BIG investigation

[KMA]

I can’t bite my tongue anymore!

The BIG investigation is underway.......what a joke! Is there really any question as to the problem?

No AFCS- How can one leave a top level position vacant for so long. Lets try out a few people to see how they do. You’re kidding right? How bout ya pick someone and in 30 days, you don’t like the job they are doing, you fire them. If they aren’t a decent AFCS, they probably aren’t a very good DFC either.


No DFC @TA – AAAHHH, the training school, the foundation of our ship....the first impression on our new hires......leaderless for Oh so long.....

Pitiful staffing- Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Applied in our dept as 3 brand new sgt’s get sent to the TA to teach with little or no experience as a teacher nor a company officer. (Not that any of this is their fault) Its good to see those hard working people get the support they need. How about sending some Lt’s and captains down there to pass a little knowledge down. While we’re at it, double the staffing of each class so the students can get some small group interaction.



No Training Budget- I mean really, how long can we operate like this? We don’t even have enough money budgeted to meet the legal mandates, let alone “perks” like officer I & Saving Your Own.

No Training Plan- Why is haz mat being done at a rec center? Why are recruits coming in on a staggered schedule? Don’t get e wrong here, both are ingenious ways to make the system work but why not try a new approach. Its called planning. There may even be a “planning for dummies” in the local library. In fact, I’ve just thought of a whole new series of “dummies” books!

Anyway, I digress. I wish the investigation well, but with FD history on my mind, I ma not optimistic about any real productive stuff coming out of it.

My final shot: replace the DFC & BFC...the buck has to stop somewhere. Tell the other officers involved that they will have 1 more year to get this recruit training thing down & done safely.

Have a nice day.

[dccaptain1995]

The major problem is that Chief Thompson thinks the training academy is doing a great job, just look at the last transfers and promotions, a TA Captain was made chief, they sent a BFC that is now the a DFC to the TA that had a leading role in the department. A couple a years ago they transferred a captain who was made BFC who jump over who many other captains with greater experience, and training, and then have this new BFC with all his leadership and experience help run the place under mad mike. Now I understand Chief Jackson is taking college classes to catch up with the rest of the department.
Just go down there a take a CPR class and ask for textbooks, see what happens.

As far experience Lt's and Captain's be assigned there, why should they?
Have them take a $5,000 pay cut, do you think a senior captain doing a good job going to get promoted, or have him take on some serious issue down there? Hell, it been proven to get promoted - a captain has to do nothing, and refuse to take a stand on anything, or better yet, just follow and do everything Chief Thompson tells him, no questions asked.

Starting to wonder why this year’s body count is over twice the number of last years count.

[BMIG]

If any of those recruits have any common sense they would be wise to seek legal counsel.

[citywide]

BMIG?!?!?!

Legal Counsel? FOR WHAT??? I am assuming you are talking about the recruits getting blisters on their ears. Guess what, when you play with fire, you get burned!! So, with that in mind, then every person on this job who has EVER gotten burned, from a pencil eraser sized blister to 3rd degree burns, should "seek legal counsel". Who would they sue? The officer? The Battalion Chief? The homeowner? WHO??? What would the argument be--"My officer took me into a burning rowhouse. It was on fire and I didn't want to go. I want to sue my officer because my right knee got a steam burn on it!! SUE, SUE, SUE!!!!" What you stated in your one sentence post is absolutely absurd!! We don't resond to house fires to assume sidewalk command (or rather, we're not SUPPOSED to) and make flower baskets to put pansies in!! We have a dangerous job--people WILL get hurt, and people (God forbid) will die!! It's the nature of the job. What about our soldiers in Iraq right now? By heeding your "wise words", then anybody who gets injured over there should sue their commanding officer because they were put in harm's way. RIDICULOUS!! That is the problem with so many people in this country with your mindset to sue over everything. You know what, sometimes you just gotta tell someone who ever gets physically hurt or someone who didn't like what somebody else said to them to SUCK IT UP!! Sorry for your pain, but, PAIN IS TEMPORARY, suck it up.

I'm now done typing this response on a computer that is NOT a DC Gov't owned computer.

Later!!

[dccaptain1995]

citywide:

While you are correct in what you say, but you are applying your logic incorrectly:

One this was a training exercise; this is a control burn, a training item, not a “real fire”. You are supposed to have safety officers to prevent injuries. You have two standby “seasoned fire companies” to prevent injuries.
While there is risk in every type of fire, to burn more than 3 people? What is the training trying to do, so how one can be burned?

A better question, why are we going to Alexandria VA to use their burn building? I thought we had one here?
While I not going to question what happen, and why, the fact that something like this happen shows something is very, very wrong.

And Citywide you are so incorrect, during training of new recruits, if one is injured, killed, etc, the training officer is held responsible since it is he who is also the top safety officer, just look at the surrounding jurisdictions and what a happen there in the past couple of years, same in the military, if a recruit goes down, the training officer is held responsible. This is a far cry to actual firefighting, and combat.

By the way, I did use a DC Gov't computer, just not one assigned to the fire dept.

[Phantom]

One thing everyone should be aware of is the recent legal actions (criminal negliegence, manslaughter) against the officer in charge of training fires where fatalities occured.

The point is everyone should be aware of all standards they could be held accountable to and follow them, while the DC Government may lose some cash, you could be Bubba's new cell mate.

This is another disincentive to go to the TA (and many day work spots), 1st being less money for more work. The reason being that the DCFD isn't/doesn't/won't/can't follow a legal mandate, but you as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, or Captain could end up in jail for riding along the system if someone were to be seriously hurt or die durig a training exercise.

[BMIG]

Capt & Phantom'

Thank you for expounding on what was very obvious. I guess you have to paint a whole picture for some people.



If anybody on this job thinks that Distict govt or the folks down at 1923 Vermont ave are going to look out for their best interests they are sadly mistaken.


"Suck it up"-Dude we are talking life or death situations. This isn't pop warner football where you're telling little Dylan to get up and get in the huddle when he takes a good hit. :rolleyes:

[meglomaniac]

Oh Stop Crying Just Stop It Ok Lets Go On, Ehhhh