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| I have received several complaints about mistreatment of volunteer firefighters in ECFR. I am going to ask the administrator to look into these--and I hope they are not founded and/or are isolated incidents that can be rectified |
I've been
contacted by multiple volunteer firefighters who are telling me the same
thing: They are not being welcomed, nor
are they being treated fairly. They are
stymied throughout the application process, and new volunteer outreach has
slowed to a crawl. One volunteer with
whom I spoke summed it up grimly.
“The county wants to know why
volunteerism is down in Escambia county it’s not because people don’t want to
be volunteers, it’s because they don’t want to be treated like they’re 3rd
class citizens….volunteers need the help of the commissioners because we are
getting rail-roaded by the career union we need help recruiting if its adds in
the news paper or commercials on the radio or tv anything will help.”
Some of what
I am hearing about the mistreatment is disturbing, to say the least.
In some instances,
the treatment goes beyond just being treated "unfairly" and stymied—in
some of these accounts, which I intend to discuss with our new administrator
today, it sounds like it could be considered harassment, bullying, or hazing.
Regardless
of what one chooses to call it—I find it unacceptable from a professional
organization that is supposed to function as a cohesive unit, together, paid
and volunteer, one force, one fight.
But it does
not sound as if that is happening. The
leadership vacuum persists apparently-which is disappointing coming off of all
the scrutiny the board has demanded based upon a recent harassment claim
settlement in ECFR. We MUST get the
culture sorted out so that everyone is treated fairly,
respectfully, and valued for their service—paid staff and volunteer alike!
According to
one volunteer:
“On multiple mornings after the
volunteers were up all night running calls, the oncoming career crew comes in
the bunk rooms with flash lights and screaming reveille reveille reveille like
we are in boot camp, making it so that volunteers don’t want to spend the night
anymore they make it as hard as possible to be a volunteer firefighter”
With respect
to equipment—this certainly got my attention:
“I feel as a volunteer firefighter I
am treated as a 3rd class citizen my turn out gear is expired by over 8 year
but it’s ok because I’m a volunteer the career personnel on the other hand have
to have 2 sets of in- date gear though.”
Another
volunteer, from a different station, related this to me:
“about the infighting, it’s worse than what
you are seeing. They set a trap in a locker (unlocked) for water to spill at
station XXXXX to see if anyone was digging thru their stuff. They’ve been
locking the engines up on purpose, they’ve taken the straps off the cones on
the volunteer engine so that when we return for a call and take a call, they
would fall off on purpose.”
“a battalion chief got really mad on
scene with volunteers in recent weeks and belittled them on
scene.” He continued
“XXXXXXXX XXX went to the XXXXXXXXX fire and since I’ve been working a lot, I had
a beard. I had a paid Lt tell me ‘you must be a volunteer from walnut hill’ in
front of all the other guys beside him since I had a beard. Not a ‘how are you
or a thank you.’ There’s a lot of issues that are not being read outloud either
because people are following chain of command or people are just giving up.
Many of us have thought about exiting….”
Now, I’ve
never been a firefighter but I’m not naïve either—and I’m sure tensions rise on
a scene and tempers can erupt when adrenaline is pumping. But systemic, repeated mistreatment of just
the volunteers cannot just be swept under the carpet due to stressful job
conditions—some of what I’m hearing takes place away from active scenes. There is a leadership gap that must be
filled, and This infighting must stop.
To coin a
phrase I see a lot online lately “What will it take?”
70 comments:
To take sides of the volunteers shows your political commitment to not have to raise taxes. You are choosing money over lives. Not once have you issued statements about speaking to career staff or administration concerning these claims. In your town hall meeting, you would not even address Acting Chief William's who was in the crowd, but Beau Rodrique was given a "Thank you for your service." You are adding fuel to the fire, pun intended, to save your political career.
All hearsay from one group of people you have decided to listen to. Get stories from both sides. Not only the sides that fit your agenda. Have you talked to the fire chief or public safety director?
Ok. Let’s start here.
Outdated gear....that is the “firefighter’s” chiefs fault for not putting in an order for a new set. It’s against policy to use outdated gear in the fire service. Volunteers all around the county get new gear every year when they ask. So blame that persons station chief.
Next.... the incident you mentioned about the cup of water falling out of the locker. I have heard from multiple people from same station that there is a volunteer and he is a SANTA ROSA DEPUTY that was going through personal lockers while the crew was not in quarters. And it worked!!!!!
