Roanoke running out of Ladder Trucks?
Today, the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department is operating with 2 of 4 ladder trucks. That is right folks. The entire Southside of the City is left without ladder trucks. Currently, when operable the City has:
Ladder 1 - 100' ladder
Ladder 2 - 95' platform
Ladder 7 - 75' ladder
Ladder 13 - 75' ladder
Reserve Ladder - 121' ladder
Today, we have:
Ladder 13 - in service with the reserve ladder
Ladder 2 in service.
But what about the other two ladder companies? Well Ladder 1's crew is operating on the HTR truck (no ladders on it at all). Ladder 7 is operating with a reserve engine company (a 12'roof/straight ladder and a 24' extension ladder).
You tell me what is wrong. Since I get a lot of the "why are you bringing that up" mentality, I will tell you why. Because we are unprepared going to work like this. AND, the people we protect are unprotected. How many people right now are above the second floor working in an office in Downtown Roanoke?
I don't see how purchasing those 75' quints that are always out of service is any different than Alfred Dowe squandering away City dollars. Both of those 75' ladders are out of service right now and they are only 10 years old. What a waste.
But what the hell do the firefighters know? They don't run the department. They don't twist the statistics. They just merely risk their lives for yours.
I wish that the Chiefs downtown would really hear what the firefighters think and say about the state of our department. I wish that our firefighters didn't feel so threatened of retaliation and were able to speak out and ask the questions.
Ladder 1 - 100' ladder
Ladder 2 - 95' platform
Ladder 7 - 75' ladder
Ladder 13 - 75' ladder
Reserve Ladder - 121' ladder
Today, we have:
Ladder 13 - in service with the reserve ladder
Ladder 2 in service.
But what about the other two ladder companies? Well Ladder 1's crew is operating on the HTR truck (no ladders on it at all). Ladder 7 is operating with a reserve engine company (a 12'roof/straight ladder and a 24' extension ladder).
You tell me what is wrong. Since I get a lot of the "why are you bringing that up" mentality, I will tell you why. Because we are unprepared going to work like this. AND, the people we protect are unprotected. How many people right now are above the second floor working in an office in Downtown Roanoke?
I don't see how purchasing those 75' quints that are always out of service is any different than Alfred Dowe squandering away City dollars. Both of those 75' ladders are out of service right now and they are only 10 years old. What a waste.
But what the hell do the firefighters know? They don't run the department. They don't twist the statistics. They just merely risk their lives for yours.
I wish that the Chiefs downtown would really hear what the firefighters think and say about the state of our department. I wish that our firefighters didn't feel so threatened of retaliation and were able to speak out and ask the questions.
30 comments:
Downtown wouldn't agree that the quints were a mistake . . . they were bought to reduce manpower - so they are a sucess -
they don't care if we don't have adaquate equipment - we're expendable, apparently so are the citizens ...
with each new station we build, we lose an engine company - buildings don't fight fire... it's called downsizing - it started before the economic downturn which is now a timely excuse -
soon we'll be running into Bonsack - we already run every direction out of the city - did you taxpayers know that - and with less of us in the city, your level of safety has been reduced.
you should be worried.
ask questions, get involved
The reason they don;t mind marking trucks out of service is that the chances of something happening and needing those trucks is small. That small part isn't enough to worry about for them. Although a 1 in 7.5 million chance of winning the lottery is enough for them to go buy a ticket.
It makes you wonder who the real fools are here, the fools making the rules or the fools following them.
i can not fight the fight.. the department and the IAFF have brain washed me into thinking what they want me to think..i have an inner urge to fight, but everything i see looks so great through my new Rose colored glasses! Obama, EMS, no ladder trucks, fire calls down, Obama, 2% pay raise. if you can't see the good in all of this, put your glasses on and take another look.
"Rose" colored is right
Pass me some of that Obama cool-aid.
Your Fire Department is a joke!
