Boston's Fire Trail: A Walk through the City's Fire and Firefighting History

I received the news about this new book about Boston's Fire History. I have enjoyed reading about the rich history the City has to offer. I have read two other books by Stephanie Schorow related to Boston's Fire History.

I suggest you check it out.

Purchase it here and read the information on the book below.

The History Press Releases
Boston's Fire Trail: A Walk through the City's Fire and Firefighting History
By The Boston Fire Historical Society

BOSTON: From the Cocoanut Grove nightclub disaster to the Vendome Hotel tragedy, Boston has been singed by a string of unforgettable fires that have torched more than a thousand buildings and burned through the city center more than a dozen times. In the new book Boston's Fire Trail: A Walk through the City's Fire and Firefighting History, author Stephanie Schorow and members of the Boston Fire Historical Society trace the history of fire in the Hub, and create an intriguing retrospective of this compelling facet of the city's past. The book- and how it came to be published-would make for a timely and significant feature.

To mark the release of Boston's Fire Trail, a public reception will be held at the South Boston Branch Library, 646 East Broadway, Boston, on Wednesday, November 28 from 6-8 p.m. This event coincides with the 65th anniversary of the infamous Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire of November 28, 1942, in which nearly 500 people died.

Since the massive Great Boston Fire of 1872, which destroyed almost eight hundred buildings in the heart of downtown, fire has irrevocably altered the city's appearance, fortunes and psyche. The recent tragic deaths of two firefighters in West Roxbury have, once again, focused the city's attention on the risks faced by firefighters and controversial issues regarding public safety. Such controversy is, however, nothing new in the long, colorful and significant history of the Boston Fire Department, as Boston's Fire Trail makes clear.

Arson, accident and human courage-all are depicted, along with historic details of the circumstances, locations and impact of more than forty-five fires throughout Greater Boston. By following Boston's Fire Trail, readers will witness the greatest fires in Boston history firsthand, experience the perils each fire presented, and discover a Boston few now know existed.

To request a review copy, contact Katie Parry. Members of the Boston Fire Historical Society are also available to talk about the impact of fire in the city's history.

Additional book signings will be held at the Barnes & Noble, 800 Boylston St. (Prudential Center) in Boston on December 5 at 12 p.m. and at the Barnes & Noble, 96 Derby St., Hingham, Mass., on December 8 at 12 p.m.

The Boston Fire Historical Society (BFHS) was founded as a Massachusetts non-profit corporation in 2006. Currently it consists of a nine-person Board of Directors whose purpose is the preservation and interpretation of the history of the Boston Fire Department.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Paul A. Christian retired as Fire Commissioner/Chief of Department of the Boston Fire Department on February 15, 2006 following a 38-year career. Appointed to the Boston Fire Department in January 1968, Christian has held all ranks in the organization and achieved the rank of Deputy Fire Chief earlier in his career than any member in the department's history. He was awarded the department's Roll of Merit and Distinguished Service Award for rescues performed in 1971 and 1972.

Theodore Gerber is an independent insurance and investment broker living in Somerville. Born and raised in Boston, he developed at an early age an admiration for the skill and bravery of the Boston Fire Department and later, an appreciation of the department's history. He is a member of various fire service support organizations, a past chairman of the Boston Fire Museum, and founder and President of the Boston Fire Historical Society. He is also a former U.S. Army captain and combat veteran.

Michael W. Gerry, a Braintree resident, is treasurer of the Boston Fire Historical Society and dispatcher for the Massachusetts State Police Troop E. He is a fire historian and a past president of both the Boston Sparks Association and the Boston Fire Museum. He is a veteran of submarine service in the U.S. Navy and a grandson of a late Quincy, Mass., fire department lieutenant.

William T. Murray was born and raised in Boston and currently lives in the Hyde Park district. He is the retired Director of Fire Safety/Emergency Management for the Boston Public Schools, Chief Master Sergeant, Military Fire Chief, 102nd CES, Otis ANGB, of Cape Cod (retired) and has been affiliated with several organizations that support the Boston Fire Department.

Bill Noonan has been a firefighter with the Boston Fire Department since 1971, when he was appointed to Engine Company 3 in the South End. He eventually transferred to the Fire Prevention Division as a department photographer. He has authored four photo books: Flames & Faces: A Photographic Essay of the Boston Fire Department (2004) Wooden Sticks and Iron Men (2000), Jakes Under Fire (1997), and Smoke Showin' (1984). He is a U.S. Army veteran, who served one year in Saigon, South Vietnam.

Stephanie Schorow is a writer and reporter living in Medford. She is the author of Boston on Fire: A History of Firefighting in Boston and The Cocoanut Grove Fire. Her newest book, The Crime of the Century: How the Brink's Robbers Stole Millions and the Hearts of Boston will be published in February by Commonwealth Editions.

James Teed, a lifelong Boston area resident, was a member of the Boston Fire Department from 1970 to 1999. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1976. He has been interested in fire history his entire adult life.

A portion of this book's proceeds go to the Boston Fire Historical Society.

Roanoke Firefighters in the News

Local Heroes Receive Awards

WSLS NewsChannel 10
Nov 7, 2007

The Roanoke Kiwanis Club recognized four Roanoke Fire-EMS workers for their heroic deeds. David Lucas, Jeff Proulx, Alan Mitchell and Adam Fleming came to the rescue when an ambulance burst into flames at the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital last June.

Proulx said, "As soon as they pulled in, you could just hear a loud, bang, explosion. Turned around and the back doors were opening up, and you could just see smoke coming out."

Read the entire article

The news coverage of the awards was great. All four firefighters were interviewed at the old station 1 did a great job on camera.


Elsewhere,

Captain Willie Wines Jr. wrote an article that I think all of you should read. It is up on VAFireNews.com and the direct link is here.

This is an excerpt:

Today, despite all we’ve learned and all our advancements, we are still killing firemen due to temporal distortion, reluctance to relinquish control of ones situation, channeled attention, loss of situational awareness, fear of the unknown, fear of retribution, lack of procedural knowledge, attempting to fix the problem, pride or denial. What makes this problem even worse is the fact that situations constituting a MAYDAY have expanded as well (or these situations just haven’t been seen as MAYDAYs all along). My Department was very recently hit with the tragic loss of a young Captain....

Read the entire article

Lastly,

Engine 13 and 5, Medic 4, and RS-1 ran an overturned vehicle yesterday. Click the picture for the story.

Engine 5 takes a break...and I will probably end up broke

Check this out from E-5. Apparently, they took a few minutes to have some fun this evening. That is all I am going to say about it. Use your interpretation. Meanwhile, I will be hiding under a rock.

Heartache

A few very well written words about firefighters

Rarely Forgotten, Always Respected

Every fire department has it's legends. Chief among them is the firefighter who stood up for what was right despite the cost in personal stature or promotion. When talking about these people firefighters smile because these people are the bedrock on which any department is built.

Read the rest of the post on Firefighter Hourly here
Sorry, I put up a bad link, however I have corrected it.

Roanoke Recruit School Vent Class

Roanoke Recruit School Vent Class pictures thanks to Firefighter Dan Goodwin.

Click Image to see more.

Help at Bennington's House this weekend

Jeremy is looking for help this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I will be going out on Saturday to help. We are working on trim work inside and outside currently as well as hanging doors and numerous other things around the house. If you can help, call me at 540-537-8158 to make sure what time guys are working. There is a map below to Bennington's house.

VPFF and Local 1132 endorsements

I have been hanging around the house today fielding phone calls from politicians hoping to win in the November 6th elections. I just had some guys from the AFL-CIO come by the house to talk about a candidate. I will be posting the endorsed candidates from the VPFF and Local 1132 tomorrow hopefully. This will help you in deciding on November 6th.

Even if you do not vote for the endorsed/suggested candidate, I advise you to at least go and vote. It is up to you to vote to make a difference whichever what you see fit.

The link to the Local 1132 website is here.

Another Milestone for Local 1132

Did you know that IAFF Local 1132 (Roanoke Fire Fighters Association) runs a nearly complete listing of IAFF Locals call the IAFF Locals Listing (http://www.IAFFLocals.com). If you didn't, now you do.

