Everyone needs to vent

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eric G on July 26, 2008 at 2:13pm

David
The only thing I can say is WOW. I am a company officer on a ladder, fairly new officer (2 years) but I've been on the job for 12 years. Enough about me. You have a problem and it all boils down to paperwork. You have to document this behavior and reference SOP's, General Orders or what ever your term for the department rules are called. If this is a career department make sure you go through your chain of command on disipline. Our first offense is a verbal, second is written, third is suspension, but must be given out by the battalion chief and forth its off to a merit board hearing. As a officer you are liable for the safety of your crew and the people you serve, if this person was a chief he should understand that. Either way this behavior can not be tolerated. The other crew members see this and if you cave to it they will try it on you as well. Simply put you have 4 priorities.
1. You and your crews safety.
2. The safety of the people you serve.
3. The problem you have been called out to take care of.
4. To protect the property you can save.
You need to imbed this in their heads. A 20 year member needs to be helping you teach the younger members THE JOB, the history of the department and help promote "Pride and Ownership" (A plug for Chief Lasky) in their job and the job they do. If he is not doing that he is truely not doing his job. I have told people in the past that "I don't think you have what it takes to be a firefighter, but I hear Taco Bell is hiring", is this right to say? No, but it sure made me feel better.
Sometimes its hard to be politically correct and be a nicer, gentler fire officer.

Good luck
Stay safe

Permalink Reply by David Klotz on July 27, 2008 at 8:44am

Thanks Eric,

This is a volunteer fire company. I have in may occasions documented things that he has done. He also on many occasions taken the wrong apparatus according to our company SOG and nothing has ever been done but him get a talking to. Some examples of this is he took himself and another member to a working house fire with just our mini pumer. First off that immediately breaks the two in two out rule and second we have no hydrants so he only had 200 gallons of water. When asked why he did that he stated well no showed up for the tanker assigment that was dispatched earlier in the day. I was one of those people and the reason I did not show up was becasue I was at work and I knew that our tanker would be gone most of the day as it was going to fill air planes for a local forest fire. The Chief confronted him and just said to him don't do it agian. We also work closely with our rescue squad and there rescue truck is housed in our station until they can build a new station. Well when this truck came in our SOG said that the rescue was to respond first on all MVA's with rescues well for the first almost six months we had several rescue calls and he responded with our Quint only to get there and just stand around with his thumb up his a**. On one occasion they responed and found a woman who was going down hill and they were able to assist with lifting her head up and he got a pat on the back because he saved her life and nothing was ever done about it. One of the things he is best known for is responding with below our minum manning SOG. I can not count the number of times I have personaly pulled into the firehouse come running in past the truck and there is goes pulling out the door with only 4 or three people just beacuse our SOG says that is all you have to have to respond but that is 2 mins after our second dispatch. Now I'm not perfect and i have also done that on some calls when it sounds like something we need to get on the street quick for but this would happen for calls as simple as wires. Well I could pretty much go on all day about what he has done wrong but my point is that with all of these things that he has done nothing ever seems to get done about it and he seems to just get away with everything.

Permalink Reply by Eric G on July 28, 2008 at 6:54am

David
The only other thing that can explain what is going on is a little thing we call FOP (Friend Of the Program). These type of people will never get into trouble due to their friendships in the department or their contributions to the program, you know "Get Out Of Jail Free Cards" and believe me its not just in the volunteer departments. Career departments seem to be plagued with this concept just as bad and until someone like yourself steps up which it sounds like you are trying to do, nothing will ever happen. keep sticking to your guns, safety is paramount in this business the best thing you can do make sure that the rest of the crew does the right thing.

Eric

Permalink Reply by Dennis E Sampson on August 2, 2008 at 8:30pm

Hey David,

I have suffered many times for being the one to change old policy to new but would never change a thing for the accomplishments that have come from it ! You may get some raw deals over time but never and I mean never compromise your beliefs in safety and policy. Follow all your policies and do not be afraid to challenge according to your policy,SOG's but do it in a professional mannor. Life as an Officer is not easy and does not get easier as the years grow. Eventually he will fade away and your younger members will come on board with the new way of thinking and share your thoughts for the future. Respect is earned from your beliefs and how you implement them. Take your policy/SOG and attach a copy of his policy/SOG failure to it and challenge him and do not back down. And if he needs some time off ,give it to him !! Just hope you do not end up like me for enforcing policies, But I'am still here after 35 yrs and still enforcing policies and SOG's !!!!!!!!!

