Lt David Rich

Update: Here is the obituary and arrangements for Lt. David O. Rich from the Roanoke Times.

David Owen Rich (Buck), of Roanoke, passed away unexpectedly at his home on March 3, 2008. He was born in Roanoke, Va., on March 2, 1940. He attended Jefferson High School and served four years in the United States Navy. David was a retired Lieutenant from the Roanoke City Fire Department after 39 years of service. David continued to work for the Roanoke City Fire Department until his untimely death. He enjoyed playing bingo, traveling to Atlantic City with his family, going to the Salem High School football games and supporting his grandchildren. His grandchildren were his pride and joy and he will be missed dearly. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mattie Lawrence Oliver. David is survived by two sons, David A. Rich, and Randall S. Rich and wife, Holly, all of Salem; four grandchildren, Devon and Logan Rich, and Hannah and Danielle Rich, all of Salem. He is also survived by several aunts, uncles and cousins. The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 6, 2008, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lotz Funeral Home in Salem. The funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 7, 2008, at Lotz Funeral Home in Salem. Interment will follow in Sherwood Memorial Park. Arrangements by Lotz Funeral Home, Salem, Va.
Published in the Roanoke Times on 3/6/2008.

I regret to inform you that Lt. David O. Rich (ret.) passed away this morning. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

David Rich in front of one of the Service Trucks at Station 10. Picture taken by FF Travis Collins.

Although David was retired, he was still very much a part of Roanoke Fire-EMS. Since his retirement in 2001, he has worked part time as one of the three messengers. As a messenger, he was always there with the bottle truck at working fires, as well as anything else we needed. When he worked, he would pop in and out of fire stations dropping stuff off and picking stuff up. He would always stop in to say hi, and sit back and chat with the firefighters.

David came to work for the Roanoke Fire Department on December 1, 1963. He retired in 2001 with 38 years of service. I remember when I came to the department in 1999 that he was a Lt. at Station 13. David had previously been the Lt. on Ladder 9 at Station 9 and was moved to 13 when Ladder 9 became Ladder 13.

Many of us have fond memories of David. I thought it was always neat when you bumped into him on a fire now and before he retired. You could look in most any of the younger guys eyes and see excitement and awe; yet if you looked into Davids you knew he had been there and done that...he didn't even have to open his mouth. He knew exactly what we felt, he felt it to. But after 38 years it seemed as though he just enjoyed seeing everyone else's expressions.

His wealth of knowledge was looked up to by most, especially rookies who had the pleasure of working with him. He remembered the good stories, the ones to be passed down. He remembered the big fires, and he could tell you all about them.

Godspeed Lt. David O. Rich - you will be remembered and missed.

Left to right: Carty (Bill?), David Rich, Stan Fielder, and Chubby Wood in front of Ladder 9 at Station 9.

Check out RoanokeFirefighters.com for more.

Golf Tournament

If anyone knows of any companies interested in sponsoring the Annual Roanoke Valley Professional Firefighters MDA Golf Tournament, please let me or Charlie Adkins know as soon as possible.

The Tournament will be held on May 29th at Hanging Rock.

Please leave a comment or notify Charlie at Firepro3478@msn.com.

Thanks

Comments

A short little note about comments. It is very easy to get your point across without using names or slander.

Firegeezer on Driving Simulators

I thought you might like this article on driving simulators. I do not know if this is what Roanoke City is getting with the new grant, but it is a worthwhile read.

Link on Firegeezer.com

Roanoke Electric Steel Fire

Mike Overacker has some pictures of the Roanoke Electric Steel fire up at RoanokeFirefighters.com.

On a side note, apparently DC Tartaglia told Roanoke City Police to ban Mike Overacker from future fire scenes. I am not exactly sure what is going on with this, but I think that Fire Photographers do a lot to preserve history, document incidents, and offer Firefighters with proof of a job well done or not as a training tool and/or pat on the back. I have seen photos taken by fire photographers used for investigations, slideshows, hung on walls, in presentations, and on websites. Some of which are Mike's photos used by the City.

I don't think that the sentiment displayed today towards Mike is the same outlook that many others have towards him, even in Administration. However, I cannot speak for them.

I would like to say that I appreciate the work Mike has done over the years in photographing incidents. As a matter of fact, the RFFA plans to submit some of Mike's work in the IAFF Media Awards Contest this year.

If it isn't broke...then don't fix it.

If it isn't broke...then don't fix it. Over 150 firefighters in the City of Roanoke subscribe to AFLAC insurance - either cancer, long term disablity, or Intensive Care (I believe those are the three offered). The firefighters like the coverage, as do hundreds of other Roanoke City Employees.

Recently, AFLAC was given the boot and the City brought in BCI to "communicate" the new insurance coverage. When the 5 individuals came to my station they stated they worked for BCI and/or Empower and were only there to "communicate" the insurance to us.

I am not taking this time to talk about the fact that the Human Resources openly handed out our information, I will do that later.

What I would like to do is offer you some insight as to what I have found on the Internet about Unum, Empower, BCI, and whoever else is related. I might add that these are internet articles and I have no way of knowing the credibility of the articles.

Unum aka Unum Provident
Unum.com - The website states "We are a company of people serving people. When you choose Unum as your employee benefits provider, you're in the hands of 10,000 people dedicated to providing better benefits to organizations of all sizes and their employees."

On Wikipedia, it states "Unum garnered media attention in 2002 after attorneys who had sued the company went to national television outlets claiming the company had quotas for closing claims."

Here is another article on Unum - "Unum was recently forced by state regulators to reopen 290,000 disability insurance claims that had been rejected, including a case where 'Unum insisted that a man who had quintuple bypass surgery was fit to go back to his job at a stock brokerage firm, even though his doctors said the stress might kill him' and where Unum 'refused benefits to a man who had had multiple heart attacks'[7]."

Here are some personal experiences with Unum.

Empower
http://www.empowergrp.com/ - The domain was recently purch

This article talks about Empower purchasing BCI. "The Empower Group Ltd., the global organization and performance consultancy founded in 2000, today announced that it has acquired Bowker Consulting International (BCI), one of the world's leading strategic compensation and benefit practices."

BCI - Bowker Consulting International
www.bowkerconsulting.com - The domain is not registered.

Really and truthfully, this whole thing is a mess. The City hired Empower to figure out what insurance would be the best. Empower did that and is now signing people up for the insurance.

Unum was the chosen insurance along with Liberty Mutual. Liberty Mutual had a local rep deliver the product and a lot of us already had the insurance.

The fact of the matter is that the City had a benefit that the employees were happy with. Of all the benefits, this one was adequate unlike so many others. So what does the City do? Get rid of it and replace it with a less than appealing alternative.

Sorry for the delay...but hang on another minute

I know most of you all tune in each day to see something new or read the newer comments on older posts. I will have a couple of posts coming up soon. I have been a little busy with selling and purchasing a new house.

First and foremost, I will be dissecting this issue with UNUM, Empower, BCI, Global...Whatever they call themselves insurance company. I will be looking at many different dimensions of this issue and I hope to enlighten you.