I digress...I realized today that the IAFF Locals List has achieved excellent status on Google. That is right. If you search google for "IAFF", with or without the qoutation marks, that the website is #2 just behind the IAFF website (http://www.IAFF.org). Let me just say that it has taken about a year and a half to reach this status.

I just thought I would pass along the news. You can view the search here.

By the way, we get about 10 additions each week for the site and I update it about once a week.

Roanoke's Firefighters keep it REAL

Today, VentEnterSearch.com posted a story by Captain Willie Wines Jr. about a call that Engine 9 ran recently. Check it out here.

Also, Firefighter Travis Collins had another article published in Virginia Fire News Magazine. Tiffany Bradbury also had a story about Roanoke Fire-EMS Accredidation. Brad Creasy, a long time writer for the mag also had a couple of articles from over in town Bedford.

Keep up the good work.

Virginia Fire News Magazine does not have a website, although you can view the information on the mag and get a subscription here.

IAFF Pumpkin and Pumpkins at Station 9

Travis Collins created an IAFF Pumpkin and Station 9 created a Medic and Engine Pumpkin for their station.

Check them out here.

Artists video rendering of an FDNY Firefighter

This is a pretty cool video of an artist creating an awesome painting. Thanks to Scott Fritz for the heads up on this.

Blitz attack on Bennington's House

This Thursday and Friday, October 25th and 26th, Firefighters will be working at Bennington's house. If you would like to help, please show up or contact Captain Willie Wines Jr. at #9 tomorrow to work on Thursday, and Captain Todd Stone at #1 today or Wednesday to help on Friday.

It is reported that News Channel 10 will be there on one of the two days to do a story on how the Firefighters are helping Jeremy finish his house. It would be great to see a lot of firefighters out there. Somebody please take some pictures.

You do not have to be skilled in a trade to help. Some of the work that will be getting done is building the garage (remember it is a log home and log garage), hard wood flooring installed, trim work inside and outside, as well as numerous other odd jobs here and there.

Jeremy appreciates all of the help he has gotten to this point. I believe that if we have enough people on these two days, we will be able to complete the job by November 11th.

Todd Reighley wrote:
If you can figure it I will cover lunch and drinks for both days. Don’t know if the union would authorize use of a credit card and I can cut a reimbursement check or If you can find one central lunch provider, I can call in and cover it with my CC. I would come out and throw down, but the 6,800 miles is a bit of a commute. Plus I wouldn’t make it back in time for morning roll call. Let me know what you figure out, I would like to lend a hand and thank the guys for pitching in.

So you guys work it out and get back to Todd.
Meanwhile, I am on vacation, out of town. If you need me, email me.

Thanks

Staffing in Roanoke Part III

This post is just for a little clarification as well as some "case and point" examples for the nay-sayers and those who wanted examples.

First of all, Jay at Firefighter Hourly.com has talked about the two part (now three) post on staffing in Roanoke. Check out the post here and the podcast here. FireGeezer also covered the story here.

I believe that Jay understood me exactly, and in talking to many firefighters I believe that I got the point across. However, there are plenty of firefighters who still don't think it is a big deal to simply mark trucks out of service for long periods of time for any reason at all.

I did not realize that my point would be proven so quickly, but yesterday was a perfect example of what I meant. Yesterday, Engine 2, Engine 3, Quint 7, and Medic 7 were reported to be out of service from 0800 - 1700 hours (8am til 5pm). That meant that at station 2 we were left with ladder 2 and medic 2, at station 13 we were left with ladder 13, and at station 7 we were left with NOTHING.

The interesting thing is that the neighborhood groups around station 7 were told that their service would not be changed (to which there was a collective laugh by the firefighters). If indeed engine 7 was still in service, one of the trucks would have remained in service (I should hope).

I can't make this stuff up.

As for solutions. Well I have been working on solutions for all of this including the medic thingy. Sure, they are my ideas or that of the firefighters which I believe will work. Of course, all of it costs money. If it didn't cost money, we wouldn't be working the way we do.

Free Michelin Tires for first responders

I wanted to let you know about a great way for first responders to receive new tires. Michelin is giving away free sets of tires to 50 firefighters/EMTs. To nominate your favorite first responder simply fill out a quick form online at www.michelinman.com/first-responders. There is no restriction on who you can nominate, so pick your firefighter brother or sister, your EMT colleague, or any other first responder that has touched your life. The nomination process end on Nov. 23rd.

When sending your nomination via email to michelinman@cohnwolfe.com, please include the following:

  * Your name, address, phone number, and email address
  * Your nominee’s name, address, phone number, and email address
  * Type of first responder vehicle in need of new tires (not required, but helpful)
  * Why is this person important to the community? (Hint: recent examples of heroism, overall achievement, ongoing commitment to bettering the community, his/her character, etc.
  * Why is the community in need of new tires for their first responder vehicle?

Or you can use the form located on the Michelin website.

Arrington Sports Awards

John and Sue Arrington run Arrington Sports Awards in Rocky Mount, Virginia. John is a 1st Lt. on Ladder 13 B-Shift.

Arrington Sports Awards has made awards for firefighters in Roanoke for a long time. They also make awards and uniforms for sports teams in the region.

The business has recently expanded to include a larger area to show off the many awards and uniforms they create and sell.

The next time you need awards or uniforms made, be sure to give them a try.

Arrington Sports Awards
140 Franklin St
Rocky Mount, VA 24151 Map
Phone - (540) 489-1200

Benningtons House is coming along - will be featured on the news

Jeremy's house is coming along pretty well. There is still a lot of work to do. Mainly the trim (inside and outside) and hardwood floors. The electrician and plumber will be back next week to finish their work.

Craig Sellers, Matt Dewhirst, Lynwood English, Jeremy, and myself worked over two days to complete the tile in the kitchen, 3 bathrooms, and laundry room. I am pleased to say that Jeremy should be finished with the grout by now.

Thanks so much to Captain Sellers for coming out and working 2 days and getting the tile down. I am glad to say that I learned a new trade. Not that anyone would pay me to lay tile, but I know the basics now.

WSLS News Channel 10 will be out to do a story on Jeremy's house and how the firefighters are helping to build it on either the 25th or 26th. I understand that Captain Stone is getting a group of guys to come up on the 26th and there will be a group going up on the 25th as well. Please contact me or Jeremy if you would like to help. It sounds like we will be building the garage and working on the interior and exterior trim. If the hardwood flooring is in by then, we will be laying that down as well.

Channel 10 got the idea from reading the story on the blog.

Many others have helped do things up to this point. The response has been overwhelming of people wanting to help. Jeremy is hard to get a hold of when he is working on the house. If you need to talk to him or have a message for him, just get a hold of me and I will pass along the message.

I think that we can get the stuff complete by the November 11th. However, he will need all of the help he can get. It would be great to see the numbers there on the 25th and 26th like we had for the Habitat for Humanity project (You can view that story on the blog here).

The picture to the left is Craig Sellers installing tile in the laundry room. He related his help that day (Jeremy, Lynwood, and myself) to that of his sons helping him........when they were 3 and 4. Just kidding. The tile looks great.

Staffing in Roanoke Part II

Reading some of the comments from Staffing in Roanoke (the previous post), I realized that some of you want more information. I try my best to write on the basis of non-firefighters reading this and/or firefighters from other jurisdictions. Apparently I have fallen short. That is ok. I will elaborate further.

First of all, I want to say that the reasoning for writing Staffing in Roanoke was to shine light on apparatus being taken out of service almost daily due to the lack of staffing. My solution is to hire more firefighters and/or create more positions so that when these events occur, we will not be taking units out of service for the lack of 3 firefighters.

Although I have been a proponent of a minimum staffing of 4, the last post was not intended to develop cause for it, I have written about that in the past and will do so again in the future.

One of the commentors asked about information on what firefighters do and reasoning for needing 4 firefighter on the truck. The cause for the question was for ammunition to assist in writing council. I want to be certain that we are at least operating at par before attempting to increase staffing for the 4 minimum.

The issue at hand is that Roanoke Fire-EMS staffs its fire engines and fire ladder trucks with a minimum of 3 firefighters. When we do not have 3 firefighters for each truck we mark trucks out of service. This is not the intended result of having a minimum of 3. The minimum of 3 is to ensure that we have 3 on every truck. If we do not have enough then we need to call in overtime (quick fix) or hire more firefighters (long term fix). Surely, the Department cannot guess when members will quit or retire, however it can be proactive by over hiring to merely cover the gap.

