Ok, going to try and write this in between periods of the Bruins game, so here goes. Speaking of hockey, I'm going to be attending a Manchester Monarchs game soon. Never been to one, but I think it'll be fun. The tickets are certainly a lot cheaper than Bruins tickets. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and if you're working, may it be peaceful and safe.
I've decided not to go out until after Christmas. I think I have a sign on me that says "hit me" or something. I went to Target the other day and two people tried to ram into me with their carriages and then a lady nearly stuck a Christmas tree in a place it didn't belong because she wasn't paying attention. Which was the case of most people in the store. They were walking along, pushing carriages, talking on their cell phones, and not looking where they were going. To top it off, someone wanted my parking spot, but sat behind me waiting for it. I guess it didn't occur to them that I needed to get out first. After about three minutes, they finally figured it out and backed up a little so I could vacate the space.
A few people have emailed me asking if I was going to comment on the Newton Firefighter who painted his helmet in the colors of the flag and then was asked by his chief to not wear the helmet or repaint it. I really don't want to comment, only because I don't know all the facts. What I do know is that he painted the helmet 3 years ago and as far as I know has been wearing it. So, I guess I would be curious to know what prompted the sudden change of heart. I can see both sides of the coin. I can see that if you allow everyone to paint their helmets how they want, it leaves room for someone to get carried away. On the other hand, the guy had it for 3 years before someone brought issue with it. Like everything, there is more to the story than we know. Hopefully the two parties will find a resolution that is suitable for both sides.
Speaking of helmets, it is interesting to note what different firefighters put for stickers on their helmets. Many represent personal things such as loved ones or LODD deaths. On my helmet I have a W6 sticker like many others along with an FDNY343 sticker. I also have an American Flag sticker with the stars replaced with firefighter tools. Someone had put a small Super G Supermarkets sticker on my helmet as a joke because my nickname at the Station is "G". I left it on there because I thought it was kind of cool. I also have a Bruins IAFF sticker on my helmet with a small 3 next to it. The 3 is for my sister that passed away last summer since she was a big Bruins fan and her favorite number was 3. Over the years, I have noticed a lot of little stickers on helmets that I'm sure had very significant meaning to the men and women that wear them. While the stickers don't surprise many people, it does surprise many that I have a tattoo on my left arm. People say, you? No way. Yes way. I have an American Eagle with spread wings holding a firefighters axe. Above and below it has the words "Never Forget Our Fallen Brothers". I got it after 9-11, but decided to leave off the FDNY reference to honor all those that have paid the extreme sacrifice. No disrepsect to the females though, Brothers and Sisters would have been too long. But, no matter the gender, race, creed, or religion, I value your sacrifices just the same.
Ah yes, the Christmas shopping season is upon us. So much fun going out in the crowds and dealing with everyone isn't it? I went out shopping this past week and went early to avoid some of the crowds. While sitting a stop light I watched a guy walking on the sidewalk. He was heading for a hydrant that had one of those big red circle things on it so you can find it when the plows burry it in the snow. The thing had been bent to a 45 degree angle and was sticking out over the side walk. Surely this guy sees the big red thing right? Nope. Walked right into it. For some reason humans find this type of thing funny, so I chuckled as the guy smacked the circle like it was a sentient being that hit him on purpose. I would pay for the laugh though when I got to the store. Somehow I ended up with the loudest and most obnoxious carriage on the planet. Squeek, squeek, clank, clank, as I go up and down the aisles. I saw a cute little item for my wife that makes a little sleigh bell noise. I put it in my carriage and went on my way. Evidently the vibrations from my disfunctional carriage kept causing the cute little thing to keep activating. So here I go down the aisles, squeeking and chinging along. Most probably would have abandoned the Christmas decoration by now, but not me. Oh no, you can't get to me. I'm going to win. Well, this squeeking and chinging seemed to act like a snake charmer because all of the customers in the store now felt the need to be where I was. I couldn't take a turn without someone being there even though the store wasn't crowded. There were of course half a dozen people in Larks that tried to run me over. Maybe they coulnd't take the noise, I don't know, but they had radar affixed to me and were homing in. But, Lark or no Lark I was going to finish my shopping. Squeek, squeek, squeek, ching, ching, ching, here I come. Now I'm at the point that I'm giving myself a headache and tired of people trying to assasinate me, so I head for the checkout where the cashiere tells me that the Christmas decoration is adorable. You can probably imagine what was going through my mind at this point, but I was nice and just smiled. If it chinged once on the way home I would have chucked it out the window on to Route 28. But, it stayed silent. The moral to this story is, if you see someone trip, fall, or walki into something. Don't laugh, you'll pay for it later. Ching Ching!