Next....you are to be clean shaven to be able to wear a SCBA. Safety. With the exception that you can have a mustache that doesn’t extend below the corner of the mouth.
Next...Policy is, wake up time is 06:00. Should not have to explain that one.
Next..most of the apparatus in the county do not have locks!
Finally, you have never been a firefighter and you ARE naive as you are just getting one side of the story. Instead of being biased, get the facts before you post something like this misinformation!
Oh. I almost forgot. I got yelled at by a Battalion Chief the other day. It happens. My feelings didn’t get hurt.
To take sides in the issue shows your lack of concern for public safety. You are trying to live up to campaign promises of not raising taxes, instead of letting statistics show the need. Your biases were proven at your town hall meeting, when you refused to recognize the acting fire chief, yet made sure the public knew your friend, Beau Rodqique was present.
Until you address the issue, you are only causing more divide.
Stop taking down comments commissioner. Give the people a voice and let them speak. Instead of shutting out what you don’t want to hear.
No need to explain just post the SOG’s unless the volunteers are held at a double standard. Oh wait.... nevermind
Part One
Commissioner Bergosh,
This is rather lengthy and so I apologize for that but there is much to cover.
What would I call this? A knee jerk reaction by someone trying to change the direction and tone of a conversation that has been needed for over a decade, but that's not as catchy a title as the buzz words you've thrown together to elicit an emotional response from the masses.
I am completely amazed at your consistent refusal to speak to the man that you pay to run ECFR, Interim Chief Paul Williams. I cannot comprehend how many times it will take for you to understand that there are no "volunteer departments" in ECFR, only stations. The State of Florida does not recognize any other firefighting entity in Escambia County other than ECFR. We are truly one department, a combination department and will be so for many, many years. Every single firefighter, firefighter trainee, support person, volunteer district chief, battalion chief, and even the office staff answer to Chief Paul Williams. You should talk to him, but as he was the only county employee at your most recent town hall meeting that you did NOT introduce, one must conclude that you do not want to talk to him.
I further cannot understand why you continually reach out to only one side of this house and verbally vomit only the information that you are told without vetting both the information and its source. I would imagine that your constituents have faith that you will research the issues that affect District 1 before firing off misinformation about anything else.
Volunteerism is down across the Country across all areas, not just the fire service. You have been provided information that there are less than 70 active volunteers in Escambia County, yet you called Local 4131 President a liar from the dais and insisted that there are over 300. Later you recanted to President Gradia but only privately and not where the citizens, and tax payers, could hear you. There are many good people that volunteer for ECFR and the firemen on both sides of the line actually get along with each other, sadly there are only a few bad apples, alas, those are often the ones you are taking to.
Part Two
What you have not done is state the actual events behind your accusations laid out in your diatribe:
The trap you reference is referring to a career firemen that was fed up with a volunteer captain, who also happens to be a Deputy Sheriff in Santa Rosa County, who was caught rummaging though the personnel belongings of several of the employees of ECFR. I have often wondered what Sheriff Johnson would think of this? There were multiple volunteer personnel assigned to Station 11 (Myrtle Grove), where the incident occurred who wrote statements attesting to the event. The biggest question I have is why was a sworn law enforcement officer from another county was digging through personnel belongings of several of your employees and why are your not outraged by this? This was reportedly "handled" by the never present nor active volunteer district chief of Station 11. Your employees were forced to lock up their personal belongings to prevent them from being stolen. Did said volunteer that complained to you on this also tell you that they refused to run an emergency call because their blood pressure cuff was broken? A $12 cuff that a career lieutenant pulled another one from "their" other medical bags and gave to them to fix the problem. By the way they still placed their names on the stipend report and got paid for not running this call. I believe that could be construed as fraud, might want to check with Legal on that one.
The cone incident of which you speak was reported by a citizen when she saw Engine 1114, the volunteer engine assigned to District 11, hit a bump on Hwy 98 and Fairfield at a high rate of speed causing the cones to lift off of the tailboard and fall out from under the buckled strap. The volunteer crew did not know this until they returned to the station and the career lieutenant showed them their cones. There is not a single career member assigned to Station 11, or within ECFR, that would touch that apparatus much less take any action that might cause an incident or delay response. That truck is only touched by career personnel on Saturday when the truck is moved to clean the bays, something only done by career personnel. The cones were returned to the station by a civilian. The volunteer complaining about this issue admitted to the on duty career lieutenant that the strap was indeed connected which defeats the claim that someone had messed with the strap.
