FFPCogs

When the Sh** is hitting the fan on the fire floor or the floor above, language frequently gets salty. Anyone who has spent some time in zero visibility and high heat while searching for life, forcing doors, getting a line into position or trying to find their way out would likely agree.

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake.
 
On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...
 

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake.
 
On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...
 

And I commend you for it. I too do my best to keep my radio talk separate from my day to day language, but I do accept that society's views on appropriate language usage have changed quite a bit in my lifetime. And well sometimes, a little "emphasis" is just what's needed to get thing moving

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake.
 
On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...
 

I guess I was just raised to get all those naughty words out through the course of fire house banter (ask anyone, I swear like a F-ing sailor), and to not use them while active on the scene.

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake.
 
On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...
 

Minimum standards will always be a problem, in any department career or volunteer, as long as we accept the minimum.
 
That being said, I know that in days past Glenbrook & Turn of River both worked towards better standards for officers, although I think both have since been watered down or worked around. I know Spingdale had standards but they were old enough to be based on a system that no longer existed and would not be seen as anything other than a quaint historical note by most neighboring departments. BFD fought tooth and nail against any kind of standards increase for firefighter or officer when I was there.  I am not all that familiar with Operations in Long Ridge. However based on what I have either experienced or observed in a few area departments, any time a standard is proposed somebody is always suspicious about the motivation and the charge is usually made that it is being done to move up one candidate over another. Some, like New Canaan & Darien have been somewhat successful in this area. Some like Greenwich still have a double standard.
 
I am not sure if anybody in our area is doing an NFPA physicals, but then again I have been out of the mix for quite a few years. I know the ones from St. Joseph's in my day were not, the ones from Concentra were even worse. I once talked with a doctor about the need for physicals and his answer while probably based on common sense and years in practice was nowhere near the NFPA.
 
As for reaching response goals, most of those gave that up years ago. This was due partially to the changing nature of responses, the increasing volume of responses and a dependence on career staff that eventually turned into a sense of complacency. That being said, there was also a growing culture that tried to beat down volunteers who wanted to be active and try to reach goals. I can remember being asked by senior members why I was at the firehouse and being told I should just go home, they would page us if there was a call. Those were often the same members who would make a point of canceling rigs that rolled behind them. Guess what, that kind of behavior chases members away. I can't imagine that any one station was more than a little different from the others. Some of these attitudes are still present in some surprising areas.

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake.
 
On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...
 

Given the circumstances they get a by. Sounds like he was calling for a line and it wasn't coming fast enough. I think we all have been in situations where the last thing we are worried about is our language. What is important is they got the job done and went home to their families

I read this second letter and here's my answer to it. You gotta produce to be heard. To date and to the best of my knowledge NONE of the VFDs produce fully.  BFD does make all their calls with a completely volunteer staff save a houseman, but the level of FFs responding is often in question. Long Ridge makes theirs due to paid drivers 24/7,  but they are often responding alone. As for the rest, well...anything under 100% response is not producing at even a marginal level.
Beyond that;
NONE of them can bring a quantifiable means of measuring the competency of their officers to the table.
NONE of them can produce training records for ALL of their active members that meet even a minimal standard.
NONE of them ensure all of their active members attend even one live burn annually per OSHA
NONE of them can say 100% of their active members are physically fit per NFPA 1582
NONE of them can guarantee a response 24/7 or try to even reach that goal
NONE of them can cooperate to meet the needs of the residents they are there to serve...NONE of them. All are too concerned with only themselves and there own agendas instead of the only agenda that they should be concerned with...SERVING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF STAMFORD who have donated to all of them for decades.
 
I think you get the idea. 
 
