-hazards agency providing emergency medical care and transportation (EMS), fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous material response, and technical rescue services to residents and visitors in the District of Columbia. Fire & EMS resources are deployed from 33 neighborhood fire stations and include 39 EMS transport units, 33 engine companies, 16 ladder trucks, three heavy-rescue squads, one hazardous materials unit, and one fire boat company. 14 of the transport units and 20 of the engine companies are staffed by paramedics that provide advanced life support (ALS) care. Fire & EMS responds to over 150,000 incidents a year, an average of 435 a day.
Position

The Medical Director will provide medical direction and oversight for the delivery of medical care, emergency medical training, and medical quality assurance programs for the Department. The Medical Director holds the rank of Assistant Fire Chief and is part of the executive management team.

As a member of the executive management team, the Medical Director will participate in all phases of executive management including strategic planning, budget development and execution, contracting and procurement, accreditation, labor/management relations, and intergovernmental relations.

The successful candidate shall hold an Allopathic or Osteopathic Medical Degree (M.D., D.O.) and shall be an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) board-certified physician in a medical specialty that represents the broad patient base that the Department serves, such as emergency medicine, general surgery, family medicine, or internal medicine, most preferably by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). The ideal candidate will also possess at least four (4) years of substantial experience in emergency medical services, such as experience as a medical director or assistant medical director of emergency medical services, or successful completion of a recognized fellowship in emergency medical services.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on May 12, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics • Tagged: , , , ,

Two DC EMS Snapshots

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Like many cities, the District of Columbia has tried different ways to run an emergency ambulance service.

John Pekkanen, writing in the February 2009 Washingtonian Magazine, provides part of the history:

Until the mid-1950s, the District’s emergency medical system—at the time called the ambulance service—was operated by the DC health and fire departments and local hospitals. The hospitals supplied doctors, interns, and physician assistants to staff the ambulances.

In 1957, the ambulance service was placed under the control of the DC Fire Department and firefighters began staffing District ambulances. Many firefighters had little emergency medical training—they performed what’s called “scoop and swoop”: They arrived at the scene, picked up the patient, and went to the nearest hospital.

from What Happens When You Call 911 in Washington, DC HERE

Fire departments provide metro Washington DC 9-1-1 ambulance service.  In most places rookie firefighter/EMTs spend their first years on the job riding the ambulance. The progression is primary caregiver, then ambulance driver and finally back-up  or infrequent ambulance staffing.

CREATION OF SINGLE-ROLE EMS PROVIDERS

Starting in the late 1960′s the DC Fire Department (DCFD), as well as Alexandria City, Arlington County (VA) and Prince George’s County (MD), hired non-firefighters to staff ambulances. These single-role ems providers were paid a lower salary. At the start they were not covered by public safety worker compensation or disability provisions. Only Alexandria and DC maintain single-role ems providers in 2010.

DCFD started an administrative section to oversee single-role providers, organizing the Emergency Ambulance Division in 1981. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3721 represents single-role ems providers.

My university trained the first group of single-role paramedics in 1976 – Pekkanen identified the wrong university. We developed an on-campus Bachelor degree in Paramedicine.

Pekkanen’s quote has another inaccuracy, the first physician assistant program started ten years after the DCFD takeover of the ambulance service. (PA timeline)

FALL 2000 SNAPSHOT

DC_M03gifUniversity paramedic students were riding DCFD medic units and emt students riding ambulances.

Feedback from the paramedic students, and the occasional medical student on an emergency medicine rotation, was that they are getting great experiences.

DCFD paramedics have a narrower scope of practice than suburban medics, such as no pain control medication. The units are busy and see a lot of patients needing advanced life support (ALS) intervention. Few complaints or concerns from the students, preceptors or my medical director.

A completely different story with the emt students. Inconsistent patient care, as documented in the ride-a-long forms and confirmed at the emergency department.

A constant barrage of x-rated verbal abuse by a single-role emt at one fire station. Creepy behavior by an ems employee toward female students at another fire station.

I meet with the fire station commanders. They tell me that they have no supervisory authority over single-role emts.

The few street ems supervisors cover huge sections of the city. They respond to complex or large ems incidents, get ambulances to clear the hospital and focus on delivery of ALS care.