Almost daily, an engine or two is marked out of service so that members can go to intermediate class, instruct at the recruit school, or occupational health for physicals and drug tests (random tests), and many other reasons. However, marking the trucks out of service is not the answer.

For years, Administration has attempted to decrease Roanoke Fire EMS down to 9 stations (currently we are at 12, in 1995 we had 14).

We have lost:
Station 12 - closed around 2000, Engine 12 was taken out of service and Medic 4 was placed in service. We also sent 6 firefighters to staff a county station (Clearbrook). The County is still counting the dollars it saves!

Station 3 - closed last year, Engine 3 and medic 3 are now Engine 1 and medic 1. This was a cosmetic change and no apparatus were taken out of service.

Engine 7 was taken out of service this year and Ladder 7 became a Quint. Medic 7 was put in place of Engine 7.

It should also be noted that in 1991, Engine 1 was taken out of service to put Engine 14 in service on 460 (Gus Nicks area). City Council decided at the last minute to delete the new firefighter positions needed to staff the new engine 14 and simply up and move engine 1 out there from downtown. The newly funded firefighter positions became police officer positions.

With the future of the Roanoke Fire EMS Department still up in the air, the 9 station department concept is still on the table. Some of which would include the combining of Stations 5 and 9 (northwest), 2 and 10 (northwest), and 6 and 11 in Southeast. This was laid out in the Tri-Data Study recently completed for the City.

What will happen? Who knows. But rest assured, the trucks that remain in service should REMAIN IN SERVICE. It boggles my mind that the department is run on a skeleton crew. We have been chiseled away to bare bones and the future looks like it will get worse.

So as for right now, the 4 firefighter minimum seems far fetched when we cannot even comply with the 3 firefighter minimum.

I have stuck my neck out pretty far on this blog. And so be it if my skeptics only remember the stuff they disagree with. However, I have seen this occurrence long enough. I feel that there needs to be change. Trucks being marked out has become commonplace. I want the firefighters to know that this type of behavior is not safe or acceptable. I believe that many of us have become numb to the fact that it happens so often and feel that it is ok. It isn't.

I just don't want to be the person to be on this same pedestal saying told you so after a firefighter fatality or civilian fatality because trucks were out of service.

Staffing in Roanoke

Staffing in the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. This topic has bothered me for a long time. There are several issues relating directly to staffing, and I hope to cover several of them in the next few paragraphs.

First of all lets talk about trucks being out of service. I think that if we had scrolling message boards outside of each station notifying the citizens of when the trucks are out of service and why, we would have several complaints. I know that a lot of it is part of life like going out of service occasionally and being out on a call, even out of service for training. However, being a firefighter on the Northside, it is amazing how often Engine 2 and Engine 13 are out of service due to manpower.

Now let me give you a little background. All of Roanoke City's Fire Engines are staffed with a minimum of 3 firefighters (I will leave rank out of it). 3 of the 4 ladder trucks are staffed with a minimum of 3 firefighters. Recently, one of our Ladders (Ladder 7) has been staffed with a minimum of 4 firefighters. This is due to the fact that the Engine was taken out of service at that station and replaced with an ambulance. Better or worse, there are more issues concerning this removal of an engine. The Ladder that remained in place of the Engine Ladder combo now acts as a Quint, meaning the truck can do everything an engine and ladder can do (for the most part). The problem is that the truck doesn't do anything on it's own except sit quietly. Therefore, now you have 4 guys doing the job that in Roanoke requires 6 and in other cities requires 8 to 9 firefighters. That is right, in some cities, the minimum staffing is 4 on engines and ladders and even 5 on some ladders. But Roanoke apparently places a lot of stock in its firefighters by doing the job with 3.

I digress, the issue is staffing not removal of apparatus.

The point I was beginning to make with laying out the minimum staffing is just that; the minimum staffing is 3 on each piece except 1. If you walk in any fire station in Roanoke you will see 3 on the truck 80% of the time (just an educated guess). Where are all of the extra firefighters? Well the answer is that there aren't many. With guys off on vacation, sick, and light duty, and vacancies due to retirements, firefighters quiting, and other reasons we are left with the minimum on duty.

So basically every day we begin with the minimum unless by chance a station here or there has an extra firefighter. Extra being used very loosely because actually an extra firefighter would be above and beyond the 4 assigned to most apparatus.

So that is at 0750 hours when we begin our shift. Soon, apparatus will be magically marked out of service because of numerous reasons. Company level training, individual training, drug tests, physicals, meetings, investigations, promotional testing, Captains meetings, and many other reasons. Basically, anything that would require at least 1 firefighter to leave the station and not be able to answer calls while being in their first due territory.

This is when, on the Northside, Engine 2 and/or Engine 13 are most commonly out of service. It is usually out of the Battalion Chiefs hands. They work with what they have. On the Southside, I would imagine that the situation is similar. I bet the citizens would have a fit if they knew how often these trucks are out of service, when just a handful of more firefighters would fix the problem.

In the past, I have been a huge proponent of minimum staffing of 4, or compliance with NFPA 1710. Right now, I am not even pushing for the minimum of 4, but rather just the minimum of 3.
After all, if we have to mark a truck out of service because a firefighter has to go to training then are we really meeting the minimum of 3. I THINK NOT. Minimum staffing of 3 should mean a minimum of 3 all the time. Doesn't it just make sense. It seems to me like a cover up. Sure, the system allows for a certain amount of trucks to be out of service at a time. But for what reasons. Maybe we need to reform the system and add some positions just to ensure the minimum staffing is met.

I am kinda scared to ask for a minimum staffing of 4 anymore. The way things are currently going, if it was agreed upon, it would cost marking 5 trucks out of service unless of course we had every vacancy filled and everyone was at work that day.

I will leave you with a couple of things.

First of all, the Charleston review panel has come out with a recommendation of a minimum staffing of 4 in 2 years. Charleston FD is approximately the same size as Roanoke Fire-EMS.

Second, this video from the IAFF on NFPA 1710 (thanks for the heads up from Jay at FirefighterHourly.com). Sorry for those of you on City Computers, you aren't allowed to access YouTube.



Thirdly, this video from Fairfax County IAFF on the topic of staffing.

John Dubose is Retiring, David Sexton Retires

Lieutenant John Harley Dubose (above) is retiring from the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. John was hired on August 23, 1984 and his last day will be November 1, 2007. John's last assignment was on A-Shift at Station 10 assigned to the ARFF Company. John might be best known for being a part of some of the best cartoons the fire department has ever seen. Congratulations and best wishes on your retirement John. By the way, the neighbors called and asked if you could please finish the GARAGE MAHAL!!


I would have posted Davids retirement sooner, but he had concocted some scheme of going out with a bang. He decided not to do the idea, so I figured I would post his retirement. Firefighter David Sexton was hired on January 15, 1985 and retired just recently (I don't have the date). Sexy Sexton is probably the funniest and most sadistic member of our department. His demonstrative and colorful stories are a true pleasure to watch and listen to. The first time I worked with him, I learned that he had kicked everyones ass in the department.

The department will be different without these two class clowns. Best wishes. Both pictures were taken in the early 90's.

Eddie Fielder's Last Day on the Job and Retirement Party

Captain Eddie Fielder's retirement party was last night at Hooters. We had a great time and enjoyed some good stories and maybe a couple of beers.

Hooters announced Eddies Retirement on the sign out front

All of the guys got together for a picture. L-R Rhett Fleitz, Travis Collins, Zak Obenchain, Lynwood English, Jeff Proulx, Eddie Fielder, Teddy Adkins (in the very back), Jeremy Bennington, David Bishop, Todd Harris (in the very front), Chris Elmore (back), Sam Stump (front), Jim Mone, and Ben Obaugh.

The members of the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department all chipped in to get Eddie this bugle on a pedestal. The engraving reads:

Captain Eddie Fielder
In Recognition of 23 Years of Dedication
To the Roanoke Fire - EMS Department
Congratulations and Best Wishes on
Your Retirement

September 17, 1984 - November 1, 2007

Todd Harris presents Eddie with a retirement gift

On the night of Eddie's last day at Station 13, the guys invited his wife, Cathy, in for a steak dinner. Standing in the back are Trevor Shannon and Jim Mone. Clockwise from the front left are: David Bishop, Jeremy Bennington, Cathy Fielder, Eddie Fielder, Joe Hodgin, Chris Elmore, Sam Stump, and Zak Obenchain. The dinner was also for Zak Obenchain who was leaving Station 13 to go to work at Station 2.