As one who fought for years to build things up to meet the challenges listed above and many more beyond them, I can say this: I have absolutely no sympathy for their whining and foot stomping.  Boo hoo hoo, whaah whaah whaah, somebody call a Whaaahmbulance for these poor Chiefs. 
Look,  I sat with all of these Chiefs alone and as a group too many times to count to try to work out ways to meet the coming storm. Time after time I watched as heads nodded yes but actions said no to facing the realities of firefighting in Stamford in 2010,11,12, 13 14, 15. I bit my tongue then in the interest of keeping everyone together and trying to move forward. But no more. The whole "Pavia plan" and everything subsequent to it were a farce that even the Marx Brothers couldn't dream up...and to top it off they left Mike out to dry by not taking responsibility for the abortion of a plan it was that THEY THEMSELVES dreamed up.  No...no sympathy here, these Chiefs made the bed they all must now lie in because of their own arrogance.  ignorance, ineptitude and pettiness and frankly they deserve what they get, or don't I should say....I only wish the memberships had been better served by their "leaders".

I read this second letter and here's my answer to it. You gotta produce to be heard. To date and to the best of my knowledge NONE of the VFDs produce fully.  BFD does make all their calls with a completely volunteer staff save a houseman, but the level of FFs responding is often in question. Long Ridge makes theirs due to paid drivers 24/7,  but they are often responding alone. As for the rest, well...anything under 100% response is not producing at even a marginal level.
Beyond that;
NONE of them can bring a quantifiable means of measuring the competency of their officers to the table.
NONE of them can produce training records for ALL of their active members that meet even a minimal standard.
NONE of them ensure all of their active members attend even one live burn annually per OSHA
NONE of them can say 100% of their active members are physically fit per NFPA 1582
NONE of them can guarantee a response 24/7 or try to even reach that goal
NONE of them can cooperate to meet the needs of the residents they are there to serve...NONE of them. All are too concerned with only themselves and there own agendas instead of the only agenda that they should be concerned with...SERVING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF STAMFORD who have donated to all of them for decades.
 
I think you get the idea. 
 
As one who fought for years to build things up to meet the challenges listed above and many more beyond them, I can say this: I have absolutely no sympathy for their whining and foot stomping.  Boo hoo hoo, whaah whaah whaah, somebody call a Whaaahmbulance for these poor Chiefs. 
Look,  I sat with all of these Chiefs alone and as a group too many times to count to try to work out ways to meet the coming storm. Time after time I watched as heads nodded yes but actions said no to facing the realities of firefighting in Stamford in 2010,11,12, 13 14, 15. I bit my tongue then in the interest of keeping everyone together and trying to move forward. But no more. The whole "Pavia plan" and everything subsequent to it were a farce that even the Marx Brothers couldn't dream up...and to top it off they left Mike out to dry by not taking responsibility for the abortion of a plan it was that THEY THEMSELVES dreamed up.  No...no sympathy here, these Chiefs made the bed they all must now lie in because of their own arrogance.  ignorance, ineptitude and pettiness and frankly they deserve what they get, or don't I should say....I only wish the memberships had been better served by their "leaders".

Haven't attended one in many years but I remember them at the Kensico Dam and they were great times.
 

To your last point here, you'll get no argument from me, but those members that are left often have the mentality that "their" VFD is done for if career FFs are hired. The fact that the membership has dwindled and newer members are becoming harder and harder to come by has little to do with this reaction.
 
On your first point, absolutely. Many VFDs stretch the truth to the breaking point and beyond to show adequate personnel and thus give the residents a false sense of security. Some of this I suspect goes to the "us" vs "them" mentality as discussed earlier, while a good deal more has to do with wanting to maintain the status quo and perks (material and otherwise) that come with it. 
 
In the end what we all should be striving for is a balance. Adequate personnel to respond effectively 24/7 while keeping costs in check, standardized training and certification requirements to help ensure at least a minimum standard of competency and an environment where ALL firefighters can flourish if they are so inclined regardless of pay status so that those served are served well. 