What the lay person or average citizen needs to understand is that a Ladder Company is far more than a truck with a big ladder. It carries a complement of portaable or as we call them ground ladders. They are used many times more than the aerial ladder on the apparatus. We use these ground ladders when the place needing to be accessed cannot be reached by an aerial. Many rescues, or "picks" have been made via a ordinary ground ladder. We also strategicaly place these ground ladders at locations around the involved building as a means of secondary egress should we need to hake a hasty retreat from the fire building. The Ladder truck is a rolling "tool box" full of specialized tools used for forcible entry, ventilation, and salvage and overhaul. Some people say we could always call our neighbors in the County. But guess what! More often than not during the daylight hours the County Fire and Rescue Dept. has elected to leave their ladder trucks unstaffed on a rotating basis around the County. So that means that if the staff at the County station that has a ladder truck is out on a call or not in the station for any reason, their ladder truck would not be immediatly available. In the evening and nighttime hours it may or may not be immediatly available determined by whether or not Volunteers have staff "in house", or have to muster a crew coming from their residence after being paged. I guess all that really matters is that we are internationally accredited. You know, the important stuff like matching bedspreads, counting the number of rulers and coloring books we give out, and keeping all the operating and maintenence manuals to our apparatus at Administration. Yes, some type Fire Dept. vehicle will show up at your address within our targeted time 90% of the time. Will it have the needed firefighting capabilities? Maybe, maybe not. Just hope your life or property isn't part of the 10%.
In the words of Forrest Gump;
Thats all I have to say about that.
Craig Sellers.
The sting of a reproach is the truth of it.
Richard Saunders
Hell, what about medic trucks, M-10 broke down tonight w/ no reserve to replace the reserve they were already in.
Where could someone find the fire department's budget? Also does the RFD qualify for federal grants? If so do they apply for them?
we get fed grants but they are for driving simulators, educational materials, chief cars, fire academy attendance, toothbrushes, rakes, mowers, silverware, plates, sofas, everything but what we need
The Roanoke City Fire Department is a joke. Not even a good joke...but one of those "a horse walks into a bar" type of joke.
So proud of their Internationally Accredidation that they forget to take care of their people and do the stuff that really matters.
How about taking the trucks that are always breaking down to a reputable garage to get them fixed? I know the guys at the city garage are good at fixing garbage trucks but apparantley they are not that good a fixing fire trucks. Way to waste everyone's time and money Ralph by having us go to the city garage again, and again, and again, to get these junk trucks that the idiots in admin. purchased.
What would you expect though seeing that Hoback and Altman have never ridden on one of those big red trucks.
The grant money that we get can be used for just about anything, it's just what our illustrious administration decide to spend it on and obviously it is not for our well-being or safety.
I would like to know how much money has been wasted over the years by sending all the chiefs to the IAFC vacation conference in Denver, Atlanta, and Dallas. Air fare, hotels, meals, that money could have done alot of good here in the city. Our department can not even buy a firefighter an IFSTA book for a local class. But they can go on the IAFC trips.
How many instructors have ever been allowed to go to the FDIC conference? None. Roanoke County always send 2 firefighters each year. That is why wee have to go to them to get up to date information such as ROAM class for air management and stuff like that.
We have junk trucks ad they have brand new cars.
I lost faith in your Department several years ago when you burnt the house on Cornwallice Ave. to the ground on the 4th of July. I have also seen other buildings burn so bad that they have to be torn down around the city over the last few years. It seems to me that the Roanoke Fire EMS Department has changed its way of fire fighting. Maybe it is because of the Chief you hired from up north or the merger with the medics. I don’t know but it’s not the same.
Since then I have had fire detection and suppression systems installed. My house is occupied 24-7.If a fire was to get started I am sure it would be out and my valuables and loved ones saved before the first truck were to arrive. After reading all the responses on this blog over the years I am very glad that I did this.
It seems to me with all the new fire equipment and ambulances that I have seen on the streets of our city, your Department should be getting better instead of worse.
The reason the house on Cornwallis burned to the ground was because someone poared gasoline through out it and stated a arson fire, not due to the lack of effort or lack of equipment on the scene.