Station 13 C-Shift on the last day of Eddie's Career. L-R Firefighter Zak Obenchain, Firefighter Chris Elmore, Captain Eddie Fielder, Lieutenant Rhett Fleitz, Lieutenant Jeremy Bennington, 1st Lieutenant Sam Stump, Captain David Bishop (taking the helm at station 13 C-shift due to Eddie's departure), and Firefighter Lynwood English.

The dinner crowd for the evening: Standing - FF Zak Obenchain, FF Chris Elmore, Battalion Chief Dale Barker, Captain Eddie Fielder, Lt. Jeremy Bennington, FF Jim Mone. Kneeling - Lt. Rhett Fleitz, 1st Lt. Sam Stump, Captain David Bishop, FF Lynwood English.

Eddie Fielder and his wife Cathy in front of Engine 13

Reminder: Eddie Fielders Retirement Party

Captain Eddie Fielders Retirement Party will be tonight at 7pm at Hooters on Williamson Road. Everyone is invited.

Captain David Heck is Laid to Rest

Captain David Heck was laid to rest today. Firefighters from across the Roanoke Valley were on hand to show their respect for David, his family, and his friends.

I would like to take a minute to thank the Chiefs of Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem for assisting in this event. It is testament to the brotherhood here in the valley. I would like to especially thank the 4 firefighters from the Lynchburg Fire Department who came and played the bagpipes. I was able to hold it together until the pipes played and the bells tolled.

The Honor Guard was exceptional at all of the services. Many thanks to The members of Salem's Honor Guard and Roanoke County's Honor Guard for helping out the City. I hope to see you guys working together more in the future.

Through this unfortunate event, Roanoke's Firefighters have been placed on an emotional roller coaster. Coping with this tragedy has been tough for many of us. I believe that we will be talking about the good times over coffee for some time.

The Heck family is extremely proud of David's Brother and Sister Firefighters. Jana, David's wife, took a minute at the funeral service to speak of all the love and compassion she has witnessed the past several days. She was sure to point out how overwhelmed she was by the support of David's Fire Department Family. It was a heartfelt thank you to all of us who have assisted the family to this point and in the future. She was especially thankful for the assistance of David Bocock and Dennis Duncan who have been great friends with David over the years.

Jana knows that if she needs anything in the future, all she has to do is call.

If you would like to read more about David and see more pictures of the Funeral Services click the picture below.

God Bless the Heck Family

Captain Eddie Fielder Retires

Captain Fielder circa 1994

Captain Eddie Fielder is retiring today after 23 years of dedication to the department. Eddie's most recent assignment has been as company officer at station 13 on C-Shift (my Captain). Eddie was hired on September 17, 1984 and his retirement date will be November 1, 2007. We wish him a healthy and happy retirement. He will be relocating to Myrtle Beach with his wife, Cathy.

The guys at 13 will be sending him off with a steak dinner tonight. Feel free to call or stop by to say goodbye. We will be having a retirement party for Eddie on Wednesday, October 10th at Hooters at 7pm. Plan on attending.

I will have more as the day goes on.

Captain David Heck passed away

Captain David Heck passed away suddenly on Friday, October 5th. Captain Heck was the company officer at Station 7.

Pray for his wife and 3 children.


Update:

The arrangements are as follows:

Captain Heck will be given a Fire Department Funeral at the request of his Family.

His viewing will be from 2-4 and 7-9 on Monday, October 8th at Oakeys East (Bonsack). His funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 9th at 11am at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church in Vinton. If you have any questions, you may contact me directly at FireFleitz@comcast.net.

We are in need of Honor Guard members for the Funeral.

Obituary: From the Roanoke Times
David Thomas Heck, 41, of Roanoke, went to be with the Lord on Friday, October 5, 2007. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter O. and Joyce B. Heck and nephew, Daniel Cromwell. David was a captain in the Roanoke City Fire Department Station #7 and also a member of Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Jana Heck; children, Alexia Diane Heck, Jacob Thomas Heck and Evan Douglas Heck; sisters, Sherry and Lori Heck; brother, Walter O. Heck, Jr. and wife, Debbie Cromwell-Heck, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Robert and Nancy Adams; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Danny and Laurie Adams; niece, Michelle Cox; nephew, Brandon Heck and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church with The Rev. Dr. Rob Colwell officiating. Interment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery. Family will receive friends at Oakey's East Chapel from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, October 8, 2007. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church Honduras Mission. Arrangements by Oakey's East Chapel and Crematory, 540-977-3909.
Published in the Roanoke Times from 10/7/2007 - 10/8/2007.

The Ride for Billy Altman is tomorrow

Here is the information:

October 6 Charity Ride for Billy Altman
Motorcycle Ride to benefit the Altman Family Fund.

* 10am
* Va Dept of Fire Programs
* $10 per bike/$5 per passenger
* For information: Donald Hansen 531-7460 or vdfp4wife@aol.com

1001 posts

I missed a huge milestone on the last post. It was the 1000th post.

I hope you guys have enjoyed the blog thus far. It is hard to believe that there have been 1000 posts to date. What the hell have been all the posts about? The simple answer: everything related to Roanoke Firefighters.

This may not be the busiest fire related blog on the net, this may not be the most popular fire blog on the net, but it is one of the oldest.

A lot of fire related blogs come and go. There are fire blogs for all types of readers, however I think you will find that this is one of the best localized fire blogs on the net. Not because of me, but because of the topic.

It has been fun giving the Roanoke Fire EMS Department, the Roanoke Fire Fighters Association, and the respective firefighters international attention. I couldn't have done it without you all and the readers.

By the way, check out the Virginia Fire and Rescue Magazine for a write-up and pictures on the 13th Street fire.

I will continue to showcase the Roanoke Firefighters, add a little humor, include some politics, post news and incidents, piss some of you off, and vocalize issues on the forefront of our minds. All you all have to do is keep it real.

See you at the big one!

Check out Station 13 training on pump operations

Blue Mass, Flag Football, and a Firefighter in need of help

I cannot thank my brothers and sisters enough for the calls placed to help Jeremy out with his house. We have guys from Roanoke City and Salem who have offered to help. However, more help is needed. Get your crew together and give him or I a call to set up a time to go out and help. More information can be found here.

The 3rd Annual Blue Mass will be held at St. Andrews Catholic Church on Saturday (tomorrow) at 5:30 pm. Please plan on attending. If you can attend or even if you are working, think about making a dessert dish to share with everyone. Contact Kelcey Branch on A Shift today or Willie Wines Jr. (page him) and they will make sure your dish gets to the Church. Everyone is welcome.

UPDATE: The events at Rivers Edge will begin at 2 PM. There will be food and fun for everyone.
There will be a flag football game on Sunday at 2 pm at Rivers Edge. Plan on being there to root on Roanoke City against Roanoke County and Salem. Players need to be there at 2:30pm.

Chief Hoback sent out an email on the City email server about a "Last Lecture". I recommend you watch the video and read the article. Maybe I will write a "Last Lecture" for you guys in a while. While it is kind of morbid, the thought behind it is certainly entertaining and intuitive. Basically it is about what you would say if it was your last chance to say it.

Thanks also to all of the comments on the Roanoke Fire/EMS Apparatus Staffing post (click here). I appreciate all of the comments as well as how they are written. I will hopefully get a chance to answer some of the questions soon. Continue to keep the comments professional and constructive.

One last thing is the HTR training held yesterday. The pictures are up on VAFireNews.com.

Click here for more

Stay Safe

Roanoke Firefighter in need of help

About two years ago, a Roanoke's Firefighter set out to build his families dream house. He planned the build and got the loan. He relied on brother and sister firefighters to help out build his dream home in order to save money and afford the house that his family would live in for many years to come. The house is nearly done, but he is in need of a lot of help to complete his dream home in time before the bank forecloses on it. The deadline is November 11th.