STAY SAFE !! Dennis

Permalink Reply by Richard Michitsch on August 14, 2008 at 5:29am

My department has no established policies and procedures around the establishment and operation of a FD Ladies Auxiliary. However, as I have recently found out, there are the unwritten rules (made up as they go along) that pertain only to certain companies (like mine) only because of who they are. Our Ladies Auxiliary is made up of dedicated members (mothers, wives, daughters, girlfriends, and friends) that support not only our company and department, but all departments when on a fire scene. They provide rehab, water, towels, whatever is needed and to provide these services they ask for donations to support themselves.
Recently, the Ladies have started to ask for donations to purchase the company tools to support the fire department and community. Immediately, a select few members of the department started stirring the pot by making up rules that don’t exist to stop the efforts of our Ladies. All the while the cooks (the pot stirrers) make money hand over fist to support their own company, BUT none of these funds are used to support the fire department and community in the purchase of equipment.
I am appalled and embarrassed to be part of an organization that is made up of cancers that are only concerned with their own self interests and not the communities. I want to know of anyone that is in the same or similar situation as me and value any information that you can provide to assist me with our plight.
What rules do you have? How are your Auxiliary members governed? What do they do? How do you resolve issues like mine? Etc…..
DON’T be the next one, BE safe!
Respectfully
Lt Richard Michitsch

Permalink Reply by Shareef Abdu Nur on December 15, 2008 at 6:52pm

After reading some of the posts here, I realize that I do not have it that bad at all. I don't always agree with my chiefs, but who does? I disagree with some of my FD's tactics, but I am trying to deal with that too. I have learned that changing tactics is more so about changing the mentality and the culture of an FD. With prayer and patience, we will get to where I know we can be.

Permalink Reply by Eric G on December 31, 2008 at 9:31pm

Has anyone noticed that newer firefighters 6 years and less are having a harder time getting it, let me explain. Recently I have noticed that some members of my ladder crew look like they are lost. They concentrarte more on what they are going to do on their off days, how clean the firehouse is and the fact that someone on the other shift didn't do their house duty. They are more consumed by the department rumor mill than the JOB. Recently I had a guest speaker come in and talk about a tragic high rise fire that claimed 2 firefighters lives that he was on. He explained the need to resist complacency and be 100% / 100% of the time. For a while it really made an impact to hear an account of this magnatude from someone who was at this fire, not a report or someone who heard this, but now we are back to look of lost. The mistakes are minor, but they are mistakes and I have addressed them as they have come up but how do you instill in people to focus and remain focused? I just don't see the passion for the JOB in the eyes of newer members as I used to.

Permalink Reply by David Klotz on January 6, 2009 at 4:44pm

We recently had a fire where the truck went staffed with 5. We are an all vol fire department with responses from home. I am LT there and I believe that the truck should be full staffed with 6 when responding. We were dispatched to a dwelling fire the other morning and 4 guys happened to be at the station. One came from home. I went responding and was approching the station when the truck went responding with 5. Once at the station I found that the AC was now getting onto our tanker. as the officer. He works within line of sight of the station. I issue here is I feel that if the first out apparatus would have waited the extra 30 seconds they could of had a truck staffed completely with six. The truck was staffed with 5 however the two of the members are our older members who do not like to wear an airpack unless they absolutly have to. This left them with now three people to fight the fire. However one of the other members on the truck had and airpack malfunction leaving them with now 2 people. I just feel that if they would have waited for the extra person it with the airpack problem it would have still given them three. My other issue is the two pack firefighters are brand new and fresh out of firefighter 1. I was there once and i know that we all have to fight fire eventually but I think if they would have waited they would of had another senior firefighter on the truck to assist with keeping an eye on the two new guys. As a note we use the I am responding system for vol responses and for who ever is not familar with the system it allows members who are responding to dial a phone number and it shows that they are responding and there appox arrival time at the station. This is displayed at a station computer. Am I just over reacting here or what is everyones opinion here.

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