Replacement of ECFR Station #20 Is Quickly Moving Forward---but How Come Station #20 Was Closed in the First Place?

The frontrunner parcel for creation of the long-awaited, new ECFR Station #20, is just south of Hwy 98 on the East Side of Bauer Road.

It has been too long now, since the closure of ECFR Station #20 by Escambia County several years back.

A lot has happened since the closure in 2018 and today--including very tumultous contract/pay issues with the former sheriff, OLF-8 acquisition, Jail Rebuilding, Hurricane Sally, and the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic--just to name a few.  And as it is with most things government--nothing happens quickly.  As an example:  The hurculean effort at building a modern fire station in Beulah to replace Station #2 in that community began in earnest in 2014, 9 years ago,  with former Commissioner Robertson.   I took the torch in 2016 and have championed that project ever since.  But it is,was, and has been a long road on that one.  Currently, it is under construction, named, and slated for opening in 2024.

But there is a stark difference between Station #20 and staion #2.  Which I will explain, in depth, below.

HOW DID STATION 20 CLOSE--AND WHY THE LONG DELAY ON A REPLACEMENT?

Just about one year into my tenure as the District 1 Commissioner, a meeting was requested with me by a former county administrator and a former public safety director to discuss the issues with ECFR station #20.  I was told the station needed to be closed due to a lease issue with the property's owner--combined with a lack of need for the small, under-equipped and infrequently utilized facility. (e.g. I was told the station had responded to an average of one structure fire per year in the previous 5 year period).  I was also told that an agreement could be made with the Lillian Volunteer Fire Department (just over the Lillian Bridge in Alabama) to provide emergency fire coverage/protection for the area that had up until then been served by ECFR station #20.  Being a new commissioner, I took them at their word, did not push back (after all, they were the subject matter experts and in the executive branch--I am in the legislative--so this was their call to make), and the station subsequently closed.  That's what happened.

And very little transpired on that specific topic over the subsequent 12 months.  But then, just about a year after #20 closed, when we had a new administrator, I started getting angry calls from residents about their property insurance skyrocketing and being "non-renewed" due to their "ISO rating" going up.  Adding to the angst--several calls for fire support came in to that geographic area and were not responded to by the Lillian Volunteer Fire Department. They didn't just not get there late--they didn't respond at all.  So it was a double whammy I didn't see coming at the time.  And looking back in time, to the meeting where I was told that station #20 had to close--I realized that the critically important impact to my constituents in that area---massive property insurance rate hikes and possible non-renewal of some constituent policies due to the ISO rating increasing--was never imparted to me in that meeting with the administrator and public safety director.  

Nope, I was not told about the serious, damaging implication the loss of our own fire station would have on the residents in the area via these massive insurance premium increases and subsequent ISO rating increases--which drive the cost increases for insurance.  Shame on me for not knowing that, but I did not know that as a first year commissioner.  But staff should have been honest with me and told me--because they knew the ISO rating would be implicated but failed to tell me.  Had I been told, I would have pushed back and I suspect they know that.  Staff has to be honest with the policymakers, and if they know something but fail to tell the legislative that funds such operations for whatever reason (expediency, hesitence to discuss a tough issue, whatever the case may be?)---it is akin to a lie, so far as I am concerned.  If you know and don't tell me, you have lied to me, period. 

Those two individuals are gone, and there have been multiple administrators and public safety directors since that time.  The current staff are very well aware and attentive to this matter--which is why this in now moving ahead.  More on that below.

But back to the history.  So after a new administrator was brought in in 2019, and a new public safety director as well, I pleaded with them to bring a solution to the station #20 issue.  That former administrator's response:  "Commissioner-there are lots of houses in the county that are not located within 5 miles of a station."  Okay, I understand that and on it's face that is a true statement.  The difference here is my constituents had a station, had coverage and a concomittant lower ISO rating, and the county PULLED this resource from them with no plan to replace it.  That is the difference.  And I feel as though I was deceived in the way it was done due to the important facts left out of that initial meeting's discussion:  ISO and Insurance imlications.

So from 2019-2020 I kept bringing the issue up.  The flaccid, slow-rolling response from the now former administrator was unnerving and infuriating.  It was on the back burner.  Heck, it took 8 months of agitation by me to get that administrator to get off the dime and provide necessary mattresses to the volunteer firemen at station 2 who were at that time sleeping on ROCKs as mattresses.  Every excuse under the sun about those delays.  I fianally had to threaten to take my truck and county credit card to mattress discounters and buy the mattresses myself.  Shortly thereafter, as if by magic, the mattresses were delivered to station #2.  