The gear that you mention being out of date is a fault of the BOCC not providing needed funding to replace gear in a timely manner. Did you enquire of the volunteer if he is even certified? Non-certified personnel are given out of date gear as they are not allowed by State law to operate in a dangerous environment or on emergency scenes. That gear is for them to train in so new gear is not destroyed. (Sounds like a sound financial practice to me.) Did you enquire of any career personnel if any of their gear, primary or secondary, is out of date? My back up set is by the way. Career personnel see much more fire than volunteer personnel as we are ALWAYS present, we don't pick and choose the calls we run. Some of us have a second set as wet gear can cause flash burns on the next fire and we don't get to go home after the call. Just so you know firemen are nearly 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population. We wear the second set, those that have one, while we clean the first set. By the way, the correct washing machines for cleaning this gear would be appreciated, not household washers bought off of eBay.
Part Three
The battalion chief incident you are referencing to where the volunteer was belittled for having a beard. Ooh, you really should have vetted this one my friend. According to your statement that volunteer stated he had been working a lot and had a beard. Did he tell you that his beard was full and groomed? One cannot grow and groom a beard just because he's been busy at work, it takes a good bit of time. Did he tell you that he is NOT certified, yet went to the Perdido Key fire, the multiple million dollars losses fire? I'm sure there residents there really appreciated a guy wearing a fireman's costume while their worldly possession burned to the ground. He only recently obtained his GED, has failed the PAT and attempts at obtaining certification multiple times, but represents himself as a firemen, well to you anyway. He has been at Station 11 for coming up on eight years and is still not certified! County policy allows one year to get the certification, which the department pays for by the way to answer some other recent rant. Did he tell you that having a beard prohibits him from wearing an SCBA by the NFPA, and ECFR SOG, which you should probably read someday. It seems that beards interfere with the face seal of the SCBA and will expose the firefighter to toxic smoke and heat which will either kill him then, or years down the road. Did he tell you the since he was violating NFPA Standards and ECFR policy he would not be covered if he were injured? The Station 15 statement references the many members there that are practicing Mennonites, they actually run calls and take care of their community, and have beards for religious reasons. They do an absolutely wonderful job, but they do not make entry into working structure fires, the whole beard/face seal thing.
Speaking of the bearded one Im sure glad he is one of your primary sources of information from Station 11. I know this because I've seen the emails you and he shared. Remind me later to look up the definition of collusion.
Speaking of injuries are you aware of of the non-certified volunteer trainee at Station 11 (since you get most of your information form there I assume that you are) that quit the Physical Ability Test, but was allowed to stay on at Station 11 by BOCC decision to try and recruit more volunteers? Same BOCC that directed ECFR Training to remove the PT portion of the academy to make it easier. Seems that working out to be fit for one of the most dangerous and physically demanding jobs in the world was too tough on them. This person who could not pass the physical entrance test and was NOT certified therefore not allowed to be operating in hazardous environments or on emergency scenes was fighting fire! An action allowed by three volunteer officers from Station 11, much like the Santa Rosa Deputy referenced above that likes to steal personal belongings, actually went down at that fire and was transported by ECEMS! By the way your constituents tax dollars payed for his treatment and you should thank them for that service. This person was returned to Station 11 and continued to be allowed to volunteer.
Part Four
The up all night statement about career firemen coming in and waking them up could have easily been answered if you ever spoke with the chief of ECFR. The department standard states that personnel shall be up at 0600. The volunteer district chief of that station you speak of, Station 7 Ferry Pass not in your District in case you got lost), actually issued a directive that his personnel will also be up at 0600 to be ready for the day. I guess they didn't get the memo. I promise you that every single career firemen in your fire department has been up all night on hundreds and hundreds of nights to return to the firehouse, many times after 0700, and could not crawl back into bed and sleep. There is work to be done, shifts to change, etc. Did they also tell you that some of them lay around in their bunks through most of the morning and well into the afternoon? Did they tell you that some of them often sleep though company training, hose testing, etc? My personnel record for staying awake at work is 54 hours. all of it due to emergency calls. I then slept for four hours and returned to work due to another major incident.
The leadership vacuum you speak only exist from a certain chamber or two of the BOCC. The harassment settlement you speak of was not a firefighter issue, it was a single person who came in and baited people and then lied in her journal. She was without a doubt the dirtiest most foul mouthed female I have ever encountered. Did you know that she "demonstrated" how she lost her virginity at work by bending over the couch and asking the employees how they lost theirs? Did you know she held up a piece of link sausage off of the plate one morning near her mouth, smiled and said "I do like them big"? I don't even want to mention the video she showed employees of a girl getting Fruit Loops eaten out of, well let's just say an orifice, and asked "Do you like this?" Did you know that the county settled for $175,000 after she turned down the standard $200,000? Why? She tried to take the case Federal and they told her she didn't have a case and she should take the next thing the County offered. You might have known some of this if you spoke to the Country fire chief, or any of the 168 career personnel that work for you instead of just reading her diatribe.