It's hard to believe that nine years have passed since the Worcester tragedy that took the lives of six firefighters. There is some solice in the fact that those six have not been forgotten and that there is always mention of them on the anniversary. Today is even more special as there will be the unveiling of a memorial at the new station on Franklin Street. It will be a well attended affair and a huge showing of respect to those men, their families, and those on the job now.
Speaking of hard to believe, did you hear the story about the worker at a Wal-Mart in New York being trampled to death on Black Friday? Evidently scores of shoppers came into the store like cattle on the run taking down an employee. My first thought was, what has this world come to? That people will trample and kill a human being just to save some money on a television. I guess to a degree, the craziness has been there in one shape or form for many years. I remember going into Boston with my late sister and stopping into Filene's Basement. What a mad house. Women would throw you down for a pair of underwear and if it was the bridal sale you took your life into your own hands by going in the store at all. The place was mobbed with people seemingly every time I went in there and the shoppers were far from polite. And while the blood thirsty shoppers should be ashamed of themselves for their way of doing business, I don't think the stores help matters. Is it really necessary to open at 2 and 3 in the morning? Can't they wait until at least day light? And are they doing enough to ensure the safety of their employees as well as the shoppers? I know that when my wife went to work at 3 AM, the mall would only open one door for the employees. They would have to travel down a dark alley without the benefit of security. Doesn't sound safe to me. Thankfully there were no incidents, but it seems like the quest for as much money as possible often leaves the door to disaster unlocked and waiting for someone to take advantage of. As to what can be done, I really don't have an answer. But, if the management of stores and malls don't start taking safety seriously, then the incident in Long Island won't be an isolated one.
Hey all you turkeys! The update is early this week since I won't have time to work on the site later in the week. And since this is Thanksgiving week, I would like to thank all those that contribute to this site to help make it what it is. While many of you can see the number of photographers that contribute each week, what you don't see is the countless emails from people to offer tib bits of information and scores of specifications to make the listings just a little more accurate. The time you take to send in this information and your photos is appreciated by all that enjoy the site. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. If you are working, please be safe and I hope that it's a quiet day for you. And try not to get trampled by any crowds on Friday. I myself will be staying clear from any stores. My wife unfortunately has no choice, since she has to work. As the sticker says above my wife's desk, "I know there is a hell, I work in retail."
While most people don't like to sit in traffic, it is quite amazing what some will do in an effort to try and get to their destinations a little quicker. While puttering along through traffic yesterday morning, I watched this car constantly change from the left lane to the middle lane and back again. Every time he would change lanes, that lane would slow down and he would try and get back to the other lane. I lost count as to how many times he did this. What gave me a chuckle is that this driver never got ahead of where he had previously been, so it was a lot of effort for nothing. Sometimes you are better off just staying where you are. Then another driver thought it would be a good idea to try and squeeze himself in between a truck and a car during stop and go traffic. What makes this one a little scary is that the person put on their directional and changed lanes within a second of doing so. There was not much opportunity for the truck driver to react if there was a sudden slow down. But I guess it would have been too much to ask to make sure the truck driver was aware the person was going to change langes before actually performing that manuever. And one of my favorites is the person who suddenly realizes that they are about to pass their exit and does the Dukes of Hazzard slide across four lanes of traffic. Let's face it, we've all been lost in dream land and nearly passed our exit. But, to do a flat spin across the highway and hope that you don't hit anything is a bit on the crazy side. I saw someone do this not that long ago and was thankful I was going the opposite way. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've seen such a stunt and can't imagine what would go through someone's mind to take such a chance. Luckily, this driver didn't flip over or collide with any other vehicles. What makes this even more senseless to me is that the next exit was only a mile up the highway, so it was not a long distance to go up and turn around. You really have to be mindful on the road as there are just so many people that will react in an unpredictable way at any given moment. If everyone paid attention to what they were doing while driving and offered a little bit more courtesy to other drivers, I think we would have far less accidents.
