Taking Apparatus Out Of Service For Parades

[Guest]

I have to disagree with you 4truck48 about all of the Chiefs being at a parade. There are other officers in your department other than chiefs - if your Captains or your Lieutenants can't run a scene, then they shouldn't be officers...

The Chiefs deserve more than anyone to be at a parade after all they give to a department and to the community.

Apparently you're not a fan of parades, not everyone is, but it's not about getting a slap on the back...

[4truck48 25]

I'm not saying that the chief's shouldn't go to the parade. I'm saying that not ALL of the chiefs should go to the parade or out of town at the same time. Most depts have three chiefs, one of them can miss a parade and stay in the district. And if a captain or lieutenant can run the department then why do you need three chief's. When you take the position of chief your main job is to protect the firefighters and citizens of your district, not march in a parade. My Post has nothing to do with being a fan of parades. I love parades.

[mstrang1 213]

COMMANDCHIEF- I do not have a problem with firefighters/officers drinking alcohol. My problem starts when a large percentage of the firefighters/fire officers are drinking together, at the same time at a Company sponsored function. This severely limits the coverage of the district. Also, there is the "whats good for the goose, is good for the gander" mentality. When a Chief or other officer tells the membership that they are not to respond after having any alcohol, but is guilty of the problem himself, then the department and residents suffer a huge blow. It just gives the message that the Chief cannot even listen to himself, why should I?

In addition, as someone who has not had a drink in 30 months, but still hung out at the local bar, I would sometimes be embarrassed about leaving for a call, being totally sober as I was, because other patrons of the bar might not know that I have been drinking club soda with a lime for the past two hours. They just hear a pager go off, and see me running out of the door, leaving a half full glass on the bar.

There ARE instances where ALL of the current officers of a department are at a parade. I have seen it in other departments besides my own as well. In this instance, they rely on ex officers and senior firefighters to manage an incident that could occur during a parade. But I have seen officers discourage calling MA too soon, for fear of "embarassing" the department.

[Remember585 815]

What's the difference if all of your Chiefs participate in a parade versus all of them working at their jobs at the same time?

You survive - right? You have other Officers - right?

The few times in a year when all of the Chiefs are unavailable is a good time for the younger Officers to get a chance to work in the Command role.

[Guest squad]

Front line apparatus should never leave a home district for a parade- If my home is on fire I want the rigs I paid for with my taxes showing up at my house

As for members going to out of town parades and leaving behind

skeleton crews to protect their districts I have just 1 comment-

Inform the public who is left behind to protect their families and

property. Essentially, keep a running roster at all times that the public can view and be assured that they are properly protected.

The accuracy of this roster should be beyond reproach and should only include members who are properly trained and who are currently active

[Guest]

If we were to leave a post like that i am pretty sure the public would not be happy with the results of that post. We are a volunteer fire service and that means when the majority of us are out of town working at our jobs the district short manned during normal working hours every day.

[Guest x2371]

I guess you always have to leave a chief in town. I think not. If a parade is on a Fri in the summer even if 1 chief goes to a parade who's to say that the others aren't working or on vacation. What about the chief's confrenece or other training? I guess your saying one must stay in town and not go to training. Chief's need lifes to. Must of the time you will have on in town but a real chief have faith in all of his/her officers to run a call, if need be. The easiest part of being chief is the fires!!!!

[emt301 4]

To re-state a point made a couple of times previously...I don't think the issue is whether or not all of the chiefs go to the parade ( I agree, with 585, Lieutenants & Captains should be capable of making some on-scene decisions for themselves).

My concern is how some departments strip their districts of the majority of their manpower and a significant percentage of their TAXPAYER FUNDED apparatus....leaving a skeleton crew & perhaps some members/a single engine from another department to cover their entire district. If one of the TAXPAYER's houses catches on fire, is the response going to be what it should be? Quite possibly it won't be, and does the parade excuse really give that TAXPAYER a good reason why the response to his/her fire wasn't adequate?

We need to get our priorities straight. Parades are great, but fire protection should not be significantly diminished in a particular region because of our participation in them!!!

[Guest x2371]

Aren't all Vol fieman tax payers in the disrtict? Must feel pretty comforatable leaving their home and family behind

[Guest BJM123]

emt301: BRAVO. BRAVO,BRAVO [-o<

[emt301 4]

2372,

With all due respect to you, and with no offense intended, I'm refering to the Non-FD taxpayers.

The FD-taxpayers that you describe as comfortably leaving their families/homes in order to go to the parades are the ones that might possibly, depending upon the state of their particular department, be the ones that need to check their priorities, with reasons having been stated in previous post.

[fitzjr11 17]

Parades take maybe 30-50 members out of service, how much of that is your active members? How many stay to the end? I know with my dept. not many people stick around till trophies. We prob have more people around to cover a call during a parade then we do during the day when people are working.

There are postings on the Chief should stay in town when a parade is going on, and that if a capt or lt can handle a call why do we have 3 chiefs? Who covers calls during the day- I know all 3 of our chiefs have jobs and often a Lt or past chief ends up being the IC.

Officers have lives, and if officers have other committments when there is a call you have other officers and past officers to fill in.

Fact is you don't have much man power during the day and calls get covered, calls will get covered during parades as well.

[TRUCK6018 50]

 Chief's need lifes too.  

Part of a chief officer's job description is no life!

[Guest]

 

Officers have lives, and if officers have other committments when there is  a call you have other officers and past officers to fill in.

Fact is you don't have much man power during the day and calls get covered, calls will get covered during parades as well.

That is exactly the problem, Not enough manpower to cover calls in the day time- you said the call is covered. But what was it covered with- 2 people on 2 pieces of apparatus. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! :-k

Manpower is a big problem. Public Saftey is at stake. (and FIREFIGHTER SAFTEY :cry:)

[CAM502 6]

Manpower is a big problem.   Public Saftey is at stake.  (and FIREFIGHTER  SAFTEY :cry:)

Manpower is a big problem all over, that's for sure. If you can't ( or barely can) cover call on a normal day you have no business at a parade. Why? See above quote.

[fitzjr11 17]

however fires continue to be put out and no one gets hurt, our job is being done. we are volunteers, we cover calls with what we have. Since we're not a paid dept we don't manpower on hand!

[4truck48 25]

This topic started out as taking apparatus to a parade and is now a discussion of is there enough manpower during the day. I don't know how we got here, but as long as we are, I would like to know. Can your department put enough properly trained firefighters and officers on the scene in the time set by the NFPA as the accepted standard 24 hours a day 365 days a year. If you can't do that then going to a parade and and keeping your fingers crossed that every thing will work out is just wrong. The public and expects, and is entitled to proper fire protection ALL the time, not just at night or on weekends.