There is no career volunteer issue other than the ones you make by talking to the wrong people and only listening only to one side. The men and women of ECFR are some of the hardest working firemen I have ever met. Per capita we are the busiest fire fighting fire department in the State of Florida by more than 25%. There are a few on this force I would lay my life down for without hesitation. Can you say that?
We are sworn to protect the citizens of this county and that is all we are trying to do, but as this is a government operation we need the governments help to do that the right thing. That is what it will take. That, and pennies a day as that is all the MSBU increase amounts to.
Sadly you will just have to call me a taxpayer who gives a damn.
Publix servant that makes 80 thousand a year for a handful of hours a year!
My My...someone has their bloomers in a wad.
Well said anonymous. It's a shame this guy won't read it. This won't get him votes and I'd be surprised if it stays up.
No. Just stating facts!
"They set a trap in a locker (unlocked) for water to spill at station XXXXX to see if anyone was digging thru their stuff."
How'd you find out they set a trap?? Oh wait cause you were snooping through another person's belongings, that's right.
This is very one sided, why not talk to both sides??
I hope you aren't referring to the firefighters that make $10.79/hour and work over 2,880 hours a year.
I hope hes ready to defend his seat next electio . Im sure the citizens of District 1 wont appreciate his lack of concern for their safety. Heres a quick poll for you Jeff,
1. Who here would like a firetruck with proper staffing to respond to their house in an emergency?
I bet it would be more than the made up 50% from the other night.
The problem with videoing is screenshots tell a different story.
working as a total beverage distributor as a delivery driver, we knew the owner and The COO and were cordial with both. However, it was UNHEARD of for anyone to jump over the head of their department manager let alone their branch president, to go complain to the COO. Everything I know about fire departments across the country is the operate with a chain of command. Just like at a corporate company, there’s a procedure for going to the top. So what if they are a citizen of the county, why do they have direct access to the board to file complaints? Do the career personnel also have this privilege or do they have to go through their chain of command? Ask yourself what type of image are you selling? An honest (used loosely) politician? Or a propagator of a “good ol boy club?”
In regards to the “booby trap” if you don’t think there is something wrong with the person rummaging through another person’s personal belongings, let me know where you park and I’ll be happy to come rummage through your car. Be careful what philosophies you show support especially as a political figure.
Just for clarification, out of date gear has a manufactured date greater than 10 years.
Mr. Bergosh. I want to thank you first of all for having a town hall meeting Monday. I was finally able to attend. I listened to you with an open mind until you again crossed a line that no commissioner or councilman should cross! Pick sides in a public safety arena and choosing to do a floor vote of sorts. I am truly disgusted by your way of "governing". As a retired public servant I cannot comprehend your inability to follow simple and ethical guidelines we all are bound by. You left me no other choice than to pick up the phone and talk to a couple of acquaintances I still have left in Tallahassee. Your lack of professionalism places a stain on all of us who have chosen to represent the communities we live and work in. I may have retired but this abomination almost wants me to come back out of retirement and educate your constituents on all the missteps you have taken. Since I have to take care of my health and my family's, I can not do this. However you can rest assured that I will throw my full support to whoever decides to represent our district when elections come around. You have ignored and alienated one of your most valuable resources: those in public safety who almost make a living below the poverty line. As I've told you before, volunteerism is commendable , but no longer reliable and the facts show it. I have obtained the fact myself and they are close to identical to those distributed by the professional firefighter of Escambia. Mr. Bergosh you have completely failed your mission as a commissioner. I am deeply troubled that you represent my district in which I own three residences and will no longer stand for it. You have woken an older sleeping bear. When we as public servants take our oaths we know we have to be honest, ethical, and professional of which you haven't followed the first. Disgusted!!
You've made big mistake commissioner. Letting people lie to you and then bashing the men/women who have worked so hard for this county. Best thing you can do is find out the truth and publically apologize for making a big mistake and letting people have the wrong agenda lie straight to your face. I pray you do what's right before it's to late. I know 100 percent this one is going to bite you in the butt one day soon. They're just using you and you will go down with them if you don't get the facts and do what's right.