So yeah, I pressed that administrator about replacing #20.  We could do it at the southwest sports

Fire Union Lawyer's Public Records Request of Me will be Time Consuming..

Some folks deridingly refer to public records requests as "fishing expeditions."  I just think they are a part of the job and a part of the law.   And some such requests do require an inordinate amount of time to complete--as will be the case with this one that has recently been made of me...if a "fishing expedition" is what this is, I hope they remember to never bring bananas on the boat........its bad luck.

The public records law is one I take very seriously.  It is part of an important system of checks and balances that applies to all of Florida's agencies, departments, offices,  and elected officials.

Over the course of my 15 years as a locally-elected public official, I have fulfilled dozens of these.  No problem, no worries.   I finished a large one in 2018 at the request of the sheriff's office--it was huge and filled an entire box--hundreds of pages.  I got it done within 30 days.  I finish them quickly, and I answer them completely.  As a matter of fact I just finished one up last week and turned in the documents, it was a rather quick one to complete.  Some are easy and I turn them around immediately where it is practical to do so. (e.g. one email, or one specific document requested).

But now comes a rather extensive one from a law firm out of Fort Myers Florida, pictured below. 

This one appears to be at the behest of our local paid firefighter's union.  

But why this request, and why now?

--The union is more than likely still simmering over the fact that they worked so hard to get my opponent elected in the race for county commissioner last summer--yet the guy they backed got vaporized--he finished a distant 3rd place--not even close to being in the running. Even with their endorsement, even with their members holding signs and writing checks and dressing up in costumes on the side of the road waving at cars....  Didn't matter, didn't help, he got smoked.  

--Perhaps a few of them are still sore because I posted every employee of the county's salary online---to include all the firefighters? (many making $70K, $80K, $90K yearly--many making six figures.)    

--They might be angry because a campaign rule and county policy was broken by some personnel that would not fess up-- and a campaign sign was brought onto county property-- in a fire station--leading to a letter of reprimand for some senior fire staff.  

--We're in the process of bargaining a new contract with the union locally--maybe they are mad about that (but why?)?  

--Maybe they're mad because I've said HELL NO to raising the fire MSBU on taxpayers

--They're probably mad because I blew the whistle on the way good, hard--working volunteers were being treated poorly and run out of fire houses. And I demanded an investigation.

--A few are mad because after this despicable post was made on the union's facebook page FALSELY claiming a "lack of resources" at a recent fire was what caused a civilian casualty--there was actually some consequences meted out by administration.  

That post on the facebook site was reprehensible, unprofessional, and disgusting.  Most importantly--it was a lie.  I got the actual fire incident report and we had one unit on scene within two minutes, and several others within four minutes.  We ended up with 7 or 8 trucks and 69 personnel on that scene in a very quick timeframe.  So

Preliminary Planning for Additional, Paid Fire Service Personnel Coverage for Beulah's Station 2 is Underway

I have asked for a proposal on costs for adding additional personnel to Beulah's Station 2.  The preliminary plan would require $220,000 in new revenue to fund--which I am working a plan to do...

I've lived in Beulah for the last 17 years--and I've watched the residential housing growth out here explode.  It is part of the reason I ran for this job in 2016--to find creative ways to more intelligently plan for and manage the growth.  Meanwhile, lots of folks have made lots of money in real estate out here.  A MASSIVE up-zoning happened in 2015, farm property got turned into more subdivisions, and we've all seen our property values rise.  Creating wealth and value is great--but there are also consequences to explosive growth.

Yes-there are ramifications.  Or, as Newton put it aptly in 1687-- "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"

We've seen the impacts on our traffic and our schools.  There are impacts to stormwater.  

There are impacts to the call load of Beulah's Volunteer fire station on 9-Mile road, as well.

With the BCC moving toward a compromise plan for our OLF-8 property that will more than likely add a lot more residential dwellings and large retail structures--which in turn will exacerbate our current traffic gridlock--we also have to be cognizant of our fire service coverage out here.