In some communities people are willing to pay an increase for paid firefighters, in others they are not, no matter how small that increase might be. That is their choice and it is they that have to live with that decision.  Now I don't know anything about this town from the video, nor will I comment on their operations here...I wasn't there, and video or not, there are factors which I may not know that may have impacted this particular fire. If I lived in this (or any) community and the VFD always ended up with the same or similar results, than you bet your a$$ I'd be asking some questions and demanding some answers. 
 
From my own experience, one of the major factors that comes up when the idea of adding some career staffing is tossed about, beyond the money, is a resistance on the part of many volunteers. This resistance stems from fairly common belief among vollys that this step is the beginning of the end for their VFDs. It may not be right, prudent, proper, logical or whatever, but the feeling that once the door opens the days of the volunteers are numbered is very real...and it does influence decisions. And quite frankly it is not without at least a modicum of supporting evidence that this is true in some cases. This brings me back to my earlier post. While we all should be thinking about those we serve first, we often don't and we justify that with any number of reasons, including a fear of being eliminated over time. The animosity and "us" against "them" mentality which so permeates the fire service today has created this environment and the negative results that stem from it. No matter how "right" an argument may be the simple reality is all the stakeholders have to be on board so that those who are served are served in THEIR best interest. It is a travesty that this is so often overlooked in the pursuit of this or that agenda. There is much that binds us all as firefighters, and nothing more so than our common mission of protecting life and property, but we have let so much interfere with that truth and become so entrenched on our "side" of the divide that it sometimes seems impossible to bridge the gap. But that gap can be bridged with a little effort...and more importantly, a little courage to do what best for our citizens instead of ourselves.. 

As Alan said studies like these are always going to show the results in the client's favor...those results are bought and paid for by the client so it can be no other way. With that said almost universally volunteers are going to cost less...and that is just a simple mathematical fact. Don't think so, then riddle me this:, Where does the vast majority of the money go in a career FD's budget? Salaries and benefits of the employees, aka career firefighters...that's where. No salaries= a significant reduction in cost. So let's not try to pretend that an all paid service is going to be cheaper...it won't case closed. On the flip side of that coin though is the quality of service provided for the money spent and in this the level of service provided by a paid department is almost universally going to be better than that provided by volunteers, for all of the reason so often cited here...case closed there too. So where does that leave us? After spending tens of thousands of dollars to get the study results you want and then touting those results as fact what has been accomplished? Not much really...wanna know why? Because for all the dollars thrown at the issue of which type of fire protection is better, in the end we don't decide the matter, the citizens do. And that my friends is just as it should be, after all it's their tax dollars and their lives is it not? And since it is, the type of fire protection they get is THEIR choice to make not ours. Point being don't waste your money on studies everybody knows are skewed anyway, they don't rally matter to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. Fact is that money could be far better spent dealing with the real issue...
 
And what is that real issue? That's a gimme boys, ...the real issue is the adversarial relationship that has grown ever more ingrained and vicious between paid and volunteer firefighters in recent times. Well guess what fellas, paid or volunteer, we all do the same job...protect lives and property. Do some do it "better"? sure they do. Do some do it "cheaper"? you bet, but the fact is, we all do it...period  Now you can thump your chest and stomp your feet...why you can even take that study you paid for in hand and go yell your point from the rooftops. Sure get out there and let everyone know how much better trained you are, or how much cheaper you are or any one of a hundred other BS arguments, but in the end, for all of our bombast, that's all it is, bullsh!t...no matter how many studies you pay for to "prove" otherwise. Here's the deal, our self imposed divisions serve no one and have done nothing to better OUR fire service and each and every one of us should be ashamed that we've let it degenerate this far. Worst of all though is that the biggest losers from all of our bullsh!t are those we are all supposed to be here to protect and serve, our citizens ...anybody remember them in all this?
 
The best thing we as a service could do is to start trying to find ways to work together for the greater good of everyone...firefighters and our citizens alike. Now sure there are many things which divide us, some valid some not, some real some imagined, but there is one thing which unites us all as firefighters and that is our common mission...protecting those in need. High time that came first. High time THEY came first.
 