Anon 9:08--I've given the investigator the information I have been given. It seems that there are a lot of volunteers that have not been treated fairly, and I will let the investigation sort that out. If I am wrong, and the multiple contacts I have received describing improper treatment are flat out an totally debunked by a proper investigation--then I will say so. Meanwhile, it is my job to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer resources and that means when I hear the volunteers are being run out on the one hand-----and a tax increase is "necessary" on the other hand because "we have no more voulunteers" and we NEED more paid staff--------yeah, I'm going to look into that Nick. That's what is going to happen and I make NO apologies for that. Let's see where the chips fall..............
You're one sided information??? Let's be honest.. it's all about the money for you and not the safety of the citizens...
Your short sidedness into just winning the next elections shows your lack of ability as a leader. To say that the increase will only help the career side is blatantly wrong. Where will the training be spent? Who will receive new trucks, gear, airpacks, uniforms, etc? EVERYONE.
You have a deep seeded hatred for anything union, and it shows. But your choice to be a career politician will be coming to an end. Looks like many other comments above will have you sweating in November.
You couldn't hack on the school board, so you found something else with power. Do the right thing, be the leader Escambia County needs, not the guy making campaign promises before it matters.
I'll say this and I'm done, hopefully your investigation is quick enough to show you the truth before this becomes worse than it already is. The career side isn't out to get anyone. They're trying to educate and do what is best for the citizens of Escambia. I don't understand why everyone is so set against the career firefighters. If what is being asked can't be done then it can't. Since the career side has been established in 2000 they have always looked out for the citizens. Yes feeling's have been hurt, but when your dealing with life safety, you've got to do what is best for the community. Many volunteers do a great job. It's easy to tell which ones. Don't let a few disgruntle ones feed you a bunch of lies that hurt this department to the point of failure. You have a great group of firemen, but without the backing of the commissioners you have a great group of firemen with nothing but hope that one day there voice is heard and people will believe in them before it's to late. The stuff you're seeing online isn't a scare tactic. It's the truth. These men and women have put to much time, sweat, and tears into this organization to just make up statistics for personal benefit. Just please look into this before it's to late. I pray you see the truth before it's to late. Thank you.
No. The county commissioner. And if elected to two term, they receive full pension. In just two terms!! A firefighter has to work 25 year to achieve the same. Not Monet wise. Calculation wise.
Commissioner you might want to step away from this issue. As most know, the career/volunteer issue is ongoing. Always has been. It’s never been rectified. NEVER! History always repeats. May be the reason they can’t keep a FIRE CHIEF in place for long. You’d expect more from grown men BUT not this group. Sad situation really!
As a member of Escambia County Fire Rescue, and a Volunteer Fire Captain assigned to Station 7 (Ferry Pass), Chief Aaron along with the entire Volunteer and Career staff operate effectively as a combination staffed fire station at one of the busiest fire station in the county and it works. It’s not always going to be easy but through mutual respect and strong work ethic from the leadership on both sides we complete the mission together as a unified front.
As far as the budget goes, I hope county staff/commissioners support an increase to help the Fire Department as a whole continue to provide the services the citizens Expect when they call for help.
Members from both sides will benefit and need equipment such as air packs, PPE, tools and equipment, and other important items that can be purchased so we can properly do the job.
-706 Capt. Hefty
ECFR Sta7 (Ferry Pass)
You put all the beach info out in the public forum, why not put out the facts and info about public safety paid-on-call firefighters?
Was there something missing from the agenda today? Did fire get what they wanted? I don’t think so. Maybe if everyone would grow up, quit fighting and do the job they so vehemently say they support. They could have gotten the money in the budget for the things they need! Not today! What happened to “what will it take” and “ask the hard questions” oh and “it’s worth the risk” well after everything the union and fire did the last few month’s you’d think they’d get the budget they so desperately wanted. Sad, fire will only ever get what they deserve! Bunch of idiots to think otherwise. Maybe stop fighting and be the team you’re supposed to be for the citizens of Escambia County. How about that???
Ha...Ha...Ha! Hey Nick Gradia...that was a nice little hissy fit you threw at the podium today! What did it get you???? NOTHING. And for all those firemen standing behind you with the threat of leaving if you don’t get what you want. Let them leave. Everyone is replaceable REMEMBER THAT! Enjoy the struggle...you guys are going to have a lot more of that. Guaranteed! You just thought you removed THE problem. You have no idea do you?
