highwaybuff

This was the brainchild of a former chief and current DPW commissioner. Strictly a penny pinching move.
Junk from the first day it arrived.

T John, are there more resources out there to get more information about the 3 Echo program being rolled out in Minnesota?
I don't think that anyone can argue that a coordinated PD/FD/EMS response to these incidents is necessary, and I agree with you wholeheartedly T John that we do need to take a better look at how we respond to a hostile event. But there are a few factors, like them or not, that are going to hinder the type of aggressive coordinated response to these incidents we would all like to see.
No matter how necessary it is, no matter how much it will benefit the victims of a hostile incident, there is still one rather significant issue at hand that would need to be addressed before we can even consider placing non-sworn EMS providers in a hostile environment and task them with the extraction of wounded victims... LODI/LODD benefits for EMS responders. I understand this can vary from state to state, even agency to agency. I'm going based off my "local knowledge" of EMS systems in the Metro NY area.
There is a plethora of training programs to prepare EMS providers to work in a hostile/tactical environment. There is a plethora of high speed tactical medical equipment designed for EMS responders to operate in a tactical environment. We can supply EMS providers with ballistic protection and other specialized PPE to operate in the midst of a tactical assignment. The training and the equipment is readily available, and incorporating EMS into these types of responses is not an unrealistic or impossible venture.
Now try convincing a volunteer or even commercially paid EMS provider to don such equipment and go charging forward with PD into a potentially hostile environment. It is easy to have our judgment clouded by the thought of throwing on this high-speed equipment and go forth to render aid to our victims in the tactical theatre of operations. It sounds exciting, looks cool, has the CDI (chicks dig it) factor associated with it, and so on. But what if things go south, and now the EMS provider ends up a victim him/herself?
I know as an LEO, if I am seriously injured in the line of duty, I will have the financial security through a generous line of duty salary to pay my mortgage, my bills, etc. If I am killed during the scope of my employment as an LEO, my beneficiary will be well taken care of financially by my employer, union, and numerous police foundations. Now if I switch patches on my shirt and act in Paramedic mode, serious injury leads to basic workers compensation, and if I'm a volunteer who now can not work and provide for my family and pay my mortagage and bills, I have to hope the generous public will donate money to alleviate any financial strain I have endured as a result of a serious injury. Killed in the line of duty... maybe some donations for my family, but nothing guaranteed. Like it or not, these are issues that need to be raised first before we can expect any EMS provider to take on such a task. Anyone who says it's a selfish way to look at things or just doesn't care and is going to go charging in there anyway cause "it's the right thing to do", then go for it. When I was younger I had that mindset that I didn't care. As I've become more informed and a little more experienced, my mindset has changed a bit. It's not about being a coward, it's realizing that if we're going to take on this great responsibility, then take it on with addressing ALL of the variables and issues, not just the obvious issues of training and equipment. We are all adults who hopefully understand the dangers and magnitude of certain incidents and are therefore capable of making our own decisions about our fate, whether it's running into a burning house without PPE to effect a rescue, or entering an unsecured location that may contain a potential armed threat to render aid to the injured. Most times these are split second decisions made within a moments notice as an incident is rapidly unfolding in front of us; but if we're talking about a coordinated, pre-planned response, we need to look beyond the obvious operational and logistical issues.
And for those of you who are going to say, "well I can get injured or killed at the scene of an MVA as an EMT", you're right, you can get killed at an MVA, responding to a "fall down go boom", dealing with an intox in the back of the ambulance, and so on. That's why we take certain safeguards to make these scenes safe; road flares, blocking lanes of traffic, PD escorts, safe driving practices, etc. While we can't can't control every single variable at these "routine" incidents, we can control and mitigate the majority of them. Hostile scenes have so many variables that as Helicopper pointed out, it can take hours for a scene to be deemed safe. Is the shooter identified? Contained? In custody? Threat neutralized? Are there multiple shooters? Explosive/secondary devices? There are a lot of variables to process that typically require specialized PD resources (SWAT, bomb squads, aviation, etc.), and it may take time to mobilize such resources and then time for each resource to carry out its function. So I fully understand that anything can happen at any time, and that's why these issues of LODI/LODD benefits for EMS providers shouldn't just be limited to active shooter or hostile situations.

