Now there’s a three of a kind card hand that will beat anyone’s full house.  I can only imagine how people can be so cruel at times like that.  But then again, I could well be spoiled.  Thanks to our union in Newark, none of those matters would be an issue.  The city was always most generous in these areas.  Oh, they might have been a little tight with a buck now and then, but the benefits, both active and retired are pretty special.

What makes this fire chiefs position all the more unbelievable is the fact that his strong negative actions come at a time when the relationship between the International Association of Firefighters (IAFC) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are at an all-time high point.  General President Harold Schaitberger of the IAFF and President Mike Brown of the IAFC have worked together on such major threshold efforts for the entire fire service as the battle for the passage of NFPA Standard 1710, joint leadership/labor initiatives, and a whole host of wellness/fitness initiatives that they have jointly sponsored.  It is against this backdrop of unprecedented union/management harmony, that we see the discordant notes being played by this fire chief in Harvey, Illinois.  

In light of this, I think that it is critical for the members of that fire department to become friendly with the people they are sworn to protect.  In an issue like this, the city, and especially its fire chief, set themselves up as the villains.  The union must work hard to create an aura of good will.  My best wishes go out to the members of the Harvey Fireman’s Association, for a successful battle with these obviously biased government officials.

I sincerely hope that the Chief of the Harvey, Illinois Fire Department is ready to discuss this issue with General President Schaitberger of the IAFF.  He is truly there supporting his members on a 24x7x365 basis.  

Muffy Demands An Explanation

Another negative slice of Fire Service Americana comes to us from the State of Maine.  According to an article written by Mr. Dan McGillvray, a staff writer for the Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc., a local couple in Vienna, Maine, is spearheading a group that is concerned that the fire department is pushing too hard to buy a new, $200,000 fire truck less than three months after voters rejected the request. 

Mr. McGillvray quoted Martha “Muffy” Floyd as stating, “ …I think there are several reasons why the town really can't afford it at this point. We're not getting a cross-section of the population that's coming up with solutions for our firefighting needs. It's just that they (the fire department) want a big truck."  

Well Muffy, I would hope they wanted a big fire truck.  As a veteran of 35 years in the fire service, I learned long ago that you cannot carry much of anything on a small fire truck.  Whether it is water, hose, breathing apparatus, ladders, or hand tools, each takes up space.  We in the world of firefighting have found out that not having enough of something can really play havoc with doing our job.  

As a matter of fact, I am a firm believer in the phrase made famous during the Civil War by that famous General, Nathan Bedford Forrest.  He was most correct when he said that you had to,  “ … git thar fustest with the mostest.”  Fire is the enemy, and I urge all of the folks in Vienna, Maine to make no mistake about that fact.  

According to the above-cited newspaper article, Mrs. Floyd and her husband, James, are urging selectmen to appoint a committee of citizens and firefighters to explore options for purchasing firefighting equipment instead of relying solely on what department members want.  Now since I am the one that is always urging community interaction, here is the chance for someone to give it a try.  Maybe here is where the fire department should reach out and touch someone.

Unfortunately, the fire chief does not see that as a good idea.  Chief Jon Ljunggren, was quoted in the article as stating that, “… every profession needs professionals to decide on their equipment.”  Come on chief, they just want to sit down and talk with you.  Why not give them a chance?  Given the fact that the town has only one piece of fire apparatus, the time to sit down and talk is now.  The only way I can see for this issue to come to a fruitful conclusion is to have a meaningful sit down. 

It seems the fire department got rid of their other unit, a 32-year-old pumper, because it was just plain worn out.  These citizens need to be educated as to the fact that one truck does not make an efficient fire fighting effort.  And they cannot be educated if both sides are out in the back yard building snow forts and gathering snow balls to throw at each other.

The Vienna Fire Department is part of a regional mutual aid plan.  In order to get the help of their neighbors when times are bad, they must send their unit when asked.  It is a firefighting quid pro quo known as mutual aid.  But maybe the citizens don’t know about this plan.  Maybe they need to be taught the facts of fire service life.  When you only have one, and you send one, you end up with none.  That is it, if my math is correct.  Rather than digging in and demanding, the chief needs to portray the amount of help that comes for free when it is needed.  But he must also express the fact that part of the cost is what they have to be able to share.  The argument is really quite simple.  For the price of the second fire vehicle, Vienna gets as much help as they need.  

It is really very simple.  If you send none when the neighbors call, you get none when you desperately need it.  And one fire truck is a pitifully meager force at any structural fire.  In a small town like Vienna, this type of battle can get real personal.  

I am suggesting that there is a duty on both sides to sit down and hammer out an accord.   Of course, since we all know that fire always happens to the other guy anyway, those folks in Vienna really aren’t going to get it:  UNLESS the chief and his gang become team players.