THE Pryor speak of was most definitely Mike Weaver. BEVER TOOK A STAND FOR PUBLIC SAFETY! He would pussyfoot around because he was replaceable. Why would you have an uneducated good ole boy running, I mean ruining a multi year budget issu .
And they wont be walking out, they will be laid off. But I guess when the first firehouse closes, maybe then we will "get what we deserve"
Real mature. Must be one that got his poor feelings hurt. As you see the difference here, all the above puts facts out and anon 5:56 puts this out. Childish. As you can see, you are the problem!? Have a good day.
Ha Ha, so you took a big stand and got NOTHING. Maybe your not as powerful as you thought
You just don’t know.
Anon6:25
I guess this is the way paid on call people act!??
Sounds like a Myrtle Grove paid on call member?
Since you say these are the facts, it very well illustrates that there is a problem with the culture and there’s no interest in changing it. Just showing excuses.
Volunteerism is a revolving door of "journeymen" never capable of reaching master skill level due to, lack of funding, lack of training, and lack of time... out the door they go and in walks another even less educated yet willing member... life happens. Yet the "journeyman"/probationary firefighter on the career side will receive about 190hrs of training annually, real experience, and gets trained in Emt and paramedic, hazardous materials, technical rescue, and leadership. It's the way the fire service has evolved not the career or volunteers fault. Fire departments have became ALL HAZARDS agencies and not just put out fires. A volunteer today does not have the time to commit to becoming the ALL HAZARDS firefighter you expect them to be. Volunteer firefighting is the history of the fire service but now is the thorn in the side of progress. Your residents dont deserve a maybe, they deserve properly trained life savers who commit to a career of life saving not just their time off their real jobs for maybe a couple years at best. Experience matters, and if not I'm sure you can find a volunteer surgeon, or airline pilot, or even better a volunteer commissioner to take care of you when you need those services
Nick was admonished yesterday for trying to state a decision he had no authority to do so. So here you you again with this “paid on-call”. Wether you like the stipend volunteers get, Escambia County has volunteers. The IRS doesn’t take payroll taxes And an audit by the Division of Labor showed that this meets the definition of volunteer. Leave these decisions to the grownups.
We did not care for the two union votes of No Confidence to attempt to discredit and ruin the Director's, as well as other long term employees career and reputation then attempt to strong arm money from the taxpayers.
You don't set the building on fire then claim a need.
It was very distasteful. We look forward to the outcome of this yet another internal investigation.
Simple as that.
Learn some negotiation skills and manners.
Glad you ask for the investigation
CHANGE ORDERS????
what's up with all that?
Director Weaver was the creator of the financial downfall of Fire. Only cared about his paycheck not the department he oversaw.
Wow great spin artist. You know you love the culture of harassment and have changed the subject of this original post. The multi-part poster gave great detail stating it’s ok to harass and bully if you have a reason. With the knowledge listed of “facts” it’s quite obvious this is a person in senior leadership.
The culture you hide and rally around is a disgrace to firefighters. You can be professionals just because you used it in your registration title.
Policies is not there for change. And when you want to prove a Santa Rosa Sheriffs deputy is going through personal items and lockers, your statement is void. Again. No excuses. Just facts to rebut the D1 person that thinks he is in the know!
Because paid on call is considered contract labor. Your own contractor. Paid on call personnel pay taxes on that when they do their taxes. IRS get theirs. Thanks for trying though.
Not contract either. Keep trying to be the ultimate decision makers, the BOCC is. We are volunteers until they say different.
We need more money for our firefighters and equipment but we got money to have LT testing that cost the county money....
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al.com/opinion/2018/12/how-mobile-fire-rescue-became-one-of-the-top-fire-departments-in-the-country.html%3foutputType=amp
A city that supports public safety!
No. Just a rebuttal to the outrageous claims by Jeff. And it will all come to light when all the states by Jeff proves false. Good try though.