Sonny, you really need to lighten up! This wasn't an annual inspection or an emergency response. It was a parade and they were having fun, as they should. I thought it was funny and I knew none of the back story or the relationship between Mill Plains and Brewster (thanks FitzJr for sharing).
I think the "skit" as fitz described it is a pleasant distraction from the line of trucks and the rigid formations of uniforms. So people may not have known the inner workings of the relationship between the departments but they had to laugh at the folly and the departure from the norm.
Personally, I'm glad someone was having fun! "LIKE" to the boys (and girls) from Mill Plains.

Virtually every law enforcement involved motor vehicle accident is thoroughly investigated (certainly one resulting in personal injury will be) so I'm not sure what the big deal is with the article.
Really nothing more than a poorly written IA if you ask me.
Glad the trooper is OK!

I've worked the same unit as Lenny for the last year. We were partners for a while, and then mutual partners after I changed tours. I only recently joined this board because of him. I've worked in EMS in various places for the past 7 years and I can say without a doubt that Lenny was one of the finest people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He was a consummate professional, an amazing person and one of my best friends. It hasn't yet sunk in that he is really gone forever. It pains me to think about the life that was cut short, and the amazing career that should have been.

Why does it matter aside from maybe helping figure out what is wrong with the patient? Forget about how its just wrong to treat someone differently based upon a medical condition, what if they don't know they're carrying some disease. Everyone gets treated the same unless I suspect an infection requiring droplet precautions.
Moderator note: This was the very last post made by Lenny, before he left us for keeps. RIP.

This is quite shocking, the whole situation. I'm asking myself "is this really happening?" It's surreal. ny10570 who we now know his name is Lenny Joyner, see his photo on the Denver news story, has been a regular productive member of this board for years. We know his political leanings, his compassion for others, his decency....yet most of us didn't know him personally.
I wish I had.
To those members here who had the honor of knowing him, condolences to you all. We all share in your grief.
For all of us here who care, who feel, please take care of yourselves now. Don't be tempted to grab the beers or anything else to drown the pain away.
Talk about it. Write about it. Share your feelings with those of us here who care for you and want you to be okay. That's what this site is about. A Fraternity of sorts. Times like these are the most testing for everybody. Talk about it at the firehouse, the precinct, the ambulance quarters.
Lenny got called home to God way too early, yet he obviously died doing what he wanted to be doing. Living his life the way he wanted it to be. Quite an adventurist it seems. I imagine he was quite ecstatic to reach that peak, to see that view, to be closer to his God.
Our board has another hero now. And his name is Lenny Joyner. God Rest In Peace.
Edit: Last name proper spelling.