Meet with a senior fire official. We served on a Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments fire/ems subcommittee. He confirms the station commander information.

I stop emt student ride-a-longs in DC. My perception is that emt-staffed ambulances operate with little supervision or oversight.

Jonathan Agronsky writes in the February 9, 2001, Washington City Paper about a 1999 ems incident he witnessed. His frustrating experiences in A Call For Help resonate with me. (article HERE)

FALL 2009 SNAPSHOT

While the Rosenbaum/EMS Task Force recommendations were issued in September 2007, it takes funding and hiring to implement some of the recommendations.

By Fall 2009 the renamed DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services department (DCFEMS) conducted a promotional exam for EMS Supervisors, increased the number of EMS Supervisors on the street and created three EMS battalion chief positions. Reorganized senior chief assignments to reflect task force recommendations. This administration is focused on EMS delivery.

The pain of organizational change is felt by almost everyone in the fire department. Some think senior staff is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

I think the delivery of ems services is getting better.  Which is why we committed to help develop an accredited paramedic training program with the DCFEMS academy.

I am comfortable enough to plan to put my EMT students back on DCFEMS transport units.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Nation’s Capital EMS provides one perspective of an ongoing effort by many to improve the delivery of EMS services in the Nation’s Capital.

January 01, 2010:  Singing Pigs, Resistant Cultures and DC EMS

Posted by on January 4, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Patient Management • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Singing Pigs, Resistant Cultures and DC EMS

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It is easy to snark when talking about a place that appears to be a legacy of fire-mangled ems.  No surprise at the blog reactions when Doctor Jim Augustine announced his resignation as the Medical Director and Assistant Fire Chief for the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department (DCFEMS).

Ambulance Driver says "Don't get sick in the District of Columbia" (HERE)

To Old To Work, To Young To Retire speculates on the etiology of the illness that lead to Doctor Augustine resigning after 17 months as the departmental medical director. (HERE)

Part of my university tasks in 2009 was to assist DCFEMS develop and deliver an accredited paramedic program.  There have been challenges and frustrations.

WELCOME TO THE FEDERAL PLANTATION

The District of Columbia government provides both state and city functions. Every regulation, ordinance and even the results of local elections require approval by the U. S. Congress before they become laws, ordinances or administrative regulation.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, through the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia subcommittee, is authorized to accept or reject city legislation.

logoCThe 600,000 city residents do not have a full voting member in Congress, but any action to be taken by DC is overseen  by a congressional committee. This link takes you to 10 myths about Washington DC. Click on the DCVote logo to get more information.

THE ROSENBAUM INCIDENT

Retired NY Times writer David E. Rosenbaum was mugged, found on a sidewalk and died from a head injury. A March 09, 2007 Washington Post article by David Nakamura sums up the situation:

The family of a slain New York Times journalist yesterday agreed to forgo the potential of millions of dollars in damages in exchange for something that might be harder for the D.C. government to deliver: an overhaul of the emergency medical response system that bungled his care at nearly every step.

David E. Rosenbaum's family said it will give up a $20 million lawsuit against the city — but only if changes are made within one year. Under a novel legal settlement, the city agreed to set up a task force to improve the troubled emergency response system and look at issues such as training.

WUSA9 reporter Dave Statter has extensive information about the incident, investigation, EMS Task Force, changes in DCFEMS operations/training/personnel, etc. The latest item is HERE.

RECOMMENDATIONS IMPACTING EMS EDUCATION

The Task Force on Emergency Medical Services released its report and recommendations on September 27, 2007 (HERE). Our work was within Recommendations 3 and 6:

Recommendation 3
Improve the level of compassionate, professional, clinically competent patient care through enhanced training and education, performance evaluation, quality assurance, and employee qualifications and discipline.

Recommendation 6
Strengthen Department of Health (DOH) oversight of emergency medical services.

NEW EMS EDUCATOR CREDENTIALS

The DC Department of Health (DOH) adopted the National Registry of EMT certification testing process. EMS educators were required to reapply, meet the new regulations and be monitored by a DOH official.

There are ten entities credentialed to deliver ems certification training in the District and one huge customer, the DC Fire and Rescue Department.