Let's look at the bigger issue. we (escambia county) have a five member board that, for the most part, is ignorant of how the basic services for their county operate. when a commish sits there upon hearing the units are double assigned and i quote, "that's good, keep em rolling, keep em moving". it is apparent he has no idea of how overworked the ems crews are. he has no idea of the expense when an engine rolls to handle a medical call.
it is also apparent their ignorance when they ask basic questions about the combination service. when bergosh sits there and says, i spoke with this volunteer, that volunteer and they say this and they say that but won't hold a candid conversation with the man that is in charge of the department, it speaks to his lack of courage and willingness to get all three sides of the story. all the issues that he was so distraught about that the paid-on-call were complaining about were direct violations of ecfr sog's. are there instances where issues may have not been handled properly, sure. we can work on those in house w/out commish interference. the entire board, with the exception of one, seems reluctant to ask the hard questions. brush trucks and pov's won't solve the problem. consider this, what's the common denominator in this whole equation? is there an issue at the stations where the career and paid-on-call ff's are in the same house? is the issue with those paid-on-call ff's where the lack of participation is quite evident given the data that was presented from and established and verified? take a look at the numbers bergosh. you talk a big game in your high back leather chair. put your feet to the ground and go see for yourself. i think you're afraid of what you will find. as long as this has been going on, you should be well versed in this matter. you seem well versed on the bridge toll, and everything else that matters to you. does public safety matter to you? do those who work for public safety matter to you? what does matter to you? your answer will be, i want to do what is best for the taxpayers. not raise taxes. meanwhile, you sit and smile and have no regard for those citizens who are paying the same taxes and not receiving the same services. what is your reply to them? what are you going to tell them when they have to wait for personnel to respond from further away because the lack of response from the jurisdictional department, regardless if it is a paid-on-call station or a career station? i am not afraid to ask the hard questions. the citizens should not be afraid to ask and you should not be afraid to answer with correct answers and factual answers.
Oh here we go. Because you have one Commissioner who apparently listens and repeats what the IAFF tells him, he “asks the hard questions”. This same commissioner put on his Facebook page “look at the amazing job your firefighters are doing” referring to the ISO score for receiving and handling alarms. This is the score for the dispatchers/ 911 center not anything the firefighters are doing. I see that none of you IAFF brothers chose to correct him on that.
There were so many promises when the 1st firefighters were hired. We will get hydrant testing, pre fire plans and hose testing done in all districts. Their are now 5 x as many paid firefighters and those scores are still low.
I know you’ll say your too busy running calls in other districts. Always blame others....Your answer to what will it take
as far as the commish who as you state, "asks the hard questions", he sees the data and he understands how his public safety dept operates. he doesn't repeat what the iaff tells him. he's his own man. if you want to go down that path, one could say that the commish that sponsors this blog apparently listens and repeats what the paid-on-call ff's tell him. so it seems those statements pretty much cancel each other out. it is hard to fathom that an elected official basically refuses to speak with the fire chief or even acknowledge him at a public meeting, especially when they are discussing operations of the fire department. that only leads one to believe that he is afraid to get to the bottom of the debacle that is the budget, personnel and operations of the fire department.
the places where all those things you mentioned were accomplished were done by the career ff's. paid-on-call ff's, at a few south end stations, barely get calls covered as the data showed form the reports that were run. what makes you think they (p-o-c ff's) are responsible for all the things you mentioned and get the data entered. the data previously entered in fhweb was minimal at best. the scores came up due to the career ff's entering the proper data, which came from accomplishing those things you say they didn't. let's not use the term paid ff's. all ff's are paid in escambia. at least those with the following; FFI or FF2, those that make 25% of the calls, training and meetings at their particular fire station. they get a stipend at the end of each month. so the term volunteer needs to be put to bed. so 25%, 25% is all you need to make a stipend. can you imagine if the career crews made only 25% of the calls? all those things mentioned get completed. in some cases by both the career and the paid-on-call ff crews. the data is there now. it wasn't before. have you sat down and looked at a map of the hydrants in escambia county? have you sat down and looked at the number of businesses in escambia county? go to a career engine and ask to see their pre-fire plan books. some of them look like a war & peace novel swallowed a ream or two of of paper. run the data yourself and see who the person was that completed the items of which you claim haven't been done. i guarantee the minority will be the paid-on-call ff crews. the career crews have evaluations that include a portion that is graded for those such things. do you think for one moment, that if what you claim were true, there would be more demotions than you could shake a stick at. with that i leave it to you to do the research and verify your claims. you truly are being misled or choose to be misled or are just ignorant. i'm not sure which it is or it may be a combination of all three. your tone is angry and i can't figure out why. do you feel threatened? do you feel incompetent? do you feel like something is being taken away from you? i am sorry you are so angry but it doesn't look good. i hope you feel better and can come to a resolution to want to work with the career personnel as many of the paid-on-call crews do. i hope your day gets better.