I will also have some pictures up from the banquet. Mainly just to get Kenny Walker off my back.

I have a post that I have wanted to do on the promotional process. The problem is that every time I think of it it is right at promotion time. I would have rather had it out a couple of months ago. Look for that in the future.

And last but not least, we have to come up with an award(s). I would like to see an award given out in some form or fashion from right here on the Roanoke Fire Blog. It could be annually, monthly, weekly, whatever. I just need some ideas. I might have some ideas this weekend.

Maybe weekly superlatives? Sounds pretty good. However, I wouldn't want to hurt anyones feelings. I can see it now: The firefighter most likely to....

A peak at Charlotte

I got an email from John Poff, a frequent reader of the blog, with some links to RIT and Firefighter Survival training in Charlotte. Apparently John checks in on the blog because he is a former Roanoker. As a matter of fact, he states that he went to high school with Captain Tim Parry.

John is just one of the many out of towners or former Roanokers who has checked in with me to let me know they like to read the blog. If you are in a similar situation drop me an email and let me know what is going on.

John sent in the following links of Charlotte Firefighters at work.

Slide show of pictures

Simulated danger, real survival lessons

Charlotte is a pretty decent department from what I know. I looked into relocating there about 3-4 years ago and liked what I saw. The department is still growing and adding stations as the City of Charlotte annexes the outlying Counties.

Firefighters earn state award for work during Roanoke fire

One firefighter suffered cardiac arrest during the November incident, but colleagues helped him.

By Amanda Codispoti
981-3334

Scott Hetherington had no pulse and wasn't breathing when his fellow Roanoke firefighters pulled him out of a burning house in November.

They laid the 39-year-old on the front lawn, and Assistant Fire Chief Billy Altman began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Hetherington, who recovered.

Meanwhile, another crew of firefighters arriving at the Ferdinand Avenue house got to work searching the home and putting out the blaze.

"You could see the pain on their faces, and they did an outstanding job," Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback said.

The department is receiving a Governor's Award for their quick actions to take care of the fire scene and save Hetherington, who suffered a cardiac arrest.

Read the entire story here

And the beating continues

You can only take a beating for so long before one of two things happens, you fight back or you are beaten to death.

I think that most employees of Roanoke City are nearing a concussion.

This week the City tried to roll out a new voluntary insurance plan. Unfortunately for us they dropped the AFLAC program. WTF?

I remember taking my own time to fill out a survey not too long ago about various voluntary insurance, health care, child care, pet insurance, etc. Really it was all kinds of stuff. Fluff more like it. Some of the stuff was just plain absurd. However, I don't remember anything about the City dropping our AFLAC.

At the time of the survey, there were many attempts to make sure a large portion of firefighters filled out the survey. Guess what. The FD had the largest percentage out of any other department in the City.

This is a voluntary insurance plan with several different options. The plans are used by countless City employees including a large percentage of Roanoke's Firefighters. After all, Firefighters have an increased chance of getting nearly every kind of cancer.

Guess what. Poof, it is gone. On top of that, the City then turned around and just gave our information out to another company...again.

Let me be extremely serious for a minute. What the hell is going on?

I know that some of you boot lickers are probably saying "Rhett, Rhett, Rhett, why don't you just leave it alone. It is for the better. They are looking out for us. Promotions are coming up. I don't like the blog. You hurt my feelings. Leave them alone. Boo Hoo Hoo."

The truth is that I am vested. This is my job, my career, my life. I don't appreciate being treated like this. Nor should you. I love my job. I love being a firefighter. I bring up these issues to make it better, to make people aware, and to help my fellow brother.

Everyday the rules change.
Everyday we lose something else.
Everyday something costs more.
Everyday we have to spend less.
Everyday the call volume increases.
Everyday there is something more they want from us.
Everyday we perform at our best. Lives depend on it.
Everyday we work, we leave our families with the understanding that one of us might not come home.

Lest I remind everyone about the Core Values of the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department
You can view the entire Mission, Vision, and Values here.
The core values are below. They are all important, however the ones outlined are the ones which seem neglected.


CORE VALUES

* The employees of this department are our most valuable resource. Only through them will our mission be accomplished.
* The residents and visitors of Roanoke are our customers. We will constantly strive to provide them with the highest quality of service possible. We will consider every customer contact an opportunity to demonstrate our mission and values.
* Employee and customer safety will affect our approach to the services we provide.
* We uphold a philosophy of participative management that involves employees in issues that affect them, encourages open dialog, teamwork, trust and shares ideas among employees and management.
* We will maintain department integrity and longevity through fiscally sound and proactive planning and budgeting.
* Through research and development, visioning and creativity, we will constantly strive for better ways to fulfill our mission to serve our customers.
* We will promote the attributes of leadership, service, pride and respect in a secure, diverse workplace.

To Spend or not to spend

Did anyone read the paper today?
Did anyone get the email about not spending any money?
Did anyone read the paper the other day about the $880k given to a private developer?
Did anyone get the memo on the FD having to cut the budget by almost $500k?

What is going on in Roanoke?

The City Council just voted to hand a private developer $880,000 to build apartments in the old Grand Piano building under one stipulation; they have to offer 17 low income apartments. What a joke. Define low income. Do you really think that someone paying $2000 a month for an apartment downtown will want to have people paying $300 for an apartment underneath them? Or is low income more like only $1500 a month? If you ask me, it is a waste of money when the City, much like every other facet of government from local to Federal, is having money problems. Read the whole story here.

Money problems? That is right. Once again, the FD has to cut the budget...again. I would imagine that the FD budget is probably about 95% salaries.

I will tell you about two people who do not have money problems: Scott Graeff and Ed Walker
Read about Scott here, whereas Ed Walker, a Roanoke redeveloper, owns the Colonial Arms building and has created condominium spaces on the top floors.

But you can't blame them. The City is practically giving away money. Money that they cannot afford to give away.

Do you know where that $880k could have been better spent? Purchasing one of the two much needed replacement ladder trucks in the City.

So you have to ask who is making the decisions? City Council and the City Manager right? Well sure, but what kind of decisions are they making? One Council member spent over $15,000 last year on meals and travel. Compare that to another Council member who only spent $123. That is right, only One Hundred and Twenty Three Dollars.

The best part of the article is this:

"It seems to me that if he had decided to take that challenge on -- to go to lunch with everybody in Roanoke -- he should have at least run it by council," Wishneff said.

That is freaking hilarious.

But what is it being spent on? Read this from one of his friends:

But Michael Ridenhour, a Roanoke audiologist, had a different take on his lunch with Dowe in July at Wildflour, which came to $23.

"We mainly talked about his golf game. He hadn't been playing as much as he wanted to," Ridenhour said.

Dowe did ask his opinion about a proposed amphitheater project, Ridenhour recalled. But he said much of the conversation consisted of Dowe, who is an agent for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, asking Ridenhour if he could be his agent.

"I had high hopes that this was just going to be a friend-to-friend meeting. But as it turned out, he was trying to sell me something.