Date: 07-21-12
Time: 22:46hrs.
Box: 1177
Area: Yorkville
Location: 1566 3rd Ave.(Bing Maps)
Frequency: FDNY Manhattan
Weather Conditions: Warm and Clear
Description Of Incident: Battalion 10 10-84(o/s) transmitting the 10-75(Working Fire) for Box 1177. Battalion 10 reporting using 7-5(All-Hands) for Box 1177. Battalion 10 reporting fire on the 1st floor storefront of a 5-story brick mixed-occupancy building. Battalion 10 requesting 1 & 1 S/C on the 7-5(All-Hands) for Box 1177. 2-2(2nd Alarm) transmitted for Box 1177 by Battalion 10. 3 L/S/O's w/quick k/d. Ladder Companies opening up. Division 3 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 2-2(2nd Alarm) for Box 1177. Division 3 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 2-2(2nd Alarm) for Box 1177 for overhaul. 3-3(3rd Alarm) transmitted for Box 1177 by Field Comm. 1. Field Comm. 1 reporting fire on the 1st floor grocery store of a 5-story brick 30'x75' mixed-occupancy building. Field Comm. 1 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 3-3(3rd Alarm) for Box 1177 for relief. All hands Working. All searches negative. One victim w/minor injuries transported by EMS.
Reporter: sfrd18, Florian Knight(nycfire.net), exchief84(nycfire.net)
Units Operating: FDNY Manhattan; FDNY Manhattan EMS; NYPD Manhattan North; NYC OEM
Telephone Alarm Box 1177 Assignment:
Engine 22, Engine 44, Engine 53, Engine 39
Ladder 13, Ladder 43
Battalion 10
Squad 41
Rescue 1
10-75-1177(Working Fire) Assignment:
Engine 74(S/C)
Ladder 16(F.A.S.T.), Ladder 22(S/C)
Battalion 11
Division 3
2-2-1177(2nd Alarm) Assignment:
Engine 76, Engine 40, Engine 23, Engine 9(Satellite Unit)
Ladder 25, Ladder 35(S/C), Ladder 4(S/C), Ladder 26(S/C Overhaul), Ladder 2(S/C Overhaul)
Battalion 8(Safety), Battalion 9(Resource Unit Leader)
Rescue Battalion
Safety Battalion
Satellite 1
T.S.U. 1
Field Comm. 1
Comm. Tac. Unit
3-3-1177(3rd Alarm) Assignment:
Engine 47, Engine 54, Engine 65, Engine 34
Ladder 21(S/C), Ladder 48(S/C), Ladder 128(S/C)
Battalion 7, Battalion 6(Staging), Battalion 39(Air Recon.)
M.S.U. 1
Car 4H(DAC Ops.)
22:46hrs. - Manhattan Dispatch transmitting the Telephone Alarm for Box 1177 for 1566 3rd Ave. between E. 87th St. x E. 88th St. Manhattan Dispatch advising Battalion 10 of multiple calls and assigning 4 & 2, Squad, and Rescue on the Box.
22:50hrs. - Battalion 10 10-84(o/s) transmitting the 10-75(Working Fire) for Box 1177.
22:51hrs. - Battalion 10 reporting using 7-5(All-Hands) for Box 1177. Battalion 10 reporting fire on the 1st floor storefront of a 5-story brick mixed-occupancy building. Fire is D/W/H.
22:52hrs. - Battalion 10 requesting 1 & 1 S/C on the 7-5(All-Hands) for Box 1177. Battalion 10 reporting Exposure # 1 is the street; Exposure # 2 is a similar-type attached; Exposure # 3 is a 1-story attached; Exposure # 4 is a street.
22:54hrs. - 2-2(2nd Alarm) transmitted for Box 1177 by Battalion 10.
23:08hrs. - Division 3 reporting 3 L/S/O's. Division 3 reporting main body of fire is k/d. Ladder Companies opening up. Fire is still D/W/H.
23:11hrs. - Division 3 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 2-2(2nd Alarm) for Box 1177.
23:16hrs. - Division 3 reporting 1 10-45: No Code(Fire-Related Injury) at Box 1177.
23:21hrs. - Division 3 reporting main body of fire is out. Ladder Companies still opening up. All primary searches negative. Fire remains D/W/H.
23:28hrs. - Division 3 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 2-2(2nd Alarm) for Box 1177 for overhaul.
23:37hrs. - 3-3(3rd Alarm) transmitted for Box 1177 by Field Comm. 1. Staging at 3rd Ave. x E. 84th St.
23:52hrs. - Field Comm. 1 reporting fire on the 1st floor grocery store of a 5-story brick 30'x75' mixed-occupancy building. All secondary searches negative. Fire is P/W/H.
23:57hrs. - Manhattan Dispatch advising Fallback Step 3 Implemented for Manhattan.
23:59hrs. - Field Comm. 1 reporting the 10-45 is now a 10-45: Code 3(Fire-Related Injury). Field Comm. 1 requesting 2 additional Ladder Companies S/C on the 3-3(3rd Alarm) for Box 1177 for relief. Fire remains P/W/H.
00:09hrs. - Field Comm. 1 reporting fire is u/c.
Company Relocations:
Engine 21-Engine 44
Engine 5-Engine 53
Engine 325-Engine 91
Engine 73-Engine 35
Engine 26-Engine 40
Engine 93-Engine 76
Engine 80-Engine 74
Ladder 9-Ladder 13
Ladder 8-Ladder 25
Ladder 18-Ladder 4
Ladder 136-Ladder 2
Ladder 55-Ladder 26
Ladder 138-Ladder 14
Battalion 1-Battalion 8
Battalion 16-Battalion 9
Battalion 32-Battalion 6
Battalion 3-Battalion 12
Photos

I'm sure if he was breaking the law this would be the first place to unload his "stolen" gear......