Jeremy Bennington, easily described as a very close friend of mine, has worked tirelessly over the past two years to build his dream home. The house is a log cabin built nearly completely with the hands of brother and sister firefighters.

However, he has unfortunately come up a little short on time and manpower. He is asking for help in completing his house. Currently, the house is under roof, drywalled, and primed. He needs help with putting in the kitchen cabinets, putting down hard wood flooring, trimming out the house, painting, building the garage, and many other tasks in time to get his Certificate of Occupancy and building loan converted to a mortgage on November 11th. Many of the firefighters he works with have spent days helping him, but they need more help.

I remember when we all got together to build the houses for habitat for humanity. We blew them away by working tirelessly, without complaint, and without anything but the good feeling of helping out a family in getting a new house after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

I am calling out for help in completing this house for Jeremy and his family, who have been living with their in-laws the entire time. Jeremy works on the house everyday that he is off, and has numerous days of vacation between now and November 11th.

Doug Hurd has easily helped out the most in the construction. He is interested in getting you all out to help build as well.

If you have a skill that you think may help, please call and set up a time to help. If you are a jack of all trades like most of us are, plan on coming out or just show up. If you just want to help, you are welcome to help in any way possible.

The house is located at 13320 Narrow Passage Road in Eagle Rock. Here is a link for the directions.

Everyone is welcome to help.

Please contact:
Jeremy Bennington (13 C-Shift) Cell - 540-537-9997 Pager 540-224-0288 Home 540-884-2278 (his cell phone doesn't always work at the house.
Doug Hurd (13 A-shift)
Rhett Fleitz (13 C-shift) Cell - 540-537-8158 Pager 540-201-4667

Thank you so much for helping.

Roanoke Fire/EMS Apparatus and Staffing

WARNING...rant ahead.

Let us talk for a minute about our apparatus. In recent years, we have seen a trend of catching up in the purchasing of fire and ems apparatus in Roanoke. I commend the powers that be as well as the apparatus committee of finding funding for certain apparatus. Ladder 2, Engine 11, 13, and 1 are all new apparatus and have proven to be very efficient. All but Engine 11 are Pierce. Engine 11 is a M&W fire engine. All of the aforementioned apparatus were very well received among the firefighters in the City.

The ambulance fleet seems to be seeing a decent turn-around on replacement. Although, we still suffer from the constant strain put on these trucks from running up and down the street all day long. These trucks have witnessed a shortened life span, and it is understandable.

However, with all that said we still have significant issues in our fleet. Some of the issues are understandable ( some are nearing the end of their useful life and need replacement), some issues were preventable (overweight, under-designed, and poorly planned apparatus), and yet others are not acceptable.

I learned recently that the reserve ladder truck cannot drive up certain hills in Roanoke. Recently, the reserve ladder truck, could not drive up Adams Street in NW Roanoke. The ladder truck made the turn, and the street was wide enough, the problem was the truck stopped moving forward. That is right, the truck could not pull its own weight up a hill and subsequently had to be backed down the road and the crew had to find an alternate route. This is inexcusable.

This ladder truck is our only reserve ladder truck currently. The truck is in service for ladder 13 at Station 13 currently, because Ladder 7 is out of service. Huh? Let me explain. Remember when they got rid of engine 7 and began utilizing Ladder 7 as a quint, well if ladder 7 goes out of service then ladder 13 has to be moved to station 7 to fill in and ladder 13 gets the reserve ladder. Do you follow now? It is a tangled mess.

Administration has already planned on replacing ladder 13. Unfortunately it isn't soon enough. Now remember that ladder 7 and ladder 13 are only about 10 years old. The ongoing joke is that they will use ladder 13 as a "parts car" for ladder 7.

However, there is recent rumor that Roanoke City is thinking about purchasing a 100' aluminum ladder on a single axle rear end to replace ladder 13. Didn't they learn their lesson with the two quints we have now.

Here is a solution:

• Float a bond to purchase enough trucks to catch up. 3 ladder trucks and 4 engines to replace ladder 1, 7, and 13 and engines 2, 5, 6, and 8. This will leave you with a decent reserve fleet and replace the trucks which need it.
• Replace the ladder trucks with tiller 100' straight sticks.
  
• Then make minimum staffing on all ladder trucks 5.
  
• You can easily obtain this with the SAFER Grant. Roanoke City won't end up paying the full 100% of the increased manpower for 10 years (don't quote me on that). IF YOU THINK 5 IS TOO MANY WATCH A LADDER TRUCK WORK AT A FIRE. There are too many tasks left incomplete or unaccomplished due to lack of manpower. Case and point, there might still be a roof on the apartments on 13th Street. However, that might be a strategy and tactics issue as well.
  
• While writing the SAFER grant application, ask for more staffing for the engines as well. A 4 firefighter minimum would bring our staffing to acceptable levels. If you are paying attention, one of the first recommendations by the panel in Charleston was to increase staffing to 3...then 4. It doesn't have to be overnight, but the change would make things a whole lot safer and more efficient.
  
• Since I am on the topic...you know that problem with the medic trucks running too many non-emergency calls.
  
• Well here are two solutions:
• One: invest in priority dispatching, turning over the non-emergent calls to a third party transport company.
• Or...Two: re-invest the transport billing funds back into the system and put more ambulances on the street.
  
• ...but that brings up another issue; not enough ALS providers. I am not going to tackle that right now. I will however hit on it AGAIN soon.
  

I know I didn't hit on everything I wanted to, but I think this is a good list. Before you start jumping down my throat for saying that "they" or "administration" or anyone else doesn't do anything, re-read what I wrote. I just outlined how to continue the work that has been started and finish the job.

We have been so lucky for a long time. If you read current events across America, you will find incidents occurring everyday which require more firefighters than we have on all three shifts combined. While I don't expect us to suddenly inflate our staffing to absurd levels, it would be nice to know that we are starting the game with enough players.

Stay safe

An update: Captain Pete Smith's funeral, Captain Bishop is coming back to work, and where I have been

Hey everyone,

Thanks to all of you all who called to offer help and prayers while I was in the hospital. For those of you who don't know, I was hospitalized with viral meningitis for a couple of days. I am recovering at home now. I think the worst is behind me.

Captain Bishop will be returning to work soon. The word I got is that he will be our new Captain at Station 13 C-Shift. I look forward to seeing him back on the job and working with him the same.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to Captain Smith's funeral service. I wanted to add something to the previous post which contained his obituary.

I met Captain Smith, Pete as most of us knew him, when I began working at the Credit Union about 3 years ago. Pete would make the trek down the street to station 8 everyday. Rain, Snow, or Sleet he would come down and sit and talk. More often than not, someone would be waiting with a question for him. At the time he was around 92 years old. Pete would often climb the stairs to the Credit Union just to say hi.

Just like all of the other retirees who stop in to say hi to stations across the City, Pete always had my attention, unless I was otherwise busy. The big difference with Pete is that there is only 1 firefighter left working from before he retired. Therefore, most of what Pete knew of the job and lifestyle has changed many times since he left.

Pete was great with stories. He had plenty of them. The most recent times I saw Pete was when his son brought him by the party we had at Station #3 before it closed, and just a couple weeks ago his son in law brought him by station 8 to the credit union. We talked for several minutes and then they left.

Pete Smith Passed Away

Brothers and Sisters,

I regret to inform you that Pete Smith has passed away.

Elmer Elijah Smith, or Pete as he was known as, was hired by the Roanoke Fire Department on June 1, 1942 and retired on September 1, 1974. He was the oldest living retiree, having drawn retirement more years than he was on the job.

Pete was a good friend to many of us.

June 13, 1912 September 15, 2007 Elmer E. (Pete) Smith, 95, of Roanoke, died on Saturday, September 15, 2007. He was a retired Captain with the Roanoke City Fire Department. Surviving are his wife of 73 years, Ona Shrader Smith; three children, two daughters and one son, Norma Jean Smith Akers and husband, Robert W. Akers of Roanoke, Wanda L. Smith Darden and husband, Willie L. Darden of Edenton, N.C. and James R. (Jim) Smith and wife, Augustine Dalton Smith of Roanoke; eight grandchildren, Robert E., Ricky W. and Richard L. Akers, Robin Koger, Ronnie Darden, Shari Underwood and Hunter and Ross Smith; seven great-grandchildren and three great-greatgrandchildren. Services will be held at Oakey's South Chapel on Monday, September 17, 2007, 2 p.m., with the Rev. Gary Fowler officiating. Interment will follow at Sherwood Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m., at Oakey's South Chapel.
Published in the Roanoke Times from 9/16/2007 - 9/17/2007.