"I love Alfred; he's a great guy ... but I thought it was a Northwest Mutual lunch," Ridenhour said.

Dowe said he remembered the amphitheater being a bigger part of the lunch conversation. But he also acknowledged that it's not unusual for his full-time profession to come up during a meal over city business.

You can read the entire article here

Captain Marvin Huddleston Retires

Captain Marvin Huddleston is retiring. His last day is today. Huddleston was hired in August 29, 1979 by the Roanoke Fire Department. Huddleston was one of the first Paramedics in the Roanoke Fire Department if not the first (if my memory serves me correctly). Huddleston is currently the Captain at Station 6 C Shift.

Captain Huddleston enjoyed a steak dinner with the guys at #6, his wife Claudia, Chief Beckner, and Captain Loren Thompson. He then went home from the station for the last time on the job.

Congratulations on your retirement. The picture below is from a fire at Chemsolv and taken by Lt. Mike Overacker (retired).

AFG Awarded to Roanoke City

Roanoke City was awarded $302,424.00 in Operations and Safety in the latest round of Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

Does anyone know what this is for? I have not heard and I am interested.

Highland Avenue Fire

Lt. Baron Gibson was able to get some pictures of the Highland Avenue fire yesterday. Click here or the picture for the story and more pictures.

Mike Overacker has some pictures from the other fires this past week on RoanokeFirefighters.com.

Fire on Highland Avenue

Here is video from Roanoke Times on the fire today.


I have a couple of pics from after the fire I will try to get online tomorrow. Check over at Mike Overackers site RoanokeFirefighters.com for more pictures.

Why Roanoke City is the best

The other day, I was talking to a Captain about certain issues in the Department. As usual, we talked about many different issues that pertain to the day to day lives of firefighters on the job in Roanoke. Some of the issues were positive, others negative.

The thing that caught my attention was that while talking about the loss of Engine 7, and how the "Quint" Ladder 7/Medic 7 has been operating, he said that the reason why it is working is not because of anything other than "The guys (firefighters) make it work".

How true that is, not just about #7 but about everything that isn't peachy in the department. We push ourselves because it is our job. We make the job what it is. We make it as good or bad as we want to. In the face of all the issues surrounding our job, we do what we can to make it the best department around. If only we didn't have to always put on a fake smile to make everything look great at face value.

Not everything in the department is bad, actually far from it. However, the truth is that we work for decent wages, increasingly expensive benefits which could be better, on some great firetrucks and others that are terrible, in stations which are average or better, with rules that span from fairly straightforward City POP's to unwritten rules that shouldn't matter, in a City where the Citizens (most of them) love us, yet powers that be just want us to show up to work and keep our mouths shut and be happy.

The initiatives of the Department aren't all that far fetched. The direction the department has taken in the past few years has good merit, but the planning and implementation is missing a key ingredient - buy in from its members.

You can come up with the best plan, but if you don't sell it to your constituents it is worthless. For example, by removing Engine 7 you can easily change the numbers to make your point whichever way you want it to go. Statistics and Analysis are used to prove that point. However, the guys on the street running the calls are effected. We make due with what we have to work with.

In the fire service, tragedy dictates policy.
FDNY - everyone gets self rescue rope after two firefighters die jumping to their deaths to escape fire.
Charleston - A potential full system overhaul after 9 firefighters die tragically fighting a sofa super store fire.
Prince William County - several initiatives, one big one being staffing after the death of Firefighter Kyle Wilson.
Lairdesville - numerous initiatives, most notably NFPA 1403 after a senseless training death.

However, those are more recent than some others. A lot has been done in the past after historic fires resulting in improved building and fire codes.

The most progressive Fire Departments learn from other Departments tragedies, mistakes, misfortunes, Firefighter deaths, Civilian Deaths, and otherwise lackluster policies and operational procedures.

We have reaped the benefits of some of these changes following others tragedies, but not all. We follow 1403 very closely, one of many NFPA Guidelines that are strictly followed by the department. There are so many other NFPA guidelines which we fall a little short.

What about the self escape ropes? I carry one, because I have taken the time and money to put one together - but it is not issued to me. I carried it before the FDNY tragedy because I felt it was a necessity. Why aren't we issued them? Will we have to see a similar fate before we see them.

What about staffing?
What about a fine tuned set of SOP's to follow?

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department is the best because of its Firefighters, nothing more nothing less. Without as much adversity, we could be so much better.

Training into the night at #10

Eventually, everyone gets there name on the blog. Some for more heroic or meaningful reasons than others. Today at Station 10, a couple of the newer firefighters learned an important lesson about Old Glory. Station 10 does not have a light on the flag and it is the newest firefighters role to raise the flag in the morning and lower it in the evening. Today, Old Glory was forgotten about until Captain Flora noticed. He immediately summonsed the firefighters who's duty it is to lower the flag and fold it. They were given a little lesson in proper etiquette. Below is Firefighter White and Firefighter McDonald saluting the flag before bringing it in for the night. Thanks to Captain Flora for the photos.

Ladder 13...the busiest?

I bet you that right now, Ladder 13 is the busiest truck in the City. Maybe not for calls run in its first due, but all together.

Most recently, it was on the Ferdinand Fire. First in as a matter of fact. So what if Ladder 7's crew was on it.

It was also on the Summer Tree Apartment fire. A little out of the first due of Station 13. 7's crew was on it that day too.

It is kinda like that joke. You know the one with the punchline...Everyone gets a turn on her. No wonder when we get Ladder 13 back to Station 13 she is broke.

On the other hand. Ladder 7 ran 31 calls the other day during the wind storm. That is a couple more than normal. I am not sure, but they might have been riding Ladder 13 actually.

...Anyways, I have a good story for you guys soon. It is a historic story. One that takes the blog back to its grassroots. That is right, one that should shake your core. One that many may not know about. So stay tuned for that soon.

31 calls, now that sounds like fun....ONCE.

Stay Safe.

Get out and Vote

Vote tomorrow at the Primaries.

Everyone should vote. Whether you are voting for Obama or Clinton or McCain or Huckabee, you should get out and vote.

I still don't know who I will vote for, but I will be voting.

Time to make some phone calls again

A very important bill in Senate needs your support. The Line of Duty Bill was uncontested until yesterday when . Your support is needed to contact Senator Edwards and let him know you want his support on this.

Read more on the Local 1132 Site. Read about the current status of the bill here.

Contact Senator Edwards here.

View other Legislative tracking on VPFF.org.

Call his office now. Ask for his support on Senate bill 329. That is all you have to do. From what I understand, they have already received 73 calls from across the State this morning.

Stay Safe

Superman or Super Chuck

Captain Chuck Swecker might have the stature of Superman, but I am not sure that he is the Man of Steel. This picture was sent in by his brothers on A-Shift. Captain Swecker is currently assigned to Firehouse 5 on A-Shift.

The Crow Update

Black Crow Terrorist Policy
January 27, 2008

It is the policy of the Black Crows to respond vigorously to all terrorist attacks at our station and to our members as well as our mascots. The Black Crows regard all such terrorism as a potential threat to station security as well as a criminal act and will apply all appropriate means to combat it. In doing so, the Black Crows shall pursue vigorously efforts to deter and preempt, apprehend individuals who perpetrate such acts.