The university runs an on-campus EMT-Basic course with 160 students a year.

MJS In the first draft, only paramedics employed by DCFEMS could teach. The second draft was better, but required educators to be affiliated with a DC-based ems provider. Most of our clinical instructors work as Maryland or Virginia caregivers.

One work around was to have our instructors join the student-staffed on campus ambulance. Think Mother, Jugs and Speed. That may have scared them, as the third revision worked for all.

Administrative regulations can only go into effect after the congressional review period expires.  For these standards it was the last week of June. We needed to have all instructors monitored before the start of the August EMT basic course.

July was hectic. The thinly staffed EMS section of DOH was also working the H1N1 response. They were staffing a 24 hour "pandemic" desk.

… and then the city laid off the state EMS training director and a dozen other DOH employees.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Nation's Capital EMS provides one perspective of an ongoing effort by many to improve the delivery of EMS services in the Nation's Capital.

edited to add:  "Singing Pigs" title based on blog item title in Kelly Grayson's Ambulance Driver "Don't get sick in the District of Columbia" (HERE)

Posted by on January 1, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, EMS Topics, Patient Management • Tagged: , , , , ,

It has nothing to do with Mrs. Smith …

4 comments

. . . and everything to do with local political power

A guaranteed groaner when teaching a fire officer course is to talk about “Mrs. Smith” or The Phoenix Way.  Firefighters are quick to point out that they are not in a retail trade. Users of 9-1-1 are called victims or patients, not customers.

With Fire Chiefs Clack and Rubin embracing Brunacini customer service, a brief search on TheWatchDesk will provide vigorous and emotional responses from city firefighters:  Baltimore example, Washington example.

csu_dcfd_web

DCFEMS Community Service Unit – Go HERE to read Vito Maggiolo’s dcfd.com article

The Phoenix Way does not travel well outside the Valley of the Sun.  It makes no difference if the plan was lifted from the PFD website out-of-context or implemented by a retired Phoenix command officer at a new fire department.

But in the city where it started, it is protecting firefighter jobs.  There were two significant pressures in Phoenix that provide an example of carbon transformed into a diamond.

PRO-BUSINESS WITH A BULLET

Phoenix public safety unions won the right to collective bargaining in the early 1980s. One result of this political activism was a firefighter-initiated referendum to replace the at-large city council system with single member district elections. This eroded the ability of business leaders to influence city operations.

Phoenix is lead by old-school Republican conservatives. It is the home of two senators who were presidential candidates, Barry Goldwater and John McCain. In the 1980s and 1990s the police chief functioned as a political operative, using his law enforcement authority to investigate and harass political foes. (HERE)

Just before the 1982 single-member district referendum vote occured, more than a dozen firefighters, including the union president, were arrested on cocaine charges. Duane Pell, a former city council member and IAFF Local 493 leader, talked about this incident in a 1993 Phoenix New Times article.

“The headlines were firefighters involved in major drug trafficking, a system of drug trafficking that, because of the convenient location of fire stations throughout the city, made perfect locations for firefighters to distribute cocaine,” says Pell, describing the allegations. Most of the firefighters were cleared of criminal charges and no major drug ring was ever found.

This arrest started a decade of intimidation and harassment of the union president. Eleven years after the unfounded cocaine arrest, IAFF Local 493 President Pat Cantelme filed a $1 million lawsuit accusing the police chief, county attorney and others of violating his civil rights.  (HERE)

WE COULD ALWAYS CONTRACT WITH RURAL-METRO

During this time Scottsdale-based Rural-Metro was a successful for-profit contract fire protection corporation.  Imagine working every day in a city that is hostile to organized labor and points to a neighboring private corporation when things get dificult.  For the metro Washington readers, it would be as if McLean/Tysons, Bethesda/Chevy-Chase, Inner Harbor or Georgetown/West End were protected by a for-profit fire department.

APPLYING NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (NLRB) TECHNIQUES

Phoenix started the Labor/Management effort in 1984 using a NLRB Relationship By Objectives (RBO) procedure . RBO is recommended when labor and management are at an impasse. The RBO process created The Phoenix Way, The Big Five and “Be Nice.”