I just had to laugh...

There is a thread on firehouse forums right now where the firefighters are discussing pay across the Nation. I just had to laugh at some of the figures compared to ours. You can view the thread here. It is interesting how one of the firefighters from South Carolina gives his pay and then makes the comment that it is the benefit of working for a Right To Work State. Needless to say, his pay is on the lower end of the spectrum. That same lower end of the spectrum is the same area where ours is located.

We can only hope that we can get the National Collective Bargaining Bill passed and actually have some say on our pay grades.

Another note is that Roanoke City just sent many Chiefs to the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference. That same group (IAFC) is rumored to be fighting against the Collective Bargaining Bill. Does this mean that Roanoke City will soon be sending firefighters to IAFF events?

Just a thought.

You can view more information about the Collective Bargaining Bill here.
View some key points about the bill here.

Tonya Meeks leaves the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department

Tonya Meeks is leaving the department. I meant to get by Station 10 today for a picture, but I wasn't able to make it. Tonya began with the Roanoke EMS Department was merged into the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department when the Fire and EMS Departments merged.

Tonya's last assignment was to Station 10 at the airport. She is a paramedic and will be sorely missed.

It was good working with you Tonya. I hope you enjoy your new job.

Tonya leaves the department amid what seems to be a mass exodus of other women. Since I joined the department in 1999, I have seen 7 women leave the department for one reason or another. This leaves just 6, by my count, left in the department. I believe there is a woman in the recruit school now as well.

September 11th - The 6th Anniversary

Today marks the 6th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th.

Roanoke Fire-EMS has hired approximately 100 firefighters since that day. These firefighters might not understand exactly what those brave 343 firefighters did that day. They mounted the largest Rescue effort in modern history. They gave their lives so that others might live.

Historically, 100 firefighters give the ultimate sacrifice each year. Not all are during brave rescues, but they die in the line of duty none the less.

Take the time to reflect on what those 343 firefighters stand for.

To put that number in perspective, 343 firefighters would mean nearly all of the paid firefighters in Roanoke City and Roanoke County combined.

Read the September 11th post from 2006

Read the September 11th post from 2005

The names of the 343. Thanks to Firefighter Hourly for the list.