I will leave you with this: Many moons ago when I joined my first VFD, standing on the firehouse apron one evening, I was told by a old weathered veteran member, "Remember kid you're not here for you....you're here for them" as he pointed out to the neighborhood around us. In my 36+ years I've never forgotten that piece of advice. So tomorrow morning, as you look in that mirror, let those words ring in your ears as you start your day serving your community. With that as the basis for our actions we will find the common ground we all know is there to make OUR fire service better today than it was yesterday...And that my friends is a win/win no matter what side of the coin you're on.

 
The only problem has been from those with a fear of change from past practice. There are many on both sides of this equation that suffer from a lack of exposure to other and much larger systems and are often consumed with only accepting things being done as they witnessed solely within the confines of the Stamford system.
 
Since the operational and reorganization changes that first started with the formation of Engine 7 in 1997, I can recall those that were quick to scream that the sky would fall if this or that happened....
 
To my knowledge, the sky has not fallen...yet. In Stamford's case, quick change occurs slowly, but with the finalization of this contract, many new changes will occur to the Stamford fire service. 

Geography & Traffic are also factors in deployment. While call volume may be able to be handled by the current rigs the distances traveled by some apparatus, especially the Truck companies is frankly unacceptable. I would like to see a fourth truck company and possibly a second rescue company in service, as well as a second command car.

 
I don't blame the union either, nor do I think they are a scapegoat, the leadership of 786  is just doing what they should be doing...and that is looking out for their membership and expanding it if possible. No, while I might have issue with some of the tactics employed over the years, I in no way blame them for the problems with Stamford's VFDs, that fault lies squarely with the VFD leaderships. If there is one complaint it is that in many instances the union seemed unwilling to negotiate a solution, but here again that is a tactical decision on their part and quite frankly a good one at that. I said earlier (and Alan you sat in more than a few BFD meetings where it was plainly stated), the solution for the VFDs is to meet the issues cited by the union head on and accept them as fact. Yeah I know the standard argument...for everything a VFD does to meet a standard, the union will only demand the standards be changed and more difficult to attain. Been hearing that one for years and I'll say now what I said then...that's a bullsh!t excuse. Let's be realistic here, had we done even half of what was proposed on numerous occasions, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. Why? Because the VFDs would be responding, they would be trained to a standard and accountable for that training, their officers would be able to show a quantifiable level of competency, apparatus fleets would have been reduced, and a staffing matrix developed and in place utilizing all volunteers collectively to ensure if not 100% station coverage than at least evenings and weekends. It's all here in these 70 odd pages. Nothing was unattainable except the willingness and courage to put the residents first, face the challenges head on and do something about them.
 
Leaders lead...ours unfortunately, living in their fantasy of a bygone age where politicians and citizens alike favored them, were incapable of doing so. They simply were not up to the task. They refused to see the writing on the wall, despite all of the pleas by some of us to do so before it was too late. In their arrogance they seemed to think they could somehow turn back the clock, ignoring all of the evidence that was right before their eyes to the contrary. Such was their folly, the results of which are now starting to hit home..
 
 
You mention that the next generation, not knowing the  old system, will be a saving grace. Well in some respects I think that's may be true, but I think they will find a landscape far different than the one you and I inhabited in terms of what they can and cannot do. In my crystal ball I see a future Stamford volunteer fire service that is nothing more than a "farm team" of bottle changers and hose packers dutifully servicing their career counterparts while awaiting their "turn" to get hired...which by the way most of them won't.