Be Nice covers both the internal (firefighter) and external (Mrs. Smith) customer. Within the department there was a tremendous effort to encourage, reinforce and reward nice behavior.  It was a recurrent feature within their internal publications and videos, retelling customer service stories and celebrating random acts of kindness.

During a discussion of organizational structure, a PFD captain identified a senior staffer as “the Deputy Chief for Being Nice.” For a municipality involved in hard-ball politics, each positive firefighter/civilian encounter increased citizen support of the department.

BE NICE PRODUCES VOTER SUPPORT

Voters passed Proposition 1 in a September 11, 2007 election.  Proposition 1 hikes the sales tax 0.2 percent, which will be used to hire 500 new police officers and 100 new firefighters within the next two years. (source – Goldwater Institute)

During an October 2008 budget work session, the Associated Press reported “… a majority of the City Council expressed support for increasing the public-safety budget by $10 million, or about 1.3 percent, while cutting the other departments by 25 percent to 45 percent.”

PROPOSED FY 2010 BUDGET

With a budget deficit approaching $270 million – a 22% reduction in projected revenue - city agencies were directed to provide budgets reflecting a 30% reduction of expenditures. Public safety was directed to provide a 15% reduction.  Courts, police and fire account for 68% of the city expenditures.

The proposed FY2010 budget released last week calls for elimination of 1,300 of the exising 14,000 city jobs.  (HERE)  This reduction is on top of a $90 million budget cut in early 2008.

NONE of the 1,588 firefighter postions were eliminated in the proposed city budget. The department will be losing some of their 350 civilian employees and will run no recruit schools in 2009.  The fire department will reduce it’s FY10 budget by 7.5%. (HERE),

“Seventy percent of our general fund goes to first responders,” said Councilman Michael Nowakowski. “You can’t cut from police and fire because it’s a need. Our city is growing and we need officers on the street and firefighters and paramedics out there to protect our families.”

This is a far cry from the city council sentiments in the 1990s, when candidates ran against public safety labor and their featherbedded jobs.  Maybe being nice is not just a warm and fuzzy sentiment.

Mike “Fossilmedic” Ward
Diamond or Dust budget series

Lacey, M. (1992, December 30). The Pursuit of Pat Cantelme. Phoenix New Times.
Pasztor, D. (1993, February 3). Arizona’s Own J. Edgar Hoover. Phoenix New Times.
Pasztor, D. (1993, March 3). Firefighter Fires Back: Union Chief Alleges Abuse of Power by Ortega, Romley, others. Phoenix New Times.
Wong, S. (2008, December 26) Phoenix’s budget gap grows bigger The Arizona Republic.
Berry, J. (2009, January 01) Phoenix unveils $270 million in cuts. The Arizona Republic
Ferraresi, M. (2009, January 01) Phoenix police, fire asked to cut costs. The Arizona Republic.

Posted by on January 5, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, commentary, Funding & Staffing, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Secondary jobs for IAFF members

6 comments

Prince George’s County, Maryland, fire/rescue employees and volunteers respond to about 330 incidents every day. Despite impressions left by thewatchdesk and dozens of websites, almost every incident is handled without requiring a police report, firefighter hospitalization or federal inquiry.

Since the beginning, county volunteers become District of Columbia firefighters. Most continued to be a PG volunteer. When the county established career firefighter positions in 1966, DC Local 36 helped organize PG Local 1619.

PG volunteers who worked at DCFD rose to volunteer chief rank at many of the 38 independent PG fire companies. Most were in their 20s and early 30s. A FEW of these two-hatters acted like tin-horn tyrants, using their volunteer authority to jerk around PG career firefighters. These tyrants made administrative, response and operational rules that were demeaning to career staff and affecting the quality of service.

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2000 IAFF RESOLUTION 43: RIVAL ORGANIZATIONS

Local 1619 presented a resolution at the 2000 IAFF Annual conference. Resolution 43 identified 38 volunteer fire department corporations as “rival organizations,” a term from the IAFF constitution and bylaws. The resolution called for charges to be placed against IAFF members who belong to these rival organizations, stating “these individuals continue to belong to volunteer organizations that make decisions which impair the rights and sometimes safety of members of Local 1619.” There were about 150 to 200 IAFF members who were two-hatting as volunteers in PG.