January 18, 2008 our founding symbol of pride was brutally abducted by terrorist. Information from underground sources have revealed that he has been tortured and has made the ultimate sacrifice. Although he will be missed, other Black Crows within his family have proudly stepped up into his place and took over his duties.

It is the policy of the Black Crows not to make concessions to terrorist, therefore if any member is lost in action they will be held up and given the highest honors.

The only request the Black Crows will make is that all remains whether human or plastic be returned to receive these said honors and a hero’s burial.

Oops...better use spell checker

Humor is the best medicine. Therefore, I give you a goof up. Apparently someone messed up when ordering or making these rulers by misspelling the word PRACTICE . They incorecctly spelled it PRATICE. I guess it is the thought that counts. Don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes, just sit back and laugh because this is funny.

Improper Ladder Heeling

Do you work with this guy?

The ARFF Challenge

This video is great. Maybe the guys at 10 should try this...kidding.

Several Posts coming today

Stay tuned for several posts later today. A couple humorous. Actually all of them are humorous. I hope you all have a sense of humor.

Stay Tuned

Hey all, I have been a little busy lately. I have a lot of stuff to post. Here are some of the things coming soon:

1. Superman at #5? just wait it is funny.
2. The Crow saga continues...or ends...or begins again.
3. Pictures from the banquet. If you have some to share, send them in.
4. A thought about the comments...again. Yes, some of you all still don't get it.
5. Supplemental Life Insurance at the tip of your fingers. This is a decent deal at the tips of your fingers.
   

Also, feel free to take a minute to let me know about what else is going on. Just comment on things in general, ideas for the blog, or news I am missing.

Most of all, Stay Safe

Looking for Gary Fisher

Update:

Thanks for all the help guys. I talked to Gary last night. Everything is well overseas.

If anyone knows of anyone else overseas, let me know. I have been in contact with Jeremy Edwards from Roanoke County, he is deployed in Iraq currently.

Thanks

If anyone knows Gary Fishers email, let me know. Gary if you see this, email me at FireFleitz@comcast.net.

Also, I am looking for information on Roanoke Valley Firefighters who are deployed and/or working overseas in the war, helping with the war, or work related to the war.

If you know of anyone, please email me and let me know.

Thanks

Clash in the House of Delegates

Recently, there was a clash in the House of Delegates between the Republicans and Democrats. I was not particularly fond of the reasoning or outcome. However, what really set me off was the fact that in my view of the events, Morgan Griffith made a mockery of us wanting simple rights for Public Safety. Those simple basic rights are that of bargaining for a decent contract by abolishing the prohibition on Collective Bargaining in Virginia. Apparently, Griffith does not feel as though the Public Safety Officials in Virginia deserve the same as in other States. I wonder if he would feel the same way if he were exposed to some of the strong armed, retaliatory, and otherwise unchecked Management styles of some Fire and Police Departments in Virginia.

Read about the clash between Ward Armstrong and Morgan Griffith here and here.

Hell, all we want is a seat at the table, a fair shake, and some checks and balances on policy.

Below are some of the videos related to the articles linked above. If anyone knows of any links to other videos related to this let me know.

I must say that I stand behind the IAFF when they speak of Bipartisan Politics. I will support any delegate of any party as long as they support me. However, it is hard to do when you have all of the House Republicans allowing this conduct to occur.

Furthermore, Griffith told Ward Armstrong (A strong supporter of Firefighters) that he (Armstrong) was either for the Commonwealth or for Unions. So I guess that makes us 2nd Class Citizens.

As with anytime we come across someone who doesn't appreciate us; I always like to remind them that we don't care who you are, where you came from, what your views are, or if you like us or not... WE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED.

You know the rule....well its just not written down

I have posted on the need for more defined SOP's, SOG's, Guidelines, Memos, Emails, etc. Once again the unwritten rule strikes.

In a world of digital media, we the firefighters find ourselves out in the dark without a flashlight. Most Fire Departments are para-military. Meaning we have rank and follow the rank. We understand our role and follow orders.

Recently, as in a few years ago, the department went to SOP's online. The SOP book in the station was not maintained after that point. Therefore if you were looking at the SOP book, you had to go online to make sure nothing had changed. This is not a huge deal, however it seems as though memos and emails have taken the place of updated SOP's and it has created a problem. Now, when you want to see what the rules are you have to get the emails, memos, and SOP's and put them in chronological order and put them together like a jig-saw puzzle.

However, there is one more thing you have to take into consideration...the unwritten rule. What is the unwritten rule? Well to be exact, it could be anything. What weight does an unwritten rule have? To me, nothing really.

I know the SOP's, I receive email, and I know where the Memo board is. So I guess it is up to me to know what is going on and what rules to follow. If indeed I fail to follow the rules, I will pay the consequences. That is the way it works.

Unwritten rules? Well don't expect me to know them.

But it could be better. It is very simple actually. All we have to do is update the SOP's to common practice, discontinue the practice of using emails as policy because not everyone uses it, and get rid of relying on unwritten rules.

I would be happy to be on a committee to clean up the SOP's and make them more understandable. After all, it would be beneficial if I could go to one place to know what is expected of me, other than the City POP's.

The Crow Saga Continues

I received this via email this morning:

Rhett,
I wanted to give you a little update on the kid-napping incident you posted about earlier last week. By now, or at least after now, the culprits will be revealed so a little explaining should follow. It all started with a kid-napping at station # 9-C. Our beloved and now well known door bell (or “BING-BONG” as we call it ) was not only kid-napped but held ransom by some mean looking characters wearing turbans. A note was received demanding money and on mere Firefighter salaries, we knew the door bell was surely doomed. Quick goat thinking led us down the path of prisoner exchange vs. paying a high ransom. Some easy detective work revealed enough clues from the ransom picture to let us know where to strike and the result was the missing crow. Threats were made, our own ransom note delivered and an exchange location planned. Never to be out done, and knowing we were playing with professionals, we knew that we had better have a “back up” plan so, a hostage recovery team was deployed. Lucky for us and our “BING-BONG”, the assault went off flawlessly. Now, we were faced with a dilemma. Our loved door bell was now safely home, but what about the boys at # 5 ? Were they to suffer over the loss of their Ghetto Crow because of one bad decision? Should we keep both the Crow and our door bell and simply sit and bask in the glory? I’m sure you can tell, the upcoming decision would not be an easy one.

In the mean time, to make up for the torture and interrogation the crow was subjected to, we decided to show him some of the better end of living that we have here in the higher end of Northwest before sending him home. He had already seen some aspects of higher living as evidenced by his worldly travel post the kid-napping. Not to skimp, we scheduled yet another out of town trip to a ski resort in West Va. We cleaned the little lice laden apple eater up and loaded the vehicle for a day of fun in the snow. He seemed to really enjoy the trip and even posed for a few pictures (1 I have included). Everyone should be pleased to know that the little fella will be safely back at his home this evening (although I do think he’s starting to like it here more and more each day… all the travel and cultural experiences etc.) We can only hope that this little capped crusader of the ghetto will be better taken care of in the future and never fall subject to such shenanigans again.