As Alan said studies like these are always going to show the results in the client's favor...those results are bought and paid for by the client so it can be no other way. With that said almost universally volunteers are going to cost less...and that is just a simple mathematical fact. Don't think so, then riddle me this:, Where does the vast majority of the money go in a career FD's budget? Salaries and benefits of the employees, aka career firefighters...that's where. No salaries= a significant reduction in cost. So let's not try to pretend that an all paid service is going to be cheaper...it won't case closed. On the flip side of that coin though is the quality of service provided for the money spent and in this the level of service provided by a paid department is almost universally going to be better than that provided by volunteers, for all of the reason so often cited here...case closed there too. So where does that leave us? After spending tens of thousands of dollars to get the study results you want and then touting those results as fact what has been accomplished? Not much really...wanna know why? Because for all the dollars thrown at the issue of which type of fire protection is better, in the end we don't decide the matter, the citizens do. And that my friends is just as it should be, after all it's their tax dollars and their lives is it not? And since it is, the type of fire protection they get is THEIR choice to make not ours. Point being don't waste your money on studies everybody knows are skewed anyway, they don't rally matter to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. Fact is that money could be far better spent dealing with the real issue...
 
And what is that real issue? That's a gimme boys, ...the real issue is the adversarial relationship that has grown ever more ingrained and vicious between paid and volunteer firefighters in recent times. Well guess what fellas, paid or volunteer, we all do the same job...protect lives and property. Do some do it "better"? sure they do. Do some do it "cheaper"? you bet, but the fact is, we all do it...period  Now you can thump your chest and stomp your feet...why you can even take that study you paid for in hand and go yell your point from the rooftops. Sure get out there and let everyone know how much better trained you are, or how much cheaper you are or any one of a hundred other BS arguments, but in the end, for all of our bombast, that's all it is, bullsh!t...no matter how many studies you pay for to "prove" otherwise. Here's the deal, our self imposed divisions serve no one and have done nothing to better OUR fire service and each and every one of us should be ashamed that we've let it degenerate this far. Worst of all though is that the biggest losers from all of our bullsh!t are those we are all supposed to be here to protect and serve, our citizens ...anybody remember them in all this?
 
The best thing we as a service could do is to start trying to find ways to work together for the greater good of everyone...firefighters and our citizens alike. Now sure there are many things which divide us, some valid some not, some real some imagined, but there is one thing which unites us all as firefighters and that is our common mission...protecting those in need. High time that came first. High time THEY came first.
 
I will leave you with this: Many moons ago when I joined my first VFD, standing on the firehouse apron one evening, I was told by a old weathered veteran member, "Remember kid you're not here for you....you're here for them" as he pointed out to the neighborhood around us. In my 36+ years I've never forgotten that piece of advice. So tomorrow morning, as you look in that mirror, let those words ring in your ears as you start your day serving your community. With that as the basis for our actions we will find the common ground we all know is there to make OUR fire service better today than it was yesterday...And that my friends is a win/win no matter what side of the coin you're on.

As Alan said studies like these are always going to show the results in the client's favor...those results are bought and paid for by the client so it can be no other way. With that said almost universally volunteers are going to cost less...and that is just a simple mathematical fact. Don't think so, then riddle me this:, Where does the vast majority of the money go in a career FD's budget? Salaries and benefits of the employees, aka career firefighters...that's where. No salaries= a significant reduction in cost. So let's not try to pretend that an all paid service is going to be cheaper...it won't case closed. On the flip side of that coin though is the quality of service provided for the money spent and in this the level of service provided by a paid department is almost universally going to be better than that provided by volunteers, for all of the reason so often cited here...case closed there too. So where does that leave us? After spending tens of thousands of dollars to get the study results you want and then touting those results as fact what has been accomplished? Not much really...wanna know why? Because for all the dollars thrown at the issue of which type of fire protection is better, in the end we don't decide the matter, the citizens do. And that my friends is just as it should be, after all it's their tax dollars and their lives is it not? And since it is, the type of fire protection they get is THEIR choice to make not ours. Point being don't waste your money on studies everybody knows are skewed anyway, they don't rally matter to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. Fact is that money could be far better spent dealing with the real issue...
 