I have strongly supported the volunteers at Station 2 in Beulah since I have lived here--and I still do now, more than ever.  These men and women are excellent and they do a great job.   These volunteers will soon have a new, modern fire facility which is being designed right now, and for which the board has committed a total of $4 Million to build.

But because the growth at OLF-8 will push the capabilities of the stretched-thin Station 2 volunteers--I have had staff produce a plan for adding a three man, paid firefighter crew during the daytime hours at Beulah's station 2 (not dissimilar to what we do for the Century Fire Station in District 5--which also enjoys coverage from paid firefighters during the daytime hours).  IMPORTANTLY:  I am NOT advocating for the replacement of the volunteers at station 2; to the contrary--I am also, simultaneously working a plan to bolster and grow the roster of volunteers at Beulah.  That plan is already underway.  Bottom Line:  Station 2 will remain a volunteer station--albeit with daytime support from a 3-man paid firefighter crew to assist with coverage---if I can get funding and support for this from my counterparts on the board.

Meanwhile, all this growth that will necessitate additional coverage utilizing paid firemen from ECFR begs the question about funding.  According to the study I received back from Fire Admin late last week--it will cost about  $220,000.00 yearly in additional funding to add a paid three man team to Station 2 for the peak 45 hours weekly of call activity.  

I believe we may be able to fund the first two years of this additional, enhanced coverage for Beulah utilizing Federal Rescue Plan funding;  eventually, as OLF-8 gets developed, I support adding impact fees, a TIFF, or an enhanced MSBU (or some combination of these three) --ONLY on the developments permitted there (on OLF-8) in order to offset this additional $220,000 in costs thereby eliminating the need to raise the county-wide MSBU.   I do not and will not support raising the MSBU county-wide.

I intend to bring this topic and this plan to an upcoming meeting of the board.  Stay tuned.  Meanwhile- take a look at the initial, draft, and very preliminary estimate and plan below....

Opinions Offered for ECFR-- from a Non-Selected Applicant for ECFR Chief....

I was contacted by one of the applicants for fire chief who was not selected.  He sent me a multi-page, stream of consciousness conglomeration of ideas, thoughts, opinions, and internet research data...some of it very interesting

I received an interesting email late yesterday evening from one of the more than 60 persons who applied to be the next ECFR Chief.  This individual was not selected as a finalist-but nonetheless he wanted to offer some thoughts, opinions, and ideas.  He wanted to leave his "2-cents" worth with me-so far as I could tell.

Not unlike an exit interview-this pre-hire stream of consciousness conglomeration of ideas put to paper that I received does have some useful stuff.  Although neither I nor my counterparts on the board have any voice in who gets selected ultimately in this position--it is a window into at least one applicant's thoughts as he moved through the application process.

This individual forwarded pages and pages of bullet points, data he had researched, comments he had read online about the department, information he had compiled about our department, and other tidbits of information he felt was important to pass along.

I responded to him, and I thanked him for his interest in the position and for his thoughts and ideas--some of which I believe have merit, some of which we are already working toward, most of which I was already aware--- and some of which I do not believe would be supported by the board.

Nevertheless---there are some nuggets in his email--which I have saved exactly as he sent it-unedited- here.

(I did remove his name, email and phone number from this document though.)

From his email:

---"Staffing Issues:

Career Staff:

"This may make you think I am crazy, but if you change from the 3 shift (24/48hour shifts) to a 4 day shift (2 – 10 hours day, 2 - 14 hour night and 4 days off) system you actually can save money. As you will see in the examples below that cutting down on Overtime will help with the Budget a lot. Yes you will need to add more personal but it will save money over all on salaries."

---Apparatus

"I do feel that there is to many Apparatus and the maintenance Program is over tacked to keep it all up and operating at 100%. Someone needs to figure out a realistic number of Apparatus that are needed for Front Line Service and Reserve units in each class of Apparatus With all these Engines shown above, I feel are too many and you should reduce to:Engines = 1 per Station and In the Volunteer Companies only as many as they can provide the 4 per Engine manning for.  Have 1 Reserve Engine for every 5 Front Line EnginesAs replace Front line Apparatus, the best of the Apparatus taken out of service should be moved to Reserve Status and the Reserves at that time be sold off"

---Staffing/Salary:

"Work to get volunteers train so if and when there is a Department hiring they are able to apply for career positions. Utilize all Volunteers as long as they seek to VolunteerChanging over to a 4 Work Shift system and adding a Flying Squad to each shift"

Read his complete, unedited and unmodified document with suggestions and ideas for ECFR here.