That house was fully involved when the first truck arrived.
It's Ok to bash people and proceedures when based on facts, but don't speak out of your ass when you know not what you are talking about.
Well that person must have plenty of cash.... fire supression system in your own home??? I've never heard of that and can't imagine that pricetag. Jumped to a huge conclusion on the Cornwallis fire didn't he??? Most unintentional fires can be controlled without total loss of the structure. Hell, I'm not a fireman and I know that. The City needs to be called on the carpet for wasteful spending. Why doesn't the union try to bring this information to the forefront????
because our UNION is a joke! its only here for window stickers and Christmas Parties. And Obama support
You hit that nail on the head. Our "Union"....I mean, our social club is just what was stated. Only good for sickers (which we have to pay for).
Funny, the Railroad Union gets its members guaranteed pay increases, better benefits, yearly bonuses, job security, better pensions, and so on and so on. The Roanoke local gives us a GREAT place on Patterson avenue to call our own for only $40 a month!!! What a deal!
This is another example of city council not listening to IAFF local 1132 members (firefighters in the field that know what is going on). If my memory is correct, and in this case it is, it was the local who came before city council and advised them that buying these quints was a bad idea and that it would cost the city more money in the long run. One of the many reasons the city shouldn't buy the quints was that they would brake down more freguently due to the trucks being so overloaded with equipment. Ladder#7 in the shop for brakes (again) is a prime example of that. If isn't one quint in the shop it's the other. Now we are looking to replace both quints and make one or both of them a reserve ladder truck(s). Most ladder trucks are bought with the hope they would be used for almost 20 years of service before being put out to pasture. How many years have the quints been in service? Not long enough. What a waste of the tax payer's money! If I also remember correctly, it was the local who also advised city council that the quint's ladders were to short (75') for effective operations. Now Chief Hoback is looking to replace at least one of the quints with 105' ladder truck because we don't have enough ladder reach in the dept. Seems to me if the city wants to save money and provide a better service to the citizens of Roanoke, they might due better TO LISTEN TO THE LOCAL on fire-EMS issues. Just because the chief of the dept. say so, it doesn't make him right. The chief of the dept. has a boss and because of this the chief is going to say what his bosses want him to say. Sometimes, even the chief of a dept can't say what he really wants to say becuase of pressure from Grigsby and Big Red. However the local can and that is one reason city council should listen to us more often and ask tough questions regarding the chiefs (ie Grigsby/Big Red) decsions. If the council had listened to us we would more than likely not be in the situation we are currently in. The local does care about how taxpayer's money is spent and how it may effect the service we provide. Maybe, just maybe a lesson has been learned.
This information needs to be sent to all council members so they can see what is going on right under their noses.
JSP
It has been shown time and time again that our union has no leverage in City Council. If you the citizen want to start an activist group to have the union support you that would be great. But, City Council won't listen to us, because you have people like Gwen Mason who will refuse to do anything to help the firefighters. She is a drag on the city, the citizens and public safety. Then there is Court Rosen who can't stop teetering on the fence to make a decision. Who told the Union just enough of what they wanted to hear. And don't forget David Trinkle, he's a spineless waste of a council seat. If he could just borrow his balls off of Gwen and Darlene's nightstand, he might actully do something positive. In summary, If you are a citizen and you want the firefighters union to fight for you, you just put the wagon in front of the horse. We're just punching bags and we have learned that it's better to cower in a corner than to run into the fire. At least you can get promoted faster that way.
David Trinkle is just doing what Carilion is telling him to do. They are running the council and I think Gwen has her hands in David Trinkle's pockets.
If you don't like your job. QUIT!
No wonder the city won't listen to you. Crying all the time. If it's that bad I would leave now.