This created a firestorm between career and volunteers that went far beyond what Local 1619 wanted to accomplish. I got so mad at the posturing and mis-information spewed by fire service opinion leaders and columnists that I wrote an article describing the PGFD situation. It was published by Fire Chief magazine in January 2003, read that article HERE.

There was little impact after enforcing Resolution 43. Local 36 made it clear during the trial board process that this was a non-issue for them. It appears that there are more two-hatters volunteering in PG now than in 2000.

2008 IAFF RESOLUTION 2: SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT

The issue of what IAFF union members do on their off-duty time expands beyond the Washington DC metropolitan area. At last week’s convention, Resolution 2 was passed to clarify what the international’s position is.

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

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

Resolution 2 directs the IAFF to create and maintain a database to track the experience of secondary employment, the filing of charges related to such employment, and the outcomes of trail boards and appeals deciding those charges. Finally it directs the IAFF to create and, at the request of an affiliate through its District Vice President, distribute educational materials to the requesting affiliate regarding the constitutional prohibition on secondary employment, including the basis for this prohibition, and the experience of our affiliates in dealing with this issue.

ISSUE CLARIFIED AND THE CONSEQUENCES RAISED

I was surprised at how many people were comfortable holding a leadership post as an IAFF member AND a volunteer leader at another department with an IAFF local. I wrote about an Eastern Shore individual HERE. What has not changed is the choice. Union membership has obligations.

2007 PGFD Annual Report HERE (large .pdf file)
The Battle Over Kentland Ambulance 339 HERE (PG staffing and operations)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on August 20, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, commentary, Fire Rescue Topics, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Heroes?

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WE’RE NO HEROES …
MAYBE IT IS TIME TO ADJUST OUR HALO

The Dark Knight has an image during a chase sequence where a fully-involved ladder truck is used to divert traffic. Seeing apparatus with flames coming from the cab and open compartments in the middle of a dark street in a cavern of high-rises certainly had a familiar feel. Just like images from Cloverfield, scenes that a New York City radio personality called “9/11 porn.” Maybe enough time has passed for us to settle into the new normal.

“BOX ALARM, 10th AND K, EVERYBODY GOES”

There are two sides of a firefighter’s lifestyle. The official side where we are in public, in uniform, saving lives, protecting property with a handsome profile and G rated language. The unofficial side is where we are out of the public’s view, pulling pranks, breaking balls and enthusiastically living a vibrant, adrenaline-fired adult lifestyle with X-rated language.

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When Paul and Holly Fine were filming “We’re No Heroes” in 1975 the members strived to show the official side of a firefighter’s life. Riding with Platoon #2 at DCFD Engine 16 and Truck 3, The Midnight Express provided many opportunities to show the official firefighter lifestyle. The clip from the documentary, found on this page, http://www.e16t3.com/history.html, provides a compelling example. My officer found every opportunity to shout “everybody goes” weeks after the documentary was shown.

RESCUE ME

To promote the start of the 5th season of Rescue Me, there is a “Fantasy” clip that provides a different view of the bunkroom than guys snoring in 1975. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joM3S1kB1Nw

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Rescue Me is a show on cable TV, but we can see real-life differences by scanning YouTube or, from another DC area fire station, some 2004 horseplay that included butt-launched bottle rockets. http://www.wusa9.com/news/columnist/blogs/2008/07/in-defense-of-kentland.html

A 21st CENTURY CONFLICT

The last decade witnessed an increase in the imposition of local government standards on fire station life. The expectation is that firefighters will behave the same way as office workers. If the activity is appropriate in the administrative services office at 3 pm on a Tuesday, then it is appropriate at the fire station at 3 am on Sunday.

That does not translate well, especially when professional and amateur media (blogs, social networking, and youtube) have torn down the conventions that were common thirty years ago. National media did not focus on President Roosevelt’s disability, President Eisenhower’s affair or the dubious liaisons established during the Kennedy administration. Imagine how they would be covered today.

“IT READS LIKE THE FIRE FACTORY FORMAT …

… from all of those New York self-published books after Dennis Smith’s Report from Engine 82 took off.” Mike Ward, Firefighter.