Joseph Agnello, Lad.118
Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13
Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D)
Richard Allen, Lad.15
Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1
Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4
Joseph Agnello, Lad.118
Lt. Brian Ahearn, Bat.13
Eric Allen, Sqd.18 (D)
Richard Allen, Lad.15
Cpt. James Amato, Sqd.1
Calixto Anaya Jr., Eng.4
Joseph Angelini, Res.1 (D)
Joseph Angelini Jr., Lad.4
Faustino Apostol Jr., Bat.2
David Arce, Eng.33
Louis Arena, Lad.5 (D)
Carl Asaro, Bat.9
Lt. Gregg Atlas, Eng.10
Gerald Atwood, Lad.21
Gerald Baptiste, Lad.9
A.C. Gerard Barbara, Cmd. Ctr.
Matthew Barnes, Lad.25
Arthur Barry, Lad.15
Lt.Steven Bates, Eng.235
Carl Bedigian, Eng.214
Stephen Belson, Bat.7
John Bergin, Res.5
Paul Beyer, Eng.6
Peter Bielfeld, Lad.42
Brian Bilcher, Sqd.1
Carl Bini, Res.5
Christopher Blackwell, Res.3
Michael Bocchino, Bat.48
Frank Bonomo, Eng.230
Gary Box, Sqd.1
Michael Boyle, Eng.33
Kevin Bracken, Eng.40
Michael Brennan, Lad.4
Peter Brennan, Res.4
Cpt. Daniel Brethel, Lad.24 (D)
Cpt. Patrick Brown, Lad.3
Andrew Brunn, Lad.5 (D)
Cpt. Vincent Brunton, Lad.105
F.M. Ronald Bucca
Greg Buck, Eng.201
Cpt. William Burke Jr., Eng.21
A.C. Donald Burns, Cmd. Ctr.
John Burnside, Lad.20
Thomas Butler, Sqd.1
Patrick Byrne, Lad.101
George Cain, Lad.7
Salvatore Calabro, Lad.101
Cpt. Frank Callahan, Lad.35
Michael Cammarata, Lad.11
Brian Cannizzaro, Lad.101
Dennis Carey, Hmc.1
Michael Carlo, Eng.230
Michael Carroll, Lad.3
Peter Carroll, Sqd.1 (D)
Thomas Casoria, Eng.22
Michael Cawley, Lad.136
Vernon Cherry, Lad.118
Nicholas Chiofalo, Eng.235
John Chipura, Eng.219
Michael Clarke, Lad.2
Steven Coakley, Eng.217
Tarel Coleman, Sqd.252
John Collins, Lad.25
Robert Cordice, Sqd.1
Ruben Correa, Eng.74
James Coyle, Lad.3
Robert Crawford, Safety
Lt. John Crisci, H.M.
B.C. Dennis Cross, Bat.57 (D)
Thomas Cullen III, Sqd. 41
Robert Curatolo, Lad.16 (D)
Lt. Edward D'Atri, Sqd.1
Michael D'Auria, Eng.40
Scott Davidson, Lad.118
Edward Day, Lad.11
B.C. Thomas DeAngelis, Bat. 8
Manuel Delvalle, Eng.5
Martin DeMeo, H.M. 1
David DeRubbio, Eng.226
Lt. Andrew Desperito, Eng.1 (D)
B.C. Dennis Devlin, Bat.9
Gerard Dewan, Lad.3
George DiPasquale, Lad.2
Lt. Kevin Donnelly, Lad.3
Lt. Kevin Dowdell, Res.4
B.C. Raymond Downey, Soc.
Gerard Duffy, Lad.21
Cpt. Martin Egan, Jr., Div.15 (D)
Michael Elferis, Eng.22
Francis Esposito, Eng.235
Lt. Michael Esposito, Sqd.1
Robert Evans, Eng.33
B.C. John Fanning, H.O.
Cpt. Thomas Farino, Eng.26
Terrence Farrell, Res.4
Cpt. Joseph Farrelly, Div.1
Dep. Comm. William Feehan, (D)
Lee Fehling, Eng.235
Alan Feinberg, Bat.9
Michael Fiore, Res.5
Lt. John Fischer, Lad.20
Andre Fletcher, Res.5
John Florio, Eng.214
Lt. Michael Fodor, Lad.21
Thomas Foley, Res.3
David Fontana, Sqd.1
Robert Foti, Lad.7
Andrew Fredericks, Sqd.18
Lt. Peter Freund, Eng.55
Thomas Gambino Jr., Res.3
Chief of Dept. Peter Ganci, Jr. (D)
Lt. Charles Garbarini, Bat.9
Thomas Gardner, Hmc.1
Matthew Garvey, Sqd.1
Bruce Gary, Eng.40
Gary Geidel, Res.1
B.C. Edward Geraghty, Bat.9
Dennis Germain, Lad.2
Lt. Vincent Giammona, Lad.5
James Giberson, Lad.35
Ronnie Gies, Sqd.288
Paul Gill, Eng.54
Lt. John Ginley, Eng.40
Jeffrey Giordano, Lad.3
John Giordano, Hmc.1
Keith Glascoe, Lad.21
James Gray, Lad.20
B.C. Joseph Grzelak, Bat.48
Jose Guadalupe, Eng.54
Lt. Geoffrey Guja, Bat.43
Lt. Joseph Gullickson, Lad.101
David Halderman, Sqd.18
Lt. Vincent Halloran, Lad.8
Robert Hamilton, Sqd.41
Sean Hanley, Lad.20 (D)
Thomas Hannafin, Lad.5
Dana Hannon, Eng.26
Daniel Harlin, Lad.2
Lt. Harvey Harrell, Res.5
Lt. Stephen Harrell, Bat.7
Cpt. Thomas Haskell, Jr., Div.15
Timothy Haskell, Sqd.18 (D)
Cpt. Terence Hatton, Res.1
Michael Haub, Lad.4
Lt. Michael Healey, Sqd.41
John Hefferman, Lad.11
Ronnie Henderson, Eng.279
Joseph Henry, Lad.21
William Henry, Res.1 (D)
Thomas Hetzel, Lad.13
Cpt. Brian Hickey, Res.4
Lt. Timothy Higgins, S.O.C.
Jonathan Hohmann, Hmc.1
Thomas Holohan, Eng.6
Joseph Hunter, Sqd.288
Cpt. Walter Hynes, Lad.13 (D)
Jonathan Ielpi, Sqd.288
Cpt. Frederick Ill Jr., Lad.2
William Johnston, Eng.6
Andrew Jordan, Lad.132
Karl Joseph, Eng.207
Lt. Anthony Jovic, Bat.47
Angel Juarbe Jr., Lad.12
Mychal Judge, Chaplain (D)
Vincent Kane, Eng.22
B.C. Charles Kasper, S.O.C.
Paul Keating, Lad.5
Richard Kelly Jr., Lad.11
Thomas R. Kelly, Lad.15
Thomas W. Kelly, Lad.105
Thomas Kennedy, Lad.101
Lt. Ronald Kerwin, Sqd.288
Michael Kiefer, Lad.132
Robert King Jr., Eng.33
Scott Kopytko, Lad.15
William Krukowski, Lad.21
Kenneth Kumpel, Lad.25
Thomas Kuveikis, Sqd.252
David LaForge, Lad.20
William Lake, Res.2
Robert Lane, Eng.55
Peter Langone, Sqd.252
Scott Larsen, Lad.15
Lt. Joseph Leavey, Lad.15
Neil Leavy, Eng.217
Daniel Libretti, Res.2
Carlos Lillo, Paramedic
Robert Linnane, Lad.20
Michael Lynch, Eng.40
Michael Lynch, Lad.4
Michael Lyons, Sqd.41
Patrick Lyons, Sqd.252
Joseph Maffeo, Lad.101
William Mahoney, Res 4
Joseph Maloney, Lad.3 (D)
B.C. Joseph Marchbanks Jr, Bat.12
Lt. Charles Margiotta, Bat.22
Kenneth Marino, Res.1
John Marshall, Eng.23
Lt. Peter Martin, Res.2
Lt. Paul Martini, Eng.23
Joseph Mascali, T.S.U. 2
Keithroy Maynard, Eng.33
Brian McAleese, Eng.226
John McAvoy, Lad.3
Thomas McCann, Bat.8
Lt. William McGinn, Sqd.18
B.C. William McGovern, Bat.2 (D)
Dennis McHugh, Lad.13
Robert McMahon, Lad.20
Robert McPadden, Eng.23
Terence McShane, Lad.101
Timothy McSweeney, Lad.3
Martin McWilliams, Eng.22 (D)
Raymond Meisenheimer, Res.3
Charles Mendez, Lad.7
Steve Mercado, Eng.40
Douglas Miller, Res.5
Henry Miller Jr, Lad.105
Robert Minara, Lad.25
Thomas Mingione, Lad.132
Lt. Paul Mitchell, Bat.1
Capt. Louis Modafferi, Res.5
Lt. Dennis Mojica, Res.1 (D)
Manuel Mojica, Sqd.18 (D)
Carl Molinaro, Lad.2
Michael Montesi, Res.1
Capt. Thomas Moody, Div.1
B.C. John Moran, Bat.49
Vincent Morello, Lad.35
Christopher Mozzillo, Eng.55
Richard Muldowney Jr, Lad.07
Michael Mullan, Lad.12
Dennis Mulligan, Lad.2
Lt. Raymond Murphy, Lad.16
Lt. Robert Nagel, Eng.58
John Napolitano, Res.2
Peter Nelson, Res.4
Gerard Nevins, Res.1
Dennis O'Berg, Lad.105
Lt. Daniel O'Callaghan, Lad.4
Douglas Oelschlager, Lad.15
Joseph Ogren, Lad.3
Lt. Thomas O'Hagan, Bat.4
Samuel Oitice, Lad.4
Patrick O'Keefe, Res.1
Capt. William O'Keefe, Div.15 (D)
Eric Olsen, Lad.15
Jeffery Olsen, Eng.10
Steven Olson, Lad.3
Kevin O'Rourke, Res.2
Michael Otten, Lad.35
Jeffery Palazzo, Res.5
B.C. Orio Palmer, Bat.7
Frank Palombo, Lad.105
Paul Pansini, Eng.10
B.C. John Paolillo, Bat.11
James Pappageorge, Eng.23
Robert Parro, Eng.8
Durrell Pearsall, Res.4
Lt. Glenn Perry, Bat.12
Lt. Philip Petti, Bat.7
Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, Eng. 33
Lt. Kenneth Phelan, Bat.32
Christopher Pickford, Eng.201
Shawn Powell, Eng.207
Vincent Princiotta, Lad.7
Kevin Prior, Sqd.252
B.C. Richard Prunty, Bat.2 (D)
Lincoln Quappe, Res.2
Lt. Michael Quilty, Lad.11
Ricardo Quinn, Paramedic
Leonard Ragaglia, Eng.54
Michael Ragusa, Eng.279
Edward Rall, Res.2
Adam Rand, Sqd.288
Donald Regan, Res.3
Lt. Robert Regan, Lad.118
Christian Regenhard, Lad.131
Kevin Reilly, Eng.207
Lt. Vernon Richard, Lad.7
James Riches, Eng.4
Joseph Rivelli, Lad.25
Michael Roberts, Eng.214
Michael E. Roberts, Lad.35
Anthony Rodriguez, Eng.279
Matthew Rogan, Lad.11
Nicholas Rossomando, Res.5
Paul Ruback, Lad.25
Stephen Russell, Eng.55
Lt. Michael Russo, S.O.C.
B.C. Matthew Ryan, Bat.1
Thomas Sabella, Lad.13
Christopher Santora, Eng.54
John Santore, Lad.5 (D)
Gregory Saucedo, Lad.5
Dennis Scauso, H.M. 1
John Schardt, Eng.201
B.C. Fred Scheffold, Bat.12
Thomas Schoales, Eng.4
Gerard Schrang, Res.3 (D)
Gregory Sikorsky, Sqd.41
Stephen Siller, Sqd.1
Stanley Smagala Jr, Eng.226
Kevin Smith, H.M. 1
Leon Smith Jr, Lad 118
Robert Spear Jr, Eng.26
Joseph Spor, Res.3
B.C. Lawrence Stack, Bat.50
Cpt. Timothy Stackpole, Div.11 (D)
Gregory Stajk, Lad.13
Jeffery Stark, Eng.230
Benjamin Suarez, Lad.21
Daniel Suhr, Eng.216 (D)
Lt. Christopher Sullivan, Lad.111
Brian Sweeney, Res.1
Sean Tallon, Lad.10
Allan Tarasiewicz, Res.5
Paul Tegtmeier, Eng.4
John Tierney, Lad.9
John Tipping II, Lad.4
Hector Tirado Jr, Eng.23
Richard Vanhine, Sqd.41
Peter Vega, Lad.118
Lawrence Veling, Eng.235
John Vigiano II, Lad.132
Sergio Villanueva, Lad.132
Lawrence Virgilio, Sqd.18 (D)
Lt. Robert Wallace, Eng.205
Jeffery Walz, Lad. 9
Lt. Michael Warchola, Lad.5 (D)
Capt. Patrick Waters, S.O.C.
Kenneth Watson, Eng.214
Michael Weinberg, Eng.1 (D)
David Weiss, Res.1
Timothy Welty, Sqd.288
Eugene Whelan, Eng.230
Edward White, Eng.230
Mark Whitford, Eng.23
Lt. Glenn Wilkinson, Eng.238 (D)
B.C. John Williamson, Bat.6 (D)
Capt. David Wooley, Lad.4
Raymond York, Eng.285 (D)

Retired District Chief Pat Taylor Passes Away - Obituary

Sorry I was a little late on this one. However the memorial service is tomorrow.