Roanoke Valley Guns N Hoses 5

Anyone ever seen the movie Groundhog Day? You know, where everything is the same every day. This game is kinda reminiscent of that. I am speaking of the Guns winning during the shootout in the end. Everything else was better. Over 3000 people attended. I have sat during Semi-pro games at the Roanoke Civic Center with less than that amount. I have a feeling next year will be even better. The event raised $11,600 for the Muscular Dystrop The whole story is up at VAFireNews.com with numerous images.

Click here for the story.

The Ladder issue continues in Roanoke

Like many things in the fire service, you cannot please everyone. Many issues are debated in the firehouse and differing opinions are offered. However, most often the guys/gals in the firehouse are not the decision makers. The decision makers have ideals set forth by budget, higher up management, and governing standards. The firefighters mostly want the best understandable because it makes their job easier, more efficient, and their lives may depend on it. After all, if a deficient piece of equipment is purchased it will not likely effect someone sitting behind a desk. That same piece of equipment may effect a firefighters ability to operate on the fire ground.

Back in 1997/1998 a decision was made to purchase two 75' quints to replace other trucks in the fleet. The trucks were designed with one rear axle, which is not a popular fire service ideal. The need for two rear axles is due to all of the gear that a ladder truck has to carry. The ladders were shortened from the 95'-100' average to 75' in order to have the weight low enough to place the truck on a single axle. The trucks are smaller than other ladder trucks, have pumps, a tank, and hose which take up a considerable amount of room while still having to carry all of a ladders equipment.

A couple of years ago, Ladder 2 was replaced. The old ladder was a 121' ladder truck, the new one is a 95' platform - a first for Roanoke. The 121' was placed in reserve. To picture the reserve ladder is looks like a crane painted red. It is huge.

Now take into mind all the things that firefighters have been told.

1. We need a new station to fit state of the art equipment.
2. Fitting state of the art equipment in the old station 1 is like putting a 36" waist in 34" pants.
   
3. When the reserve ladder do a 3 point turn just to get into the new bay at the new station that was designed to fit state of the art equipment we were then told that tight is good.
4. The state of the art equipment that was reported to not fit in the old station will also not fit in other stations.

So the saga continues. The maintenance garage put a new suspension on the reserve ladder. They did not realize that the new suspension actually raised the overall height of the ladder truck by a couple of inches. Normally, this would not be a problem, but Station 2 was altered to fit the reserve truck when it was new and it had 1 1/2" room between the top of the truck and the ceiling. So imagine the look on the firefighters faces when they wedged the reserve ladder truck into the bay at station 2 after the new suspension was put on. They reportedly had to let the air out of the tires to get the truck out of the station.

So what are we left with. Our reserve ladder cannot fit in station 2, nor can it be used to replace ladder 7 because ladder 7 is run as a quint now. So whenever Ladder 2, 7, or 13 is out of service the guys at 13 have to play musical chairs with the ladder trucks because that is the truck they need.

There is an immediate need for purchase of a new ladder truck. I understand that the Chief has already put in for a new one. The Chiefs plan on replacing trucks seems to be working quite well so far. It is too bad that we are still suffering the consequences of bad decisions in the past. The same decisions that firefighters stood against and the decision makers made anyways.

Unfortunately, it takes about 10 months to build a ladder truck.

This is only one example of things the Fire-EMS Department needs. The list is long.

I know how tight money is in the City. We have shelled out millions of dollars to the Art Museum and for building condos downtown.

Guns n Hoses Hockey Game

The Hockey Game is tonight. It benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It is a lot of fun. It will be tonight at 6pm at the Roanoke Civic Center. Be sure to be there.

Firefighters, Rescued by Teammates, Speaks

Scott Leamon did a story on Scooter Hetherington last night. I am sorry I missed it cause I am out of town. The story is on the WSLS website and part of it is below. Great story Scott L., many thanks for telling the it.


By Scott Leamon / sleamon@wsls.comJan 21, 2008

Any house fire is tragic.

But Roanoke city firefighter Scott Hetherington believes the house fire at 1101 Ferdinand Avenue on the afternoon of November 30th is part of the reason he's alive today.

"I remember putting on my mask and that's really about it," Hetherington said Monday afternoon from his "house" as firefighters refer to it.

It's Station 7 on Memorial Boulevard. It's where Hetherington was based.

Hetherington remembers little else because of what happened after he got to the fire on November 30th.

10 On Your Side obtained the emergency tapes from Roanoke city's dispatch center to help tell this part of the story.

"Be advised," a firefighter can be heard on one portion of the tape shouting. "Firefighter is down in the building at this time." Read the whole story

The crow at #5 has been kidnapped

If you didn't already know, Engine 5 is (was) adorned with a crow on the truck. That crow has been on the truck for a pretty long time. It just kind of became part of the truck after a while. One time it was lost, and a couple of weeks later the crew found it on the side of the road and reattached it to the truck.

The crow has been kidnapped. I understand that there has been a ransom note delivered to #5. As you can see, the crow has made a pretty decent trip around the World already. Who knows where the crow will end up in the future?

Stay Safe

I will be out of town this week. I will try to update if anything is sent in.

Apparently there will be a groundbreaking event on January 25th for the new Station 3 on Williamson Rd. I wasn't invited...I only heard about it through the comments on a previous post. If you were invited, maybe you could snap a few pictures of the dignitaries heaving the first scoop with their golden shovels.

On a Secretary/Treasurers note...the tickets for the banquet are $35 a piece. If you did not understand that and sent in $35 for a couple you still owe.

I had a busy day today on the way back from Richmond. I snapped a few pictures of a house fire in Prince Edward County here and later drove up on an accident that Bedford FD ran here. If you need me call me or email me. Otherwise, I will see you guys at the Hockey Game on the 26th.




By the way, Todd Reighley is back in town and should be back to work in March.


Stay Safe.

Upcoming Events

Below are some events coming up. If you want to participate or help with any of them just let me know or whoever is involved.

Guns N' Hoses Hockey on January 26th at the Civic Center

Banquet on Feb. 2nd at Holiday Inn Airport.

Bowl A Thon on March 29th - sign up by Feb. 1st. contact Charlie Adkins in Salem. Will be held at Lee Hi lanes in Salem.

Golf Tournament on May 29th same place and price as last year.

July 13 - 18, 2008 - Roanoke Valley MDA Camp

June 15-21, 2008 - Central Virginia Burn Camp. More information here

First a fire, now a flood for retailer

I couldn't find the news story that I watched on tv, so here is the Roanoke Times version of the story. Read it here.

A contractor painting on the floor above Davidsons hit a sprinkler, sending an alarm to the fire station as an estimated 400 gallons of water went through the floor, soaking expensive suits, shirts, ties and socks in the showroom below.