Yep, that’s my praise for Jerry Engle’s self-published Probie Days, describing his experiences as a volunteer from 1985 to 2005 at Kentland VFD. That praise is part of a post in a firehouse.com thread about the release of a helmet-cam from KVFD. The unauthorized release showed first arriving operations, including the rescue of an elderly mobility-impaired man who died from his burns.

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From that same post:

I have collected dozens of personal recollections written by firefighters throughout the nation. Many were vanity published, like Probie Days. Almost all of them describe activities, practices or situations that place their fire company or department in a situation that would be considered inappropriate, unacceptable, illegal, immoral or “would never be accepted in MY department.”

That last quote was aimed at all of the folks that were horrified after reading Jerry’s description of events. Since making that post in August 2006 I have additional examples.

Nick Brunacini, in B-Shifter, describes the time he told a visiting female foreign dignitary from Japan that, as the battalion chief’s driver, his role was to sexually satisfy the chief.

George Pickett, in The Brave, describes behaviors and situations darker in Manhattan in the 1970s than Smith’s south Bronx. Both books made me squirm at the uncomfortable descriptions of some situations.

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KENTLAND IS THE LINDSEY LOHAN OF THE FIRE SERVICE

Whether it is making a righteous rescue or making a probie dance naked on the front ramp, we cannot get enough of Kentland. Why else would Engle get a television interview about the four year old events, besides being the launching pad for the bottle rockets.

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The most shocking part of the interview was not the purple spikes or the piercings; he was wearing a uniform shirt … that was buttoned up. Those that work with Jerry know that he drives rigs topless, not even a t-shirt. On hot days his response uniform is shorts and flip-flops.

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Somewhere between Engle and the official 1970s-era hero is today’s firefighter.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on July 22, 2008 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, commentary, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Busiest Engine Means Most Patients Encountered

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Firehouse Magazine has published a National Run Survey for the last 26 years.  This year, Trinidad Engine 10, from the District of Columbia returned to the top position with 7217 responses in 2006.

Cincinnati Engine 5 was one of the first companies to achieve acclaim as the busiest engine company.  While attending the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference in the early 1980’s I decided to visit the Over-the-Rhine fire station.  Engine 5 was operating a 1979 Seagrave with a 54’ squrt.  At that time the EMS division was comprised of three paramedic and three BLS ambulances. 

I learned from Engine 5 that the poorer neighborhoods, frustrated by slow police response, would exaggerate the extent of injuries from assaults and robberies.  Engine 5 would arrive within minutes, the police within hours.  The department had a dispatch protocol where non-life threatening calls for ems assistance would get a single engine response.  The firefighter/emts would evaluate the patient and then call for a basic or paramedic ambulance.  I remember reading from a CFD annual report that 26% of the calls for ems assistance were handled by just an engine company.

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Steve Hagy photos

It was dark and I was going to walk the mile or so back to the convention center.  One of the firefighters working overtime on FDIC logistics insisted that I get a ride from him.  The community I was going to walk through was the scene of riots in 1967 and 1968 as well as a series of shootings between 1978-1979 that killed four black civilians and four white police officers.

Social-economic conditions have not changed.  An April 2001 police shooting of a black teenager touched off another riot.  The poverty rate approaches 95%, with Over-The-Rhine household median income at $8,600 compared to the city average of $26,774 and the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area income of $54,800.  In 2001, an income below $17,029 is living in poverty.  This link takes you to a September 13, 2001 story about the efforts of Engine 5 firefighter Peter Deane who was reaching out to the Hispanic immigrants in their district:
http://citybeat.com/2001-09-13/cover2.shtml

LOS ANGELES SKID ROW

Communities in poverty generate more fire and ems calls.  Los Angeles City marries a pumper with a truck company, called a light force, in all but its busiest fire station.  The fire station formerly known as “Skid Row,” includes Truck 9, the only stand-alone truck company in the city.  http://www.firestation9skidrow.com/help.html

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Along with Engines 9 and 209 as well as paramedic Rescues 9 and 209, Station 9 ranks #1, responding to six first due fire incidents a day.  They also average (more…)

Posted by on July 31, 2007 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, commentary, EMS Topics, Patient Management • Tagged: , , , , , ,