Hi guys,
I've had a rough couple of months.
I became critically ill in June while on a trip to Chicago, and was hospitalized in ICU intubated for several days.
A few days after I got home to Texas, same thing happened, I had a procedure to corrrect the problem, but while I was intubated I aspirated vomit somehome and came up with severe double pneumonia. Physically, I can only use the computer for a limited amount of time right now, and am still extremly weak but am getting better by the day.
While I was in the hospital, I had no access to my phone or computer. I lost my job because I wasn't elegible for FMLA yet and I ran out of time that I could use, so I'm on a very tight budget. I can reapply for my job, but read on to find out why I won't.
My PayPal account that I use to pay for this site was hacked, and I was cleaned out of all the funds for this site. Although PayPal will be reimbursing me, it will be several weeks. I'm on a limited budget right now, and bills for the website are due soon and I can't bill, sell, or design any ads right now to raise money, nor will I be soliciting donations.
Earlier this week, my luck started to turn around the best it can at this point. A very awesome longtime friend and great person helped me out, big time. I am thankful for him and his bosses because his actions and concern gave me great motivation to keep going and renewed my passion. For right now, all I'm going to be saying is that I'm moving back to NY in the next week.............................I think I'll be much happier back there, especially because I miss all my friends from NY and working there. I LOVE Austin and Texas and will miss it (I've lived here for 4+ years already), and have been succesful and had awesome experience with the agencies I worked for , but at this point I need to start taking care of myself. After I was no longer healthy enough to be a career firefighter anymore, my heart was broken and I really wasn't the same-it destroyed me, but I've finally had closure on that and want to have the old pre-2007 Seth back.
There is MUCH more to this story, but please don't speculate.
I also apologize for not getting back to all those who hae been calling and emailing, it just gets a little overwhelming right now as I recover.
I have over 1,500 emails personally from friends, collegues, and EMTBravo members and related to me since May 26th, and eventually I will get to them all.
I traded in my car and sold off a lot of my things and bought a small 2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty/Winnebago Aspect 23' RV with only 7,000 miles on it. It's got all the comforts of home, and is cheaper and easier for me to live, especially since I will still have the home in Texas.
Does anyone know of RV Parks in the NY/CT area that are affordable and have electric and water hookups?
I was hoping I could park it at an FD or EMS, and in exchange join that agency and they would technically have a driver in house. I am stilll a certified Firefighter and Paramedic, and am capable of driving, operating, and maintaining any type of emergency vehicle. I can drive ambulances, midmount and rearmount aerials and tower ladders, engines (I am certified in pumping and water supply), rescue trucks, tankers, brush trucks, etc. If someone knows of an agency that could work something out with me, I would greatly appreaciate it. Email me at seth@emtbravo.com if you know of anything, even if short term.
I hopefully will have a job lined up, but I am looking for a second job, if anyone knows anything that's open and pays decent. It doesn't have to be emergency services. Email me at seth@emtbravo.com .
I wish I never gave up some of my Westchester jobs I had, I always thought the grass was greener and kept moving up jobs, but I look back now and had it great right where I started.
Thanks guys for your concern, and whatever help you can offer me. I hope that some of you guys can come up and hang out with me when I get back.
There is more to what I am going through, but please don't speculate or comment on that.

Last time I bought a live Christmass Tree I bought it from a volunteer fire department. With my purchase they gave me a sheet of paper and the paper stated was filled with all out lies and half truths. The paper stated the orginization relied completely on donations (Actually the orginization recieves tax dollars to rent their firehouse to the district). The paper also stated the orginization relied on donations to operate and failed to mention that all apparatus, equipment, and training was provided through tax money. This is not an isolated situation I have seen this in two other departments.
Please spare me the entitlement complex "I get up at 3 AM so I deserve free beer and a trip to Lake George" that should have disappeared the moment that LOSAP was passed.
I have stated before there are plenty of well run non career departments but probably not many in NYS. I won't call them volunteer because they are paid on call and municipally run without the interference of a social orginization.

Let's also not forget that the article states that she saw what she believed to be random people being pulled over. She had no clue what those cops were doing, suppose they were looking for a homicide suspect that was supposed to be coming that way and they were stopping cars looking for the suspect, if that was the case then this twit just alerted the murderer that the cops were up ahead and would allow him the opportunity to turn around and flee the area.
She took this too far and she paid the price for it.