I remember the fire back in 2006. The thing that really caught my attention was the praise for the firefighters by the owner. Thanks for the appreciation.

It is good to see the salvage operation. Salvage is often forgotten about before it is too late in some incidents. Good job guys.

Virginia Firefighter Bill of Rights

Below is the Virginia Firefighter Bill of Rights. Check it out. Did you know it existed? This can be found on the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters Association website (VPFF.org). If you are a member of Local 1132 then you are a member of the VPFF.

§ 2.1-116.9:1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Emergency medical technician" means any person who is employed solely within the fire department or public safety department of an employing agency as a full-time emergency medical technician whose primary responsibility is the provision of emergency care to the sick and injured, using either basic or advanced techniques. Emergency medical technicians may also provide fire protection services and assist in the enforcement of the fire prevention code.

"Employing agency" means any municipality of the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, including authorities and special districts, which employs firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

"Firefighter" means any person who is employed solely within the fire department or public safety department of an employing agency as a full-time firefighter whose primary responsibility is the prevention and extinguishment of fires, the protection of life and property, and the enforcement of local and state fire prevention codes and laws pertaining to the prevention and control of fires.

"Interrogation" means any questioning of a formal nature as used in Chapter 10.1, Law-Enforcement Officer's Procedural Guarantees, § 2.1-116.2, that could lead to dismissal, demotion, or suspension for punitive reasons of a firefighter or emergency medical technician.

§ 2.1-116.9:2. Conduct of interrogation.

The following provisions of this section shall apply whenever a firefighter or emergency medical technician is subjected to an interrogation which could lead to dismissal, demotion or suspension for punitive reasons:

1. The interrogation shall take place at the facility where the investigating officer is assigned, or at the facility which has jurisdiction over the place where the incident under investigation allegedly occurred, as designated by the investigating officer.

2. No firefighter or emergency medical technician shall be subjected to interrogation without first receiving written notice of sufficient detail of the investigation in order to reasonably apprise the firefighter or emergency medical technician of the nature of the investigation.

3. All interrogations shall be conducted at a reasonable time of day, preferably when the firefighter or emergency medical technician is on duty, unless the importance of the interrogation or investigation is of such a nature that immediate action is required.

4. The firefighter or emergency medical technician under investigation shall be informed of the name, rank, and unit or command of the officer in charge of the investigation, the interrogators, and all persons present during any interrogation.

5. Interrogation sessions shall be of reasonable duration and the firefighter or emergency medical technician shall be permitted reasonable periods for rest and personal necessities.

6. The firefighter or emergency medical technician being interrogated shall not be subjected to offensive language or offered any incentive as an inducement to answer any questions.

7. If a recording of any interrogation is made, and if a transcript of such interrogation is made, the firefighter or emergency medical technician under investigation shall be entitled to a copy without charge. Such record may be electronically recorded.

8. No firefighter or emergency medical technician shall be discharged, disciplined, demoted, denied promotion or seniority, or otherwise disciplined or discriminated against in regard to his employment, or be threatened with any such treatment as retaliation for or by reason solely of his exercise of any of the rights granted or protected by this chapter.

Random Thoughts

Hey guys. I have been talking to a lot of you all recently and thought I would jot down some random thoughts that have been the topics of discussion.

• No matter what kind of tone is given, it is an emergency for someone. Even though a "nose bleed" may not seem like an emergency to us at face value, if it made someone call 911 it is an emergency until we arrive on scene to access the situation and mediate. I was discussing with someone today how some of us take several extra bites of food at dinner, finish a conversation, or just casually walk to the truck. Why be so slow to get to the truck just to race through traffic. These are fundamentals.
  
• Furthermore, maybe EMS Prevention isn't such a bad idea (first brought to my attention by Chief Manuel).
  
• No matter who the person is, you HAVE TO respect the Rank.
  
• Most would agree on the biggest problem in our FD, but what is our greatest accomplishment - That is easy: putting up with the biggest problem.
• Don't lose sight of the good by all the bad. It is real easy to dwell on the bad stuff that goes on, sit back and think of all the good things which have occurred.
  
• Somebody was telling me about the new ambulance planned to be put in Station 8. My thought is this: Isn't a medic truck needed elsewhere prior and what engine company will be taken out of service this time to put a medic truck into service.
• If there is fire, it is a working fire right. So what if you don't need any more trucks, tell dispatch that units on scene can handle.

Most of all, enjoy your job. We are public servants. We are put on a pedestal when things go good, and drug through the mud when things go bad. We are usually only recognized in times of need. We got into this job to help people and we are given that opportunity several times each shift. All we can do is pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and hold our heads high.

Firefighting in Roanoke a year later

I thought I would repost this video about the History of Firefighting in Roanoke. We have had a lot of new hires since I did the interview and it sums up the beginning of Firefighting in Roanoke. Huddle together, get some popcorn, and enjoy.



If you all want to purchase the book, let me know or you can purchase it on amazon, the link is below. The RFFA still has several copies for sale.

Putting the book together was a lot of fun. It won an IAFF Media Award this past year; which was pretty cool. The book has had mild success and was published December of 2006. I am working on the preliminary process for the second book. I have to figure out what type of format I want to use though.

"We Got To Do Better"

"We" as in Firefighters, not just here in Roanoke but everywhere. 115 Firefighters died last year according to FirefighterCloseCalls.com. The website is hosted by Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder and others who are interested in decreasing firefighter deaths. However, last year seems to remind us that we have got to do better.

The reason why I am writing this right now is because of this incident below where a Scranton Firefighter was killed by electrocution during a house fire when his ladder truck came into contact with a power line. The image is from www.WNEP.com.

You can view the story by clicking here or on the picture.

How can this happen? I am not trying to monday morning quarterback, and no I was not there. But we got to do better. Captain Jim Robeson, a 26 year veteran, was killed in this incident. God Bless his family and his brothers on the job. We need to learn from this incident.

This is but one of many incidents where firefighters die...and shouldn't. FirefighterCloseCalls.com has the breakdown of firefighter deaths here. I will post some of the statistics below.

Type of Duty:

24 Responding 20.8%
11 Training 9.56%
37 On-Scene Fire 32.1%
8 On-Scene Non-Fire 6.95%
13 After 11.3%
20 Other On-Duty 17.3%
2 Returning 1.73%

Type of Incident:


5 Wildland 4.34%
48 Structure Fire 41.7%
7 MVA 6.08%
3 Hazmat 2.60%
6 EMS 5.21%
1 Tech Rescue 0.86%
1 Outside Fire 0.86%
1 False Alarm 0.86%
41 Not Incident Related 35.6%
1 Other 0.86%
1 Unknown 0.86%

Cause of Fatal Injury:

19 Caught/Trapped 16.5%
1 Contact with 0.86%
4 Fall 3.47%
55 Stress/Overexertion 47.8%
4 Collapse 3.47%
3 Struck by 2.60%
26 Vehicle Collision 22.6%
2 Lost 1.73%
1 Other 0.86%

Nature of Fatal Injury:

16 Asphyxiation 13.9%
3 Crushed 2.60%
7 Burns 6.08%
2 CVA 1.73%
33 Trauma 28.6%
1 Electrocution 0.86%
52 Heart Attack 45.2%
1 Other 0.86%

WE HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER!