And what is that real issue? That's a gimme boys, ...the real issue is the adversarial relationship that has grown ever more ingrained and vicious between paid and volunteer firefighters in recent times. Well guess what fellas, paid or volunteer, we all do the same job...protect lives and property. Do some do it "better"? sure they do. Do some do it "cheaper"? you bet, but the fact is, we all do it...period  Now you can thump your chest and stomp your feet...why you can even take that study you paid for in hand and go yell your point from the rooftops. Sure get out there and let everyone know how much better trained you are, or how much cheaper you are or any one of a hundred other BS arguments, but in the end, for all of our bombast, that's all it is, bullsh!t...no matter how many studies you pay for to "prove" otherwise. Here's the deal, our self imposed divisions serve no one and have done nothing to better OUR fire service and each and every one of us should be ashamed that we've let it degenerate this far. Worst of all though is that the biggest losers from all of our bullsh!t are those we are all supposed to be here to protect and serve, our citizens ...anybody remember them in all this?
 
The best thing we as a service could do is to start trying to find ways to work together for the greater good of everyone...firefighters and our citizens alike. Now sure there are many things which divide us, some valid some not, some real some imagined, but there is one thing which unites us all as firefighters and that is our common mission...protecting those in need. High time that came first. High time THEY came first.
 
I will leave you with this: Many moons ago when I joined my first VFD, standing on the firehouse apron one evening, I was told by a old weathered veteran member, "Remember kid you're not here for you....you're here for them" as he pointed out to the neighborhood around us. In my 36+ years I've never forgotten that piece of advice. So tomorrow morning, as you look in that mirror, let those words ring in your ears as you start your day serving your community. With that as the basis for our actions we will find the common ground we all know is there to make OUR fire service better today than it was yesterday...And that my friends is a win/win no matter what side of the coin you're on.

We can debate the cost factors until the cows come home. The fact is that the bulk of the budget (as FFPCogs said) in a career department goes to salaries. The bulk of the budget in a volunteer department goes elsewhere. Sure there may be more expensive apparatus but then again how many in a career department complain about their low bid apparatus. You can't have it both ways. We all know cities have been trying to be both career and volunteer for years.
 
What really troubles me about this study is the statement that volunteers have increased. This would not normally be a concern except that much of the recruitment efforts of the past few years have been focused on how few volunteers there are. Which is it, more or less? If it is more then great, that is wonderful. However then we probably don't need any recruitment grants. If it is less then fine, we can work with this, but we shouldn't claim otherwise in a study that is released to the public. Whichever the real answer is, let it be what it is and let's work positively with that answer.
 
I have seen similar on a local level with two sides using the same facts to argue two very different opinions on apparatus / manpower deployment. We will never solve anything if we do not figure out what we are solving first.

As Alan said studies like these are always going to show the results in the client's favor...those results are bought and paid for by the client so it can be no other way. With that said almost universally volunteers are going to cost less...and that is just a simple mathematical fact. Don't think so, then riddle me this:, Where does the vast majority of the money go in a career FD's budget? Salaries and benefits of the employees, aka career firefighters...that's where. No salaries= a significant reduction in cost. So let's not try to pretend that an all paid service is going to be cheaper...it won't case closed. On the flip side of that coin though is the quality of service provided for the money spent and in this the level of service provided by a paid department is almost universally going to be better than that provided by volunteers, for all of the reason so often cited here...case closed there too. So where does that leave us? After spending tens of thousands of dollars to get the study results you want and then touting those results as fact what has been accomplished? Not much really...wanna know why? Because for all the dollars thrown at the issue of which type of fire protection is better, in the end we don't decide the matter, the citizens do. And that my friends is just as it should be, after all it's their tax dollars and their lives is it not? And since it is, the type of fire protection they get is THEIR choice to make not ours. Point being don't waste your money on studies everybody knows are skewed anyway, they don't rally matter to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. Fact is that money could be far better spent dealing with the real issue...
 