Phillip A. (Pat) Taylor, 63, of Roanoke County, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, August 7, 2007. Pat was born on August 8, 1943, the son of the late James Henry and Ruby Spradlin Taylor. Pat was predeceased by his first wife, Dianne Helms Taylor. His second marriage to Anna Charlton Taylor ended in divorce.
Pat is survived by his brother, Robert and fianc�e, Corky, of Frederick, Md.; his nephew, Christopher and wife, Laura; and grandniece and grandnephew, Abigail and Carson, of Winchester, Va. The following is as much a memorial recollection as an obituary. Any errors or omissions should be blamed on his brother Pat certainly would have.
Pat grew up on Hollins Road where he attended the Hollins Road Church of the Brethren. The Reverend J. Weldon Meyers was his pastor. His participation in the church sponsored Boy Scout troop, where Bill Craft was his scout leader, was his favorite activity. Thank you Weldon and Bill.
After high school, Pat joined the U.S. Army Reserve serving from 1964 until his honorable discharge in 1970. Thank you, Col. Gore. After completing his initial active duty in 1965, Pat joined the City of Roanoke Fire Department. Firefighting was truly Pat's professional passion. His competence and dedication resulted in the achievement of the position of Battalion Fire Chief by the time he retired in 1999. Thank you Pete Smith, Gary Clark, Richard Patterson, and Pete Kandas.
Pat's love of motorcycles started with Japanese cycles, moved to British cycles, and finally culminated in Harley Davidson's. Late in life Pat seemed to have forgotten that he had ever rode anything but a Hog. Thank you Barry Garst, Jerry Beckner, and Matt Patterson.
Pat's love of sports cars did not start with Porsches, but quickly went in that direction. He not only loved to drive the cars, but he and close friends rebuilt old Porsches, and traveled many miles to "swap meets" in order to obtain original parts. Thank you Jack Simmons and Keith Rowe.
Before cell phones, if you needed to reach Pat and he was not at home, your best chance of catching up with him was to head to the nearest gun show. His collection pretty much spanned the history of this nation. Thank you, Frank Koehler.
In the early 60's, Pat enjoyed traveling to a small race track near Danville, Va. In the 90's this race track reemerged as Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Some of his fondest memories of the past decade were of VIR. Thank you, Larry and Trey Sullivan.
From 1994 on, Pat spent many weeks at the Outer Banks in N.C. Beach cottages provided a wonderful environment for gourmet meals and gorgeous sunsets and a very surreal experience the week of September 11, 2001. Thank you Anna Charlton, Nancy Glasscock, Corky Sullivan, and Charlie.
Always the wine connoisseur, Pat especially enjoyed the wine tasting at Bernard's Landing and Chateau Morrisette. Thank you Gary Shrader and Lou Bradley.
Pat Taylor's family will receive friends on Friday, September 7, 2007 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Oakey's South Chapel on Brambleton Avenue. A memorial service will be conducted on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 12 Noon at Oakey's South Chapel, 989-3131.
Published in the Roanoke Times on 9/2/2007.

Clarification on Union 101

Clarification:

I would like to clarify my comments from the last post.

When I said:

The other day at at a Union Meeting, I had the pleasure of answering a question that boggled my mind. A firefighter stopped by to borrow some items from the Union. Items which the Union owns and regularly allows members to borrow. It just so happens that the member stopped by minutes before a Union meeting. He asked what we were doing there. I told him we were there for a meeting. Then he asked "What do you guys do at the meeting?". In which I responded we are planning out his career. He had no comment.

I meant this as an ambiguous example to drive home my point that the members need to be informed because obviously some of them aren't. I did not bring this up as a personal attack on anyone and I realize that the member who asked the question did not mean any harm by it. I do not expect all 250 of you to know everything that is going on all the time. I just wanted to show the degree of communication that needs to occur, which doesn't.

On the other hand, if you have an issue with what I write then you can do one of many things. You can call me, page me, meet me in person, email me, leave a comment (to which I usually answer), or just let it be. I prefer the communication, especially if you take issue with my words.

Union 101

I decided a while back that I would not use this blog as a voice for my role as a Union Official. I enjoy the fact that at least some of you realize that when I write on here it is me as a firefighter and not as one of my other roles.

I learned that many of you all did not like to hear some of what I had to say as a Union Official in this unofficial forum.

I am not changing that stance. What I write below comes as a firefighter, not as a Union Official, however it has everything to do with the Union.

The other day at at a Union Meeting, I had the pleasure of answering a question that boggled my mind. A firefighter stopped by to borrow some items from the Union. Items which the Union owns and regularly allows members to borrow. It just so happens that the member stopped by minutes before a Union meeting. He asked what we were doing there. I told him we were there for a meeting. Then he asked "What do you guys do at the meeting?". In which I responded we are planning out his career. He had no comment.

What did I mean by my answer. Simply, the Union is asked questions from members at each meeting which we are then tasked to find answers to. These questions range from simple to complex.

The meeting also serves as a continuing business plan for the direction in which we travel on various issues.

When I get around to various stations, which I do frequently, I am often asked what the Union is doing about this or that. My question is who are you referring to?

The Union is every member. Not anyone person more than another.

When asked why the Union is doing something, I usually offer the answer "because that is what the members voted to do.

That is where members are usually uneducated about the process. Why are they uneducated about Union business? I don't know the answer to that. I can offer some suggestions.

1. They don't care
2. They don't know when the meetings are
3. They don't think they have a voice in the Union
4. They don't have time
5. They aren't willing to make time

I know that most members work 2 jobs and are involved in their children's sports, Church, and other things. So are most of the members who are involved. There aren't too many members who make it to every meeting, or that sign on to be in a bunch of committees. However, if we have members who are willing to allot a couple of hours each month at helping the Union move forward we would be able to accomplish so much more.

In the future, with hopes of the new Collective Bargaining Bill passing, we will rely on more and more member involvement to get initiatives planned and processed. The handful of extremely active members we have now will be very busy planning out and carrying out the negotiations which come along with collective bargaining. These negotiations and the contract to follow will be written by our members. You will have to have a voice in what you would like to see changed in order for your ideas to be heard.

I know that many members have lost interest due to the proceedings of Union meetings and issues in the past. Things have changed. I have been to most of the meetings in the past 4 years and I can say that the bitch sessions have ended.

These same issues we had in the past are the reason why I stopped going to Union meetings shortly after being hired. Ever since realizing that I wanted to be a Career Firefighter, I wanted to be a member of the IAFF. I understand what the IAFF stands for and I want to be a part of making my workplace, my career, my lifestyle better.

Many of you get a kick out of asking what the IAFF has done for you. I can say that rarely does the IAFF walk away with bad news. Many of the things that you take for granted were awarded at the Local, State, and Federal level. Three big initiatives are the Heart/Lung Bill, the Presumptive Laws, and soon to be Collective Bargaining.

Each meeting, we bring up the proper process for Workers Compensation Claims. This issue has been talked about in depth for the last year. However, we still have members who do not know. Why not? The word is not getting out.

I know that many of you do not like to hear "Come to a Union Meeting and you will find out". Well the comment could not be more clear. I know that the days after a Union Meeting I am tasked with giving a brief synopsis of the meeting to many of the members I come in contact with. I don't mind filling you guys in, but it sure would be easier if you guys were there. I cannot guarantee that I will remember everything.

At the meetings, when something new is brought up which requires action, we are tasked with finding someone to carry it out. Inevitably, this person already has a lot on their plate and due to lack of involvement by others, these persons have to do more.

Don't think that for a moment our Union is any different from most others. When I go out of town to conventions, seminars, and meetings I find the same issues to plague many other locals.

More than likely you can measure the amount of involvement by realizing how much a Union succeeds in its endeavors. Currently, your Union is working on many initiatives and trying to mediate many issues which directly effect you.

If you have any questions about getting involved contact your Shift Vice President, Shift Steward, come to the next meeting on September 24th, or contact me.

By the way, it doesn't matter whether you have been here 25 years or 25 days, you still have a voice.

Hunt Ave Fire and Casper Drive Fire in Photos

Station 2 A-shift sent in photos of the fires on Hunt Avenue and Casper Drive. Check them out below. Click on the pictures for more. Thanks to Drew Able for taking the pictures.

Cartoons on Roanoke Firefighters.com

Mike over at RoanokeFirefighters.com has posted many cartoons from over the years. Some of them are hilarious. There are a couple which poke fun at yours truly. Check them out and have a laugh. If you don't get it, ask someone.

RoanokeFirefighters.com