The Next ECFR Fire Chief Hiring Status: Lots of Issues to Fix and 60 Names on a List.......

According to staff the process for hiring the Fire Chief is underway and the eventual  successful candidate will be hired sometime shortly after the new year.  This is good news as solid leadership is DESPERATELY NEEDED!

One of the county positions for which I have advocated the loudest and for which others have as well is the Escambia Fire Chief position. We currently have this position filled with an interim, temporary placeholder. In fact, it's been going on two years since our last permanent Fire Chief, Rusty Nail, left the job shortly after taking the job in the first place after a lengthy search the county conducted. 

 And since this time, this has been the position I believe we most desperately need filled. I've stated the fact bluntly--stated it publicly at meetings and privately to staff: There is a total and complete lack of leadership in that department right now---in part I believe this is due to the lack of a fire chief, a leader.

We need strong, competent leadership in that role and this has been absent for many years now. Too long. And in the meantime--unprofessional conduct has been tolerated. And what is tolerated is condoned. What is tolerated and condoned becomes behavior and culture that is embraced. 

 But this is going to get corrected, and this is going to get fixed. 

Eventual 3rd place finisher, 
BCC candidate signs were
found in ECFR station 6
in August--in violation of
county ordinance-resulting in
a letter of reprimand for one
ECFR Battalion Chief....

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate violation of County Policy regarding political signs on Public Properties and in Public Fire Houses. 

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate efforts to "run-off" well-trained and perfectly capable volunteers--several blatant instances of which are being investigated as I write this. 

Imagine the fantasy world where an
employee is asked a direct question for
which he knows the answer
regarding an investigation and such an
employee responds by saying to his boss
"I know the answer, but I won't tell you!"

 --We will fix the unprofessional, despicable, and unacceptable conduct by those in fire who put out deliberately inaccurate misinformation on social media immediately after a tragic loss of life fire where certain personnel attempted to leverage this tragedy (totally disregarding the victims' families in the process) for union negotiations and bargaining. (when asked which employee it was that posted inappropriate, misleading, and false information online regarding a fire at which a citizen died-- the only three employees that had administrative posting rights and "access" to this site actually told their supervisor when queried "We don't have to tell you who posted it-and we will NOT tell you!" [picture here the image of man holding his thumb to his nose while simultaneously wiggling his other four fingers vigorously while looking at you in the face, laughing while telling you  "na, na, na, na, na, naaaaa--I'm not going to tell you!"]) 

--We will fix the rampant abuse of sick leave by the practice (of which I have been appraised) where 24 hour employees (who accrue sick leave at a high rate) and who legitimately become disabled subsequently have been allowed to "transfer" to a 9-hour billet during their period of disability in order to burn 9 hours of sick leave for each day missed--instead of 24 hours--saving themselves big money on eventual sick leave payouts upon separation. This practice is ending immediately, by the way. (But the fact that it was allowed to happen at all DISGUSTS ME!)

--We will fix the shift-swapping buddy-buddy histrionics which allow some personnel to accumulate long shifts at the overtime rate--maximizing their personal salaries to the detriment of other employees

Yesterday Afternoon was a Big Day for ECFR Station 2

Significant fire facility upgrades are coming to Beulah---and this community, its citizens, and the firefighters that staff station 2 have waited too long for this to happen.   It's coming!

Aside from having two long meetings of the BCC yesterday, where multiple good projects were put forward and lots of good and decisive votes were taken, another issue was finally put to rest....

Almost 2 years ago, the Escambia Board of County Commissioners voted to purchase the property and improvements in Beulah that currently make up ECFR Station 2--owned by the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department.

The reason this took so long is due to the fact that lots of paperwork had to be gathered, some was missing, and multiple lawyers were involved and it just dragged on and on.  It dragged on much longer than it needed to.  But we finally got the deal done, and it was confirmed in an email late yesterday afternoon that the wire transfer of funds had occurred and the deal was formalized.