First off, this article, or blog or whatever you want to call it was clearly written by someone who knows NOTHING of the law and has some bias against law enforcement as is evidenced by the sarcasm that was noted through out.
It sounds like he arrested her for obstruction and the DA wouldn't go for it so they charged her with disorderly conduct. As far as searching her backpack without her consent, she was under arrest and at that point he doesn't need her consent, the officer has every right to inventory her property.
As a bicyclist in the area you would think that the police enforcing the VTL and causing drivers to slow down and pay more attention would be a positive thing for her because it would keep her safer on her bicycle, but she had to join the anti cop crowd and instead of applaud the police, she chose to work against them.
Good that they locked her up, maybe next time she will mind her business.

Sorry but NYS doesn't decide who does and doesn't take training. Each individual volunteer fire department establishes its minimum training requirements and decides if they're going to enforce them. Do you have any idea how many times I heard officers saying "well, he's not meeting the training requirements but he's a nice guy (or) he shows up at calls". So they let a substandard member skate based on popularity. And without training what good is he showing up anyway!
Career departments have a state mandated training program that every firefighter must complete before being called a firefighter.
This disparity and the ongoing opposition to any minimum training standard for volunteer FF's in NYS is what fuels this stupid us vs. them BS. So long as there are two different training standards and absolutely no enforcement of the one on the volunteer side of the house there will be this argument. You know why paid and volunteer guys get along so easily in other places? Because they all have the same training!
If you don't have the time to get the training, you shouldn't be responding to emergencies. Do you go to an auto mechanic who doesn't have any training or do you want your car fixed by someone that actually knows what's wrong with it. Untrained people on the fireground are hazards to us all but we don't do anything about it. In fact we support organizations that fight against common standards, common training, and a single definition of FF.
So what you get up when the tones drop? That's what you signed up for. Do the job but do it right whether you collect a paycheck or not!
People are merely pointing out that the excursions to Lake George and extravagant parties at the Ritz and other similar places are what make people suspicious of the use of funds. Some of these parties are over the top and wildly expensive. That's a tough one to sell to the public in this economy. That's the point.
How much was spent on these parties over the five year span. If it's a 100K that's a lot of training, equipment or reductions in tax subsidies.
And don't forget the additional "tax" we all pay that gets squandered - the 2% monies!

Wow! Unfortu
Wow! Unfortu
Wow! This is such a shame! Thank you Mr. Kabelev and Mr. Natkin for speaking up about this. There truly are many good people like yourselves in the Volunteer Fire Service. We need to keep exposing this system for what it currently is throughout Westchester County so that it will be able to evlove into something we can all be proud of and that will truly serve those we are sworn to protect.
Also a big thanks to those posters on both sides of the issue who have kept this horse alive and motivated me to kep posting even though I haver been away on vacation. If this thread had been dropped we might not haver gotten to the point of having access to this very enlightening article here on EMTBravo.

Looks like you may be wrong in the case of the IVFD. See the latest here:
http://rivertowns.patch.com/articles/ccccccc

Bugler thank you for your post. You seem like a genuine person who's heart is in the right place. I'm sorry if you have felt insulted by anything I have posted. It was not my intention to offend anyone. I do not have specific information in regard to your departments finances. However, I think it is likely that if you looked into it you would find that a large percentage of the money which is donated to your department is in fact used for such things as entertainment, food and beverages, including alcohol, and purchases of itmes which are not used for Firefighting purposes. This is the case in very many volunteer Fire Departments in New York State. It is my opinion that most people who donate to a volunteer fire department are totally unaware that the money is likely spent in the manner I have described.
You mentioned that classes are there for you "anytime I want or have the time to"...Don't you think that in a profession (career or volunteer of course) as important as Firefighting, the training given to members should be fairly standardized and that certain levels of training should be mandatory, and not given just to those members who"want "the training or "have time for it"?