Basically, a firefighter dies every three days in the United States. There have been 2 reported by EveryoneGoesHome.com and today is the 6th of January. I guess you could say we started this year on track for last year. Although the numbers of 2006 were a lot better.
They give these statistics:

Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths Honored by NFFF

» 2008 LODDs Reported to Date: 2
» 2007 LODDs: 118 - Details | Stats
» 2006 LODDs: 87 - Details | Stats
» 2005 LODDs: 105
» 2004 LODDs: 99
» 2003 LODDs: 108

Fires on Church Ave, 13th Street, and Grandin Road

Click here for pictures to the Church Avenue Fire on VAFireNews.com. Pictures by Mike Overacker and Drew Abel.

Click here for more pictures on RoanokeFirefighters.com by Mike Overacker.





Click here for pictures from the 13th Street Fire on VAFireNews.com.

Click here for more pictures on RoanokeFirefighters.com by Mike Overacker.






Click here for the link to the Riverland Fire from today on VAFireNews.com. Pictures by Mike Overacker.

Click here for more images by Mike Overacker on this fire.






Here is the link to the Famous Anthony's Fire on Grandin - sorry no pictures.

Mike might be putting up images of the fire on Riverland today.

Stay Safe

Chris Dodd, the IAFF Firefighters Candidate for Presidency Calls it Quits

Chris Dodd, the IAFF Firefighters Candidate for Presidency Calls it Quits.

Just moments after Obama and Huckabee were announced as the Caucus winners in IOWA, Chris Dodd announced that he is calling it quits. Dodd walked away early with the IAFF backing and hoped to enjoy the same momentum that John Kerry had just 4 years ago coming out of Iowa.

Chris Dodd's nomination by the IAFF was a surprise to many as I have wrote about in the past. Many did not know who he was. When the polls showed that Clinton and Obama were leading the pack, the IAFF decided to go with Dodd. This is believed to be mostly in part by the firefighters who were at the IAFF Presidential forum in D.C. last year. The firefighters, several thousand in numbers, each filled out questionnaires about each individual candidate who spoke. The candidates included Obama, Dodd, Clinton, Biden, Richardson, Brownback, McCain, and others.

Now that Dodd is out of the picture, it will be interesting to see whose name will end up in Black and Gold.

More later, Neither Dodd's website or the IAFF website have posted anything on the matter.

Update: This was received from the Dodd Campaign tonight:

Dear Friend,

I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service.

Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.

But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening -- only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.

I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results.

So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.

We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we'll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years.

I'll never forget you, and what we've fought for, together, over the past year.

Chris Dodd

Three Fires today...so far

Roanoke Firefighters have battled 3 fires today:

Times are approximated.
0430 - Famous Anthony's at Grandin and 419 in Southwest
1700 - Single Family Dwelling Fire at 33 13th Street Southwest (look for pics on VAFireNews.com by morning)
1900 - Two Alarm Warehouse fire in the 700 block of Church Ave. SE (pics on WSLS and WDBJ)

Great job guys/gals. Stay Safe.

Look Who Else is Overseas

FF Jeremy Edwards of Roanoke County Station 2 in Vinton is overseas serving in the Army. He was in the first regional recruit school. Unfortunately, I do not know Jeremy, although I am sure many of you all do. Feel free to correct me or add any other information. Apparently, he checks in on the blog occasionally. However, he did not send in the pic. Stay Safe Jeremy.

Just a little FYI about the Banquet this year

I just want to answer a couple of questions about the Banquet this year for you guys. I have had several questions and I want to make sure you guys are informed.

1. The Banquet is on February 2nd and starts at 6pm.
   
2. The Banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn Airport (formerly the Clarion).
   
3. Social hour is from 6-7, dinner from 7-8, banquet from 8-9 and fun until 1am.
4. The rooms are $79. If you were told something different, call back and tell them you are with the RFFA Banquet. They should have cleared up the confusion by now.
5. Tickets are $35 a piece. $70 for a couple. Members and guests are $35 a piece.
   
6. You can bring as many guests as you want.
7. The reason for the cost increase is because the cost has not gone up for many years. If finally caught up to us and has cost the RFFA a lot of money out of pocket in the past years. The RFFA does not budget funds for the banquet. However, the RFFA will still foot part of the bill for the banquet.
   
8. If you have not been, I recommend you go. It is a lot of fun.
   
9. If you did not get an invitation and are an RFFA member do the following:
1. Check the Union website to see if your invitation was returned (http://www.Local1132.org).
2. If it was returned, get me your correct address immediately.
3. Otherwise, let me know and I will get you an invitation.
10. If you have a nomination for Firefighter of the Year or Company Citation, get your nomination to Tim Parry (4A) or myself (13C) by January 15th.
    
11. The nominations must be signed!
12. If you are planning on attending and drinking, please either get a room or set up some other transportation to get home. Do not drink and drive.
    
13. Under the rules of the EMS Council, you cannot drive an EMS unit with a DUI. This includes Ambulances, Engines, and Ladder Trucks. You will be terminated and there is nothing anyone can do to save your job if you are convicted of a DUI.
14. If you have any other questions, just let me know.
    

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

I wish everyone the best in the New Year. I have had a lot of fun this past year with the Roanoke Fire Blog. I am happy to see all the progress that the Roanoke Fire EMS Department and the Firefighters of Roanoke have made. We have seen a lot of progress this past year, as well as some minor set backs.

I must say that I truly love my job. I enjoy coming to work each and every day. I know a lot of Roanoke's Firefighters share in my sentiment as well. I really enjoy the camaraderie that I share when I stop by fire houses throughout the City.

Keep the news coming in.

One other note that I missed in December was that "Firefighting in Roanoke" is now a year old. I am not sure the exact count of books sold, but it is somewhere around 1600 - 2000. I have plans to begin another book this year, although I have not decided on the format I will choose.

One last note, E13 and M9 ran the first call of the New Year. We just got back from call number 1 which was toned out at 0001 hours. That probably will not happen for me again in my career.

Good luck in the New Year, God Bless, and Stay Safe.

Guns N' Hoses Hockey, the Bowl A Thon, and MDA Camp

January 26th is the 5th annual Guns N' Hoses Hockey Game. Check out their website for more information. The link is here: http://gunsandhoseshockey.com/. The picture below is from last year I believe.

The 2nd Annual Bowl A Thon will be on March 29th. Information below is from Charles Adkins of the Salem FD.

Hey Brothers and Sisters,


2nd annual IAFF/MDA "Fire in the Alley" Bowl-A-Thon.

MARCH 29. 2008 SAVE THIS DATE!!!!!
1400 - 1630 HRS

OK, I have been contacted by several Locals about the price increase of the team cost to play from last year.