But that wasn't all the good news for Station 2 yesterday.  At yesterday evening's regular Board of County Commissioner's meeting we also funded multiple brand-new commercial washing mashine/extractors for multiple fire houses in our county--including station 2.  (This was desperately needed, as station 2's existing extractor is/was 25 years old and had been repaired multiple times and had obviously exceeded it's useful service life--in fact it even had paper-clips jury rigged inside the electronic panel a la McGuiver to make the machine spin.  The water wasn't draining properly and the water inside smelled horrible--and these are the machines the firemen count on to wash their protective gear)

So we funded this and later in the meeting I funded an item from my discretionary spending account not to exceed (NTE) $10,000.00  for Station 2 to purchase 8 new twin mattresses for their makeshift bunk room and for the purchase of a new commercial grade washing machine and dryer.  These items were desperately needed, so I did not want to wait another minute to fund these necessary items.

SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AT STATION 2?

Now that the county owns this property and improvements, the next steps will include funding a Design Firm to come out to the station, assess the improvements and property and in coordination with the firemen and facilities staff ascertain the requirements going forward for the station to serve the growing Beulah area.  Once the Design firm takes this information-they will be tasked with bringing forth a plan to modernize/renovate the existing facility and add on as necessary to meet the requirements specified.

I have allocated $1 Million from my discretionary local option sales tax (LOST) fund, and there is $1.5 Million in LOST III earmarked for Station 2's upgrade--for a total budget for this project of $2.5 Million Dollars.

This will fund larger bay doors which will accommodate a ladder truck, proper kitchen, bathroom, bunkhouse, and meeting facilities, and an overall modernization of this dated facility.

Beulah is a growing area and Beulah's firefighters and residents deserve the best fire facility and equipment we can get them.

It's coming!

A Story that Must Be Told: Part I

Allegations have been made that a large group of volunteers were very
recently forced to resign from ECFR.  Disturbingly, it appears as if
ECFR personnel initiated unsolicited contact
with the volunteers' employer to express "concerns" for the safety
and well-being of these volunteers.  This led to a mass exodus of
capable and qualified volunteers.

"I am not into politics, I just want to serve the community while I am here.  What I am sharing with you are just the facts and so that's why I'm sharing them with you--because some things have happened that are not right and some of the other volunteers suggested I share this information with you and administrator Gilley." said the young man across from me with whom I had spoken over the telephone the day before..  "It's not right what they have done, and hopefully by letting the policy makers and the administrator know about this-- the issue can be fixed for the next group of volunteers." he said.

This young man, who asked to remain anonymous, will be leaving Pensacola this month.   He has been here over the last 11 months in training.  While here, his goal was to serve the community during his down-time as a volunteer firefighter with ECFR.  "Not only was I able to become certified between April of 2019 and September of 2019--I was able to get dozens of my counterparts to sign up to volunteer as well." he stated.  "I really enjoyed running calls with ECFR--let me be clear about that." he stated emphatically.

Beginning in September, upon his certification, he began to volunteer at Station 7 in Ferry Pass.  He was running calls and really enjoyed the opportunity to serve in this capacity while here.  "My family is out of state so instead of just going home each day after work, I wanted to do something for the community and becoming a volunteer firefighter was a great fit" he explained.

But this great situation came to a screeching halt in early January.

"Something changed and me and all the guys I recruited to serve with me were told we had to resign."

I asked, rhetorically, why?  Why in the world would ECFR try to push dozens of young, physically able and motivated volunteers to resign?  Why would they do this when we see on TV, in the PNJ, and online the trope of "we don't have enough volunteers" and "volunteers are not reliable?"

Then the young man went on to detail some cringeworthy anecdotes about the way he saw volunteers treated as the relationship soured between the paid firefighters and the volunteers.

"We would walk into (station 7) and be like 'hello gentlemen' and the career firemen that were there would not even look at us, they wouldn't even acknowledge our presence--maybe they might grunt-but they would not even look up at us." he stated.  "It got to a point where we didn't feel welcome or appreciated.  At one point, I was told I could not drive one of the vehicles, even though I had become fully qualified and was permitted to do so.  A supervisor with ECFR heard me on the radio and called down to the station to say 'you can't drive that vehicle.'   My volunteer chief went to bat for me, and they had it out over the phone.  It was pretty shocking and by the time they got it figured out and that I was entitled to drive this vehicle--I just wanted to go home for the day at that point."

"Several volunteers put in for transfers to other stations, but these requests were flatly denied."  he stated.

"I watched other volunteers, ones that are fully certified, be told they could not ride on trucks with the career crews." he said.