Bottom line, the volunteer service can't keep saying "we're no different from the career service" if the standards aren't the same. Professional ethics, training, whatever you want to talk about. Its time for ALL volunteer agencies (my own included) to make the decision: put up or shut up.

it is obvious to most reading these posts what you are attempting...the very childish and weak tactic of distraction from the issue at hand, such as when a child is caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and instead of admitting fault, exclaiming "well, my sister smeaks cookies all the time and doesn't get caught!"
This thread is not about alleged abuse of workers compensation by career firefighters. Feel free to start a thread about that though if you wish. Man up and come with some facts though. By law, all of the records you would need to attempt to prove your allegation are accessible to you, unlike the unaccessible books of volunteer fire departments.
The issue in Irvington was brought to light by the courageous and ethical stand taken by a volunteer firefighter and backed up by several other courageous and ethical volunteer firefighters, so I fail to understand why you constantly choose to attack career firefighters. However, keep going for it...all it does is serve to further expose your motivations for what they are.

I'm not aware of any career departments who collect donations which are used for anything other than charitable works. Any partying which is done comes out of the members own pockets.

Well, I don't know about the reasons people donate, but whenever I explain to people what these donated monies are used for, they are virtually always shocked and outraged.

Bottom line: there are two problems here:
1) lack of accountability and mismanagement of donations by fire company (chief probably has zero csay)
2) abusive behavior directed towards and active member
Even if a fraction of what I have been reading was true, these guys really need to cleanup the mess and get their house in order.

I disagree Chris, respectfully. I think it is very important that we continue to take opportunities when available to educate the public concerning the fact that monies which are donated to volunteer fire departments rarely, if ever, are used for purchase of firefighting equipment, or for training, or such purposes, but rather the monies people donate to volunteer fire departments are used for parties, extravagant dinners, vacations and excursions, etc.
Also, it is important to continue to emphasize that although there are lots of dedicated volunteer firefighters, such as Nick, who want to do the right thing in regard to being trained, prepared, and ACCOUNTABLE, there are many other volunteer firefighters who take advantage of the system, collect pensions and other perks,use the firehouses as a social club, and who have extremely little legitimate training, are unable to provide the service they claim they provide, and are basically accountable to no one.

Nick has handled himself with dignity and restraint, given that this is a situation that has been ongoing for so long. Irvington has been most fortunate to have a firefighter so dedicated to a culture of firefighter safety. You clearly do not know him or much about the circumstances if you believe he "should leave the area." He did nothing at all wrong and has worked within the chain of command. I only wish we had more people like him.

I'm a member of IFD with 20 plus years and at this point if I did not have to remain a member of the company to remain in the Department I would have already left. I can already hear the company officers saying then leave. I was Chief when this incident took place. That should identify me! First I will Apoligize to Nyq for how he was treated and say I wish I could have done more for you as Chief. At least the Village waited until I was out of office to ask you to resign. It's is actually interesting how you co-existed for almost a year and a half after you resigned from the company and remained with the Department with no issues. If the company did not decide to go non profit (or make it legal) Nyq would probably still be active in the department.Why is the company opening up additional corporations now? I also will say I'm embarrassed at the way the Company states they investigated? they agreed to let the villages investigate as one company officer stated. The Company is a separate entity(With separate company officers) occupying space in a village building should they not have an obloigation(legal) to investigate all claims of misconduct, sexual harrasment etc are they exempt from EEO laws? I took this complaint to the village after I discussed it with a Village trustee who was in attendance at the meeting when Nyq made his claim (I arrived at this meeting late from work however I did hear the tape from the meeting it was disgraceful) and was told if I did not bring the complaint to the village he would have to.I was critized by some of the membership even though as a elected village official I had a legal obligation to bring these claims forward maybe the company needs additional EEO training. I know after this incident we had a couple of hours I'm not sure it's enough. At least the Village's investigation was completed almost over a year and a half later. I think we in the all volunteer services know know how hard it is to find and retain good volunteers or even get our current members to respond as much as they are need. When the Village was trying to find the law that eliminated Nyq from the from the company I made a suggestion to the village administrator and one member of the current board that would have kept these issues in house I hope they and the other board members will do all they can to help find a solution to retain all the volunteers it can. If not I see it as a huge disservice to the Village residents. To the Current Chiefs especially Chief. Ruffler and Assistant Chief DePaoli I will apoligize now for any issues I will cause with this post. I will also thank you both for giving me 110 percent as my assistant Chiefs and only hope that once this is resolved I can continue to serve you and the village residents. As many of the posts state there a many quailfied firefighters in the IFD. Why should it not do eveything it can to retain and recruit all additional members.