Huh?^^
WTH is all this?? These guys sound like Morgan/Haines did trying to get money a couple of years ago.
by the way, you mentioned all districts. that would be impossible since they only placed career ff's where they were needed due to manpower shortages or lack of manpower. it was a process to place them in fire stations where they were needed. all in all, they have been accomplishing those things you mentioned that weren't getting done. not sure how else to explain it you other than what my reply was. it was a bit rambling but overall your point about career ff's not getting it done is invalid. you obviously have never taken the time to research and review the data that has been entered into fhweb by the career ff's and poc ff's as well.
while i'm thinking about it, did you consider the statement you made and it's context? and I quote, "There were so many promises when the 1st firefighters were hired. We will get hydrant testing, pre fire plans and hose testing done in all districts. Their are now 5 x as many paid firefighters and those scores are still low."
basically you have stated that prior to career ff's staffing fire stations, these things didn't get accomplished as well as calls going unanswered. so what now? will you back up your statement and accusations with proof?
Director Weaver was not the creator of fires problems. And cry me a river...EVERYONE cares about their paychecks. Look at fire they want more and more for their budget TO BETTER THEIR PAYCHECKS! But, as long as that Union president is standing at the podium trying to strong arm the BOCC and go on the radio with his mouth. Boy, Commissioner Barry took care of that very quickly. You can bully and run your mouth all you want. It will NEVER get you anywhere. So if fire doesn’t CARE about their paychecks then shut up. But I guarantee you won’t find a better job making all that good decent pay for maybe working a fire, sitting around the fire house and getting all that overtime pay. So like i said cry me a river!
You are correct, everyone cares about their paychecks. You are also correct about fire wanting to better their paychecks, who wouldn't? The Union President that you speak of is standing behind a podium and trying to make Escambia County a safer place for all of us from what I have read and gathered. What are you doing to make your County better? Every month this man and other Union members strive to make this County better. Everyone of our citizens deserve better medical care and fire protection. Facts not opinions, are the driving force of any business/organization. The Citizens of Escambia County deserve the same care as any other large entity out there. Take a look at other fire departments to the East of Escambia and all the way down to South Florida. These departments are thriving, keeping employees, have 5 year plans, 10 year plans, etc. The City of Pensacola, Pace, Midway, they are all growing and bettering themselves, and providing better service for their Citizens. At the end of the day a fire department is a business, and it needs to be ran like a business. Opinions are good, but you run a business based off of factual information. As a citizen of Escambia, I have seen the fire department grow and have seen a slight raise in our fire taxes over the years. If our fire department of Escambia County is stating that they need more money to operate because of growth, an old fire truck fleet, more fire stations, remodel existing fire stations, the need for pay raises to compete with higher paid fire departments, etc...then lets give them the amount of tax money/other fund ideas that they need to operate efficiently and correctly. Growth requires more money, that is the bottom line. Thank you.
As of lately, career firefighters are a disgrace! The citizens of Escambia County are watching every move and word you all say. Watch yourself.
YES JULY 18, 2019 County administrator report 5. 16447 minute 8:35
Rogue 1 commissh saying **make the budget-- bring it and I'll cover it ** (parapharsed ) is BS. He knows the other 4 will have to be good stewards and he attempts to look like a messiah. He is not wearing an invisibility cloak. Mr emissary strikes again.
these comments show that the culture hasn’t changed since the harrassment case... and that is just sad.
Paid on call... better start paying up most fire departments offers 15 or 30 per call like Pace. They seem to be doing well too. Just saying....
Maybe it’s time for the volunteer system to move to a paid on call — 15 to 20 per call in order to increase retention and recruitment and a higher amount for filling in for a career position that is vacant?? Be apart of the solution.. research this
Why dont you use the money we are wasting on a lt exams. Why don't you use the money for air packs or other life saving equipment?
Why are we wasting money on Lt exams...How much does it cost to put this on??? Don't we need life saving equipment??
Check our contract LT exam is required, don’t hate, unionize
ON the un certified equipment---could the old just have been certified?
They try to blame commissioners but did they simply fail to get the certifications done.
Can't they train some one to certify them.
I just don't trust all this and the politics behind it all. They may be in ol condition and working just didn't get the label.
What will happen to the old equipment..ask those question. Can they be certified?
Question Everything.
They put up a Chick fil sign to try to fool people.
On line NG saying he had a nice talk with Barry but in the July 18 meeting Barry still seemed irritated.
Notice NE has a line in an article that it would take .5 million to repair and replace. Half a million compared to 2.9million. Plus the IFF post a chick fila comparison. The starting pay is under 10 dollars per hour. No wonder people laughed in Palm Bay and Orlando and asked did Escambia have any money left in the budget.
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