And lets not forget our "fearless mayor", who spoke @ our meeting just days before elections were held & said that if we can help get him elected, he could get Big Red thrown off of City council. Look @ him now up her ass, saying how good they work together now & how they're are getting along so well. Typical two faced politician. Good thing we didn't throw his campain any $$$. Unfortunately, & someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there isn't a checks & balances for City Council. Darlene, unfortunately has enough of a hold on this city to hold us back. She along w/ her little puppets that sit next to her on that bench can be presented all of the information we can throw @ them, but if they don't use the little bit of gray matter between their ears God gave them & realize that something isn't right & we might just know a thing or two about putting fires out; nothing will be done. Makes you wonder what will have to happen to make them realize; one of our fellow brothers' life lost, multiple people dying in a residential fire that could have been saved w/ the the help of ground ladders or an aerial, or another fireman going down doing his job & w/o the extra man on the ladder, not making it out? And if any of you don't believe me about how much power Darlene has in this city, just ask the officer that stopped her & could have given her a DUI but was told he would lose his job if he didn't turn his head. Do you think we would get out of a DUI; if you do, think again.
Your right, we have no leverage with city council any more. It is truely sad that our local can't point out the facts of what is going on and for city council to react properly to those facts. It is quit evident that council members are blind to what is going on in our dept. right now, or they know what is going on but just don't care. If the latter is true then city council members are NOT acting in the best interest of the public. If they are not acting in the best interest of the public then why even run for office. Maybe they are there for their own profit who knows. I don't know about the rest of you but if you were a coucil member wouldn't you ask serious questions and find out what the heck happened and why we are currently in the situation we are in now. Would you trust one person to answer that question or would you ask around to get different view points. I quess the only other issue is maybe the local failed to inform council members of the situation. You know big red and fire administration isn't going to tell them. What gets me the most is that time and time again we have gone before city council and expressed our concerns, and each time it falls on deaf ears. And of course time and time again our concerns come true (the quints being just one of them). Maybe we need to remind them we were right more often!
The other issue I have is why hasn't the press jumped all over this. I know for fact the local has brought up the quint issue with several news agencies but none have taken it on. I guess public safety is not news worthy enough anymore. Maybe it will be more news worthy when people downtown start jumping out of windows of burning buildings to keep from burning up. Maybe then they will report the issue and ask the serious questions. But of course, by then, it would have been to late.
Well, you did have a county ladder truck on the east side, but someone thought it would be a good idea to rip the exhaust pipes out from under it at the training center. But oh well, as far as the county is concerned truck companies are just long engines with a big ladder on top . We might as well buy a 10 man engine and put everything we own on it along with about 3000 gallons of water and call it a day. There are no longer truck and engine companies, there are attack/search/forcible entry teams. And if you're lucky someone will come along and bust a few windows. So look on the bright side, you can always look in the mirror each morning and say to yourself "hey, at least we're not as f***ed up as the county"
funny how FD employees use this forum to comment on
-how bad the FD is,
-how "one day" something bad is gonna happen,
-how awesul admin is
& then when an anonymous resident comments on the cornwallis fire being his reasoning that it has gone downhill everyone does a 180 to defend the FD actions & loss of a building. How he doesn't know anything & make fun of him spending money to protect his home.
now, the truth is,
-yes that was an intentional arson that simply can't get proven..it's really funny if you look to see who the owner was & what he dos for Roanoke now
-The increase in ambulances doesn't harm the FD or the City
-losing 1 firetruck wasn't that bad, but we have lost 3 & are about to lose a 4th & thats way too many.
-the ladder truck situation is a ridiculous danger to us personally
-the chiefs do read this & know their inadequacies, but answer to a higher power
-& most importantly, I told you Bowers wouldn't get rid of Darlene, it was all just a ploy to get your votes.
Yeah Bowers! Funny how some people are suprised when they do something over & over and keep getting the same results. RFFA supporting Bowers and getting ignored once he is in office for example. What's that saying, Deja vu?
I guess when the new cultural museums go under constructions the City better hope it has it's ladder trucks in service. There is no accountability in the use of City money??!?!?>
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?s=9366153
Come on Rhett, stir up some shizit with this...
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