Just to show you that there is hope for this situation, one of the residents in the community, Muffy Floyd, said that the town should look at improving their fire prevention efforts.  And she is quite right.  You don’t have to battle the blaze that never happens.  But Mrs. Floyd should remember that we are talking about firefighting as an equation that involves the interaction of human beings.  Anything can happen.  That’s why we think the second vehicle is needed.  But before the issue of the vehicle can be addressed, both sides need to sit down and take a look at the real reasons that fires happen and why fire trucks are needed.

Chief’s Office Comes With Revolving Door

Well so much for of this week’s bad news review my friends.  We turn now to Mason, Ohio where the voice of the public has been heard.  This regional center in the southwestern part of Ohio has provided a veritable revolving door for the position of fire chief.  Four people have held the office since October.  As someone who saw just three fire chiefs in my 26 years with the Newark Fire Department, that seems quite strange to me.

I will not go into the actual reasons for the position of musical fire chief.  That is not the point of this part of my commentary.  Quite simply, the fact is that the people in town had come to expect a certain level of service from their former (make that pre-October revolving door time) fire chief.  

In the last seven months, there has been an exodus of experienced people.  The modus operandi appears to have been fiscal in nature.  Of course the manner in which fiscal problems are usually handled has a direct and telling impact on the human element of any fire department.  Further, the stories that have been coming over the Internet from the Cincinnati area indicate that the members of the Mason Fire Department are working in fear of losing their jobs.  

That is a deep and abiding fear under which no firefighter should labor.  Bad enough that we put our lives on the line, how can we be expected to put our jobs on the line when we tell the truth to the public?  

By now you must be saying to yourself, Harry, where is that earlier good news of which you spoke?  The key to my joy comes from the fact that the local city council heard the Vox Populi (Voice of the People).  These fine, dedicated, concerned and caring citizens came out to the city council meetings and expressed their displeasure with the way things were going.  How did they learn of the downward turn that their fire protection had taken?  That is the critical element here. 

There was a group of brave firefighters who stepped forward to tell the story.  Columnist Cliff Radel of the Cincinnati Enquirer sat down with a group of nine dedicated fire people he called Proud Teammates in his May 9, 2001 commentary on this issue.   They shared their feelings with Mr. Radel, who in turn shared them with the public.

Each of these firefighters was deeply disappointed by the way in which the department they loved appeared to be spiraling downward.  They were deeply concerned about issues of staffing and apparatus response cuts that they felt had a strong negative impact on the citizens of Mason.  Their effort to educate the citizens of their community was successful.  One can only hope that the Mason City Council will not have a collective case of organizational amnesia when they meet to choose the next fire chief.

It is the citizens who lie at the heart of government.  The citizens are the reason for our existence, and the primary beneficiary of our efforts. The citizens are our customers and we are their service providers.  If we do our jobs correctly, the societal order is maintained and people prosper.  When we fail to produce our best for the customer, they run the risk of death or serious injury.

This was a lesson taught to me by a dear friend and former supervisor in Newark, retired Deputy Chief Joe Pierce.  We worked together in both the Training and Community Relations Divisions.  He taught me that working with the citizens of our city could result in benefits that neither of us could imagine.  He taught me that solid two-way relationships, built upon trust and follow though, can lead to critical support in times of fiscal crisis.  Unfortunately it was a lesson not learned at every level of our organization.

So it is that I applaud the bravery of the fire department personnel in Mason, Ohio, who risked it all to let the public know about another case involving the Emperor’s New Suit of Clothes Syndrome.  While the council was applauding the fire emperor and his new suit of fire department clothing, these people were out in the community yelling from the highest buildings:  look, your fire department is a naked shell of its former self.

More people need to step up to the plate and join the likes of Tom Tippett, the retired Washington, DC Fire Chief and Craig Shelley, the former Chief of the Rutland, Vermont Fire Department.  When the times got tough, they told the truth, and paid the price.  To quote the late John Philpot Curran (1751-1817), “… the condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.”  

To paraphrase that fine man let me say to you that the price of adequate fire protection is an aroused and aware public, which has been properly educated by their fire department.  This is advice that you ignore at your own peril.  Again, let me offer a tip of the fire helmet to that brave group in Mason, Ohio.  

The commentary in this column does not necessarily reflect those of Firehouse.Com, Firehouse Magazine, their employees or parent company Cygnus Business Media. Harry R. Carter, Ph.D., MIFireE, is an internationally known municipal fire protection consultant and contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine. He recently retired as a Battalion Commander with the Newark, New Jersey Fire Department. His commentary appears regularly on Firehouse.Com. For more commentary and information, visit Carter's web site at www.harrycarter.com Harry has published several books available for online ordering, including Firefighting Strategy and Tactics and Management in the Fire Service