Eventually, many of the men that had volunteered did resign--but this particular young man would not.  That's where the story gets particularly concerning to me.  "Personnel from ECFR called my employer and my boss's boss to include the safety officer and expressed concern for my 'safety' if I continued to volunteer for the county on my 'free time.'"  he stated.  Then, I saw some of the same men who pushed out all my volunteers get on the news and say 'we are short on personnel'--which is total BS." he stated.

"I did not just do this without any thought at all---I had permission to do this from my direct supervisor.  But the fact that they called a higher-up to suggest me and my peers not volunteer--that was just too much to let slide-so that's why we are talking, that's what I want you to know before I leave.  I'm not in a position to challenge the higher-ups that are my bosses--but someone should find out why ECFR called them--I mean--riding a motorcycle to work is more dangerous.  Scuba diving is more dangerous.  There are a lot of things that are a lot more dangerous that me and my peers do."

"Will you look into this and fix it for the next group of volunteers?"  He asked me as we finished lunch.

Yes is the answer to that question.

Janice Gilley has been made aware of this incident, she has met and spoken to this individual, and she has engaged appropriate staff to launch an investigation into this matter.

Coming up in part II--other serious allegations of mistreatment of volunteers and a total curtailment of training opportunities that are preventing able and willing volunteers from earning certification to volunteer with ECFR.   All of this will be explored in depth, and we will get to the bottom of this.

Fixing the Fire Service Budgeting In Escambia County Part II

Is there a way to more intelligently budget for the fire service in Escambia County?  Answer--yes...

It is disappointing when a subject of universal community importance and concern becomes weaponized against those of us that make policy and set budgets using limited resources. 

Unfortunately this happens and it happens frequently in politics at the local level. 

When I was a school board member, when negotiations were not going the way the teacher's union wanted them to go, our meetings would become packed with union members wearing red shirts.  We would have dozens of speakers warning of the dire consequences of not adequately funding education.  Some speakers would become quite animated and aggressive.  It was ugly.  We got through these events, though. We compromised, and education in Escambia County continued.  But at no time did we ever NOT value teachers and education--we just had to make tough budget decisions.

Then in my first year as a county commissioner, the BCC was ridiculed and attacked viciously and unprofessionally in commercials, online, and on billboards when we did not immediately acquiesce to unrealistic and unsustainable salary increase demands from the Sheriff's department.  We went back and forth, did mediation, and eventually we reached a compromise agreement and a 4-year deal. We got the Law Enforcement Trust process fixed and we increased salaries---  But no matter what anyone said about us, no matter who said the board didn't respect and value law enforcement--those statements were always lies and that rhetoric was always pure propaganda--none of it was ever true.  (Unfortunately some very gullible folks actually believed this.  Sadly, some still do.  But it wasn't true--isn't now and it never was.)

So now we come to 2019 and the fire department budget is in the red.  Union negotiations are going on and some members of the career firefighter ranks are pushing us for more resources.  Some are getting aggressive online and at the dais.

Are there legitimate concerns about fire service equipment--yes?  And yes, the MSBU is not fully funding the budget of the fire service.

So now what?

Some folks would just love us to raise tax rates on command.  They say "we need the money, now raise taxes!"

But I'm never going to vote to raise the year over year tax rate on Escambia county property owners if there are other viable solutions to budget issues. I've never voted to increase rates in 12 years in public office--and I'm not starting now. We have to live within our budgets just like households and small businesses do.  And I do believe there are viable options available apart from raising year-over-year tax rates.

FIXING THE ISSUES WITH THE VOLUNTEERS

As I said in Part I of this series, we need to take some steps to help our yearly fire service fund increases become more predictable and larger--I went through some steps to do this in this earlier post.http://jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/fixing-fire-service-budgeting-in.html

But now I want to take it a step further and mention some additional measures that I feel need to be taken to make the agency more efficient going forward.

--First, we have to cut the bureaucratic red tape that is currently creating an unnecessary blockage in the training pipeline (e.g. right now there is a backlog of at least 15 additional volunteer firefighters that only need a live-burn certification to be fully qualified to run calls.  I'm told some of these volunteers have been waiting for 5 months for this certification. Some have gone or are going to neighboring counties for this training because they cannot get through the bureaucracy here in Escambia--which if true is unacceptable.  One knowledgeable individual with whom I spoke had a stark assessment of the reason for the hold up "They can't afford to pay the stipends if all the