And what is that real issue? That's a gimme boys, ...the real issue is the adversarial relationship that has grown ever more ingrained and vicious between paid and volunteer firefighters in recent times. Well guess what fellas, paid or volunteer, we all do the same job...protect lives and property. Do some do it "better"? sure they do. Do some do it "cheaper"? you bet, but the fact is, we all do it...period  Now you can thump your chest and stomp your feet...why you can even take that study you paid for in hand and go yell your point from the rooftops. Sure get out there and let everyone know how much better trained you are, or how much cheaper you are or any one of a hundred other BS arguments, but in the end, for all of our bombast, that's all it is, bullsh!t...no matter how many studies you pay for to "prove" otherwise. Here's the deal, our self imposed divisions serve no one and have done nothing to better OUR fire service and each and every one of us should be ashamed that we've let it degenerate this far. Worst of all though is that the biggest losers from all of our bullsh!t are those we are all supposed to be here to protect and serve, our citizens ...anybody remember them in all this?
 
The best thing we as a service could do is to start trying to find ways to work together for the greater good of everyone...firefighters and our citizens alike. Now sure there are many things which divide us, some valid some not, some real some imagined, but there is one thing which unites us all as firefighters and that is our common mission...protecting those in need. High time that came first. High time THEY came first.
 
I will leave you with this: Many moons ago when I joined my first VFD, standing on the firehouse apron one evening, I was told by a old weathered veteran member, "Remember kid you're not here for you....you're here for them" as he pointed out to the neighborhood around us. In my 36+ years I've never forgotten that piece of advice. So tomorrow morning, as you look in that mirror, let those words ring in your ears as you start your day serving your community. With that as the basis for our actions we will find the common ground we all know is there to make OUR fire service better today than it was yesterday...And that my friends is a win/win no matter what side of the coin you're on.

Pete, I hate to sound like an extremist, but many (such as yourself) have invested time and personal capital to try and prevent this type of continued behavior and hostility.
 
To try and sabotage a negotiation that has taken more than 5 years for the Union to reach is nothing short of a "nuclear" sized mistake on the part of these 5 "chiefs".
 
I am not surprised that a couple of these people would continue to fan the flames in Stamford, but having all 5 take part appears to be a collective effort by all remaining volunteers.
 
Disagreements over each departments operations, tactics, hose lays, policies, vehicle colors, etc. are understandable within the fire service....attempting to affect the livelihood of the families of 280 union members is inexcusable and something that will not fade with time.
 
If the volunteer Chiefs wanted to unite Stamford career firefighters behind one common enemy for many, many years to come, they will have finally succeeded at something. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I find it interesting that Stamford volunteers that can't find common ground for issues such as joint-training, accountability, staffing, radio procedures, etc; but always seemed to form a concrete bond and unite whenever the City, Union, or City Fire Department can be attacked.
 
Volunteer firefighters wiring a letter against a tentative agreement after it has been reached in good faith between the City and the Union....
 
The same volunteers then go on to create a telephone campaign to City Representatives to spread more fear and lies about this agreement????
 
I have often read here how volunteers are often unfairly attacked by the big bad IAFF or how the IAFF has these (special pamphlets) that encourage hostility toward volunteers (ALL BS).
 
Yet, here is a glaring and very tangible example of another case were a handful of pathetic volunteer Fire Chiefs have attempted to affect the livelihoods of more than 280 union firefighters. Much like Port Chester, jealousy appears to be the number one value being promoted by some of these organizations. 
 
I can think of no more clear example of why the term "RIVAL ORGANIZATION" exists.
 
Regardless of what action occurs from the Stamford Board of Representatives, the damage done by these 5 clowns will assure an epic fissure will exist between career and volunteers in Stamford. For these 5 ninnies have managed to instantly erode any chance for cohesion within the system. Something that I suspect they knew full well when concocting their letter.