The way this thing works is:


* Pick a team Captain( need your info by deadline Jan. 18, 2008)
* Team Captain picks 4 other players ( 5 Man or Woman teams ) must have $650.00 to play this year!!
* Cost per team is $650.00 ( Example: Each team member ask 12 family members, friends, bosses, etc... for a pledge of $10.83 will equal $130.00 per player and x 5 = $650.00)
* This will sponsor you in a MDA bowl -a - thon to raise money to send kids with some form of MD to summer camp, for these kids and parents are strapped by paying for medical bills, wheelchairs, walkers, and just day to day living, this intern gives the kids something special to look forward to at the end of summer and the wonderful parents a little break so the don't break from day to day living.
* 20 teams are all we need.
* This is open to anyone that's loves to bowl or just want to donate to the cause.( Not just IAFF members we tried that last year and got hardly any participation).
* You can get sponsored by a company from the area if this would be an easier way to reach our goals it is a tax deductible write off for this coming tax season.


FYI: If we do not have any captains by Jan. 08, 2008 we will have to consider canceling this event due to scheduling with Salem bowling alley,we had to reschedule last year multiple times and I don't think they will be as accommodating this year.



If anybody feels like this is to much or to hard to accomplish, I want to here your ideas ASAP!!!!

Contact me at any time:

In Unity,

Charles D. Adkins/Director/VP-B
Salem Professional Firefighters Assoc.
Local #3478
Cell -(540)-309-4566
Pager-(540)-581-9131
Firepro3478@msn.com


The dates for the MDA camp have been posted.

ANNOUNCEMENT!
CAMP DATES JUST ARRIVED:

JULY 13 - JULY 18

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS.

WE NEED MORE MALE COUNSELORS - PLEASE HELP US RECRUIT - PRIZES AWARDED TO COUNSELORS WHO ARE GOOD RECRUITERS!!

Recent Comments

Recently, I have witnessed another wave of comments on the blog. Some are great...constructive and professional. Others are childish, rude, and unnecessary.

I get a lot of people who say things like the blog is becoming the rumor mill, or that it is not doing any good.

I know the people who make certain comments. I have known them for a long time. I don't mean that I know each person who has made each individual payment, however I know the type. Remember the rumor mill. I know who was making most of the comments. Everyone knows I was a part of it, but no one knows to what extent. It doesn't matter.

My point is this; As long as you let it bother you, they will continue to do it. It is just like in the company. If you give your brothers material, they are going to have fun with it. That is our nature. The wheel chock...that was priceless. I can't believe that person wasted the time to type that comment.


As for the comments on training and certain incidents that have happened recently, I will say this:

1. Everyone in this department needs to train more, especially on the basics.
2. We will always have room to improve.
3. We will continue to learn from our mistakes.

Our Boys Overseas

Check out the photo I received today. All seems to be well overseas. Reighley will be home in a month or so from what I understand. Meanwhile, Fish just started his tour overseas. I got to speak with Fish just prior to his departure. Stay safe guys.

Fires in Roanoke on Christmas Eve

Three various fires from Roanoke on Christmas Eve. Click the picture for more pics and info.

Video from the first fire here on WDBJ7.com

Christmas Jingles Submitted

Below are all of the Christmas Jingles which were sent in. Check them out and let me know what you think...

Anonymous sent in this gem:
Jingle Bells all the way.
Horses eat hay.
What do you want me to say.
Some firefighers were born in May.
The tones go off and we say OK.
In the middle of the night or day.
Some cats have homes, some are stray.
Some go to church and pray.
Pepsi has a nice display.
Food is sometimes served on a tray.
Kids like to go outside and play.

CountryDew - A fellow blogger and the wife of a firefighter sent this one in. Visit her blog here: http://bluecountrymagic.blogspot.com

The Wife Before Christmas

The night before Christmas, a dear holy hour
I sit with a brandy in front of the fire.
Alone with our child tucked asleep down the hall
and the man that I love has gone out on a call.

He's a fireman, you see, and when sirens blast
He rushes to help, to bring hope to you fast.
Through smoke, in the ice, in hard driving rain,
He offers assistance and helps folks in pain.

No though for himself, he offers a hand,
No matter the season or what we had planned.
I just let him go, see him off with a kiss
and try not to worry about what he will miss -

Baby's first step, or her eyes all alight
When she sees what Ol' Santa leaves her tonight.
I pray for his safety, that he comes back to me
That he not be in danger is my nightly plea.

He's my whole life, I give him all that I can.
He's one of the finest - he's a fireman.


-- CountryDew
http://bluecountrymagic.blogspot.com

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasnt fuzzy was he.

Oompah oompah oompidy doo,
I have got a puzzle for you.

I sit home in the middle of the night,
My father yells what you gonna do with your life.
Oh daddy please you know your still number one,
Girls...they wanna have fun.
Thats all they really waaaa-aant.
Oh girls they just wanna have fun.

Big Trav sent in:
Twas the night before Christmas and through the fire house not a creature was stirring except #2’s mouse. The Firefighters all snuggled all down in their beds with dreams of their families held tight in their heads. Their boots right beside them their coats hung on the engine with care, to make sure they get it on quick if they have to go anywhere. A short silent prayer for a run free nights sleep, to have enough energy with their families to be, awake and alert and not miss a thing, to be wide eyed and waiting to see what Santa brings.
For a few of the bravest it’s their first Christmas with chaps they don’t want to miss it while taking a nap. Others we know have been with their chaps before and look forward to that smile when they come through the door. Some of the bravest don’t have chaps of their own but still look forward to a love that is waiting at home and some have had several but their off and grown and may stop by later with chaps of their own.
When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter we all jump out of bed engine, medic, and ladder and wait with our feet in our boots to hear what is the matter. We wait on the dispatch to give us the news’ alarm coming in, now we’ve got to move. Control relays the call and it’s just an alarm, thank goodness this time no body is harmed. We will go back to bed and of family still dream and again pray that’s the last time the alarm bells will ring.
Remember now bravest as you finish this night, in a few more hours with the suns first light, the next shift will be in and you can go home to be with the family you missed all day long. So take just a minute and remember those folks, who have taken your place so you could go home.
Remember the soldiers who are so far from home who fight for our freedom so we don’t have to roam who won’t see their husbands, their wives or their chaps and won’t get a big dinner and definitely no nap. The will stand at a post maybe even alone and spend Christmas day thousands of miles from home. God bless them and keep them and bring them home safe I hope this is the last Christmas they have to spend in that place.

Merry Christmas to all my Brothers and Sisters and the US Armed forces wherever you may be God bless you all!
Lt. Travis A .Simmons
“Big Trav”
Roanoke Fire EMS
Station 2A “The ZOO”

Roanoke Fire-EMS Responds to 31st St. Fire

Roanoke Fire-EMS Responds to 31st St. Fire

Press Release from Roanoke Fire EMS

On December 19, 2007, Roanoke Fire-EMS responded to a structure fire at 753 31st St. The call came into the E-911 Center at approximately 4 a.m. The response of 4 engines, 2 ladder trucks, 2 medic units, the EMS Captain, the Investigation Unit and a Battalion Chief for a total of 26 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was under control at 4:23 a.m.

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