turk182

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Posts posted by turk182

  1. Posted

    lad12derff, HDF23 and ALS,

    I was just trying to head off any potential turn towards a "career vs vollie" debate. If I came across too strongly, I apologize.

    I understand you wanting to head something off before the pass but maybe you could wait and see were things go first. There is a bit of history with career, volunteer, and the Purchase fd. This might be a topic were some " career vs vollie debate" is in order. Debate is not a bad thing.

  7. Posted

    Date:8/30/06

    Time:1902

    Location: Hen Island(Island between Rye habor and Mamaroneck Harbor)

    Frequency: 46.260 Fire Ground Channel 3

    Units Operating: Rye E191,E192,E193,L25,U39,U49,M3,2421,2422,2423,2424

    Mamaroneck M3 224?

    Port Chester 1 and 1 standby PC quarters

    @#$% FireBoat __ ? (fire boat from unnamed large city) wink.gif

    Multiple Police Marine units from lower Westchester County

    US Coast Gaurd

    Sea Tow

    American Yacht Club launches to ferry firefighters/equipment to island

    Description Of Incident: 100 lbs propane tank on fire, extension to cabin, and brush. Hen Island is a group small islands with small cabins all over no power, water, telephone on island. Used dry powder and floto pump to extingish fire.

    Writer: Turk182

  8. Posted · Edited by turk182

    Turk:

    This is a good thread you started and a well thought out last post. The list of gripes as you refer to them, I have to ask, are they things that were hidden from you when you took the job?  (Keep in mind I don't mean you in particular) 

    I understand it is quite competitive to get these jobs, yet you successfully tested and competed and were awarded the job despite the prior existence of these gripes.  You did enter knowingly into a trade/profession where approx. 2/3 of the participants are volunteer. Were the vol. ff's suppose to vanish when you stopped volunteering and were awarded the career job? There was also and still exists, the option to apply, test and compete for a job in a fully career department. 

    I am with you, not looking to start a war either, but since you asked in the interest of truthful discussion, I'm relating some thoughts of fellow volunteers like myself in combination departments.

    Rich

    I was well aware of the gripes when I accepted the postion, as I was a volunteer in the same dept. that I am now employed with. Anyone that knows me knows that I had the same attitude as a volunteer as I do today as a career firefighter. As far as the volunteers vanishing I did not think they would vanish. Volunteers are part of the history of this country and hopefully they will continue to thrive. With that said we do have to admit that the numbers of volunteers has decreased and that is a issue that needs to be addressed. If recuirtment and retention programs are not working do we not at least need to discuss other options. I am not looking to hi jack my own thread so I think this will be my last reply Thanks for everyones input

    PS I have emailed the chief of the offending dept. and as of yet had no reply if by some chance he should reply I will update

    Thanks again all

  9. Posted

    While this shirt may not be appropriate, there sure are a lot of career guys in combo departments that would like to wear anti-vollie shirts...unfortunately the problems between paid and volunteer firemen doesn't stem from a shirt, it stems from attitudes, attitudes that seem to be more prevalent in the career community...

    To single out Career firefighters in combo department as being anti volunteer does not seem appropriate. I will go alone with there being more Career Volunteer problems in combo departments. My feeling is that in a combo dept. both sides feel they have somthing to protect. The volunteers feels they most preserve the whole volunteer way and the career guys get in the way because all they want is to take over, and turn the dept. into a career dept. On the other side the career guys tend to think they are the bastard child and they most fight to protect themselves at all cost. There is obvisously much more to the issue and it is in no way a simple explaination to why the problems exist. I am listing below a list of gripes that some career firefighters might have against volunteers since this is the side I am involved in currently(although I do have volunteer experience). I do not mean any of the following comments to fact or indisputable they are just gripes true or untrue.

    Training level (volunteers are not trained to the same level)

    Accountiblity ( volunteers are not accountable for their actions)

    Members of Career Dept. volunteering in combo dept.( they are taking a job away from someone

    else, and are disrepecting their brothers)

    Career Firefighters must take orders from officers with less training

    I am sure other people could list more and I could too if I wanted to spend the time thinking about it. The list seem to be the most prevalent gripes. I am not trying to start a war, I am just trying to have a truthfull discussion. I would be interested in what volunteers from combination departments have to say.

  11. Posted

    At a recent Fire Department Carnival in semi rural CT. There were several members of the department who were working wearing t-shirts that the back said PAID GUYS with a red circle and a hash mark thru it( I have a photo that I am trying to post that hopefully will be up here soon). After I took a picture of a kid wearing the shirt who was directing traffic I asked him what the meaning of the shirt was. He said it was because they are volunteers I asked what that had to do with wearing a shirt like that He said " I don't know". I also asked him why not make shirts that said they were a volunteer department the answer again " I don't know". To the best of my knowledge there are no plans to change this department to career so it is not like they are protecting themselves. To me this is a example of why problems exist between the career and volunteer. To me there is know reason for a shirt like that. Put XYZ Volunteer Fire Department on the back of the shirt if you want people to know it is a volunteer department.

    [attachmentid=1145]

    It does not make sense to me in so many ways to wear this shirt. They are not be threatened by a career department why throw out insults.

    post-2-1156084444.jpg

  12. Posted

    Rye is waiting on additional lighting (arrow stick and some leds) on the rear of ladder 25. Once the new lighting is in place Rye will respond a engine and ladder on all highway calls. The ladder is to be used solely for blocking. We are also working on getting the chevron pattern on the rear of both pieces.

  16. Posted

    You can only bang your head against the wall for so long, sooner or later you are bound to get a headache.

    I have tried for years on both sides of the fence to make and or get changes made. It is hard very very hard. As a vollie you are a bad guy with no respect for the traditions of the fire department. As a career firefighter you are a sc@#bag anti vollie piece of garbage. Changes do come, they are slower than molasse crawling up hill at 20 below but they do come. If you give up the fight they win.

    I think this board is or should be a place to vent (within reason)

    100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress

  17. Posted

    I do not think many departments want the public educated on the spending of the dept. If the public knew what their money was spent on some people would s@#$ a cow. How many "Hurst" tools, TIC, etc. does one dept. need. You want talk about spending how about $630,000 for a spare ladder truck explain that to the public. It may not totally be the fire departments fault City Hall should take some of the blame they let this kind of thing go on. Some of the problem also lies in the area we serve, most taxpayers do not care if there $6,000 + taxes go up $100 to pay for some unneeded equipment. .

  20. Posted

    I have to agree with everything Chris has to say. His last sentence perhaps the most. "Any further discussions shouldn’t take place on this forum."

    Now if there was only a place for us (Westchester Career Firefighters) to sit down and talk things out and form some plans. Can anyone say Coaliliton. I nominate Chris MaCcann.