Happy Veteran's Day to all my fellow Vets out there. I thank you for your service to our country. Rather than ranting today, I'd just like to share some things about some great military guys out there. I work with a lot of Vets at Stoneham FD and they are all great guys. They have certainly done their part in helping maintain America's freedom. But, I know these guys so I would naturally have a better view of them than others that never met them. What's great is how many unselfish guys and gals out there that would do anything to help someone they didn't know. When my friend's father passed away, two Marines that didn't know him volunteered to give him a soldier's funeral. They were very sharp in their dress uniforms and gave my friend's father an honorable send off. I thanked them afterwards for making the funeral special for my friend's family. These two young Marines were happy to send off a commrade, even one that was probably three times their age. There are also so many vets that are involved with charities and trying to help the people over in Iraq now. The dad of another one of my friends is active in sending care packages to the troops. A friend of mine told me her nephew was over there and I had put his information in for a care package. He received it and wrote home about how touched he was that someone would think of him and send such a package.
For me personally, I recently signed up at the VA Hospital in Bedford for general type care. I did so at the urging of someone else and really didn't have much of an interest. But, I can say now that I'm glad I did. What a great group of people, many of whom are vets. All of them are so friendly and eager to talk or share a story. I can honestly say I'm not used to that. I'm used to the typical get in the office, wait forever, and then het shot out the door as fast as possible. The people are great and I appreciate what they do. Probably one of my favorite vet experiences was the opportunity to coorespond with Major Dick Winters of 101st Airborne of WWII. He was portrayed by Damian Lewis in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. I have long admired him (well before the mini-series) and am honored to have several items that he gave to me. He is a great man and I know there are so many more like him out there. Thank you to all of our veterans for your service and your sacrifices.
Sorry for the delay in updating, I had been under the weather since the end of last week and couldn't get everything done in time. Yesterday also would have been my sister's 56th birthday, so I'm not really in the mood to say anything witty. I just hope everyone was able to vote and regardless of who wins, I hope they will do the right things for all Americans. If nothing else, at least the ads will not be run anymore. It's been a long time of ads and debates and news about these two, so I'm happy that it's finally coming to a close.
As you all know, credit cards have expiration dates and when it comes near to that time, you will receive a new one in the mail. You call the number on the sticker to activate the new card and then cut up and discard the old one. The process is supposed to be automated to save time, but in order to try and sell products to you that you don't need, after you finish with your verification, you must talk to a live person to finish the process. I kind of find that kind of amusing because if someone stole my mail and also has my social security number and date of birth, then chances are they have my telephone number and address too. So to me verifying this info to a live person that barely speaks English is nothing but a lead in for a sales pitch. Before she started, I said to her that I was not a new customer and was just activating my replacement card and didn't want anything. Did that stop her? Nope, she started her routine trying to sell me crap I don't want or need. I interrupted her and said to her again I was not interested to which she answered why? I was somewhat taken back by this, I've never had someone actually ask me why I didn't want one of these things before. I said to her because they are useless and a money maker for the company. Oh no no, she says. So I said, will you lower my interest rate 2 percent if I agree to this. I can not do that sir, she says. To which I replied, then we are done here and hung up. This type of stuff annoys me to no end. The automated thing would be fine by itself, the information verified on the automated part is more sensitive then what the live person asks you. They send me crap every month asking me to subscribe or purchase these products. Chances are if I wanted it, I would have agreed to it by now. And why can't we talk to people that speak English? I've called with questions before and have actually had to ask for a different rep or a supervisor because the person couldn't understand what I was asking. And this is good customer service? I think not. Or maybe that's the tactic. Some older person might not understand what this person is saying and just tells them yeah sure just to get them off the phone. And people wonder why this country is such a mess.
Another early update. My birthday and wedding anniversary are early next week and my wife and I have some things planned for the weekend, so I'm putting this weeks rending up earlier than scheduled. I worked on it over the long weekend, so if you sent something in over the last day or two, it won't be in this update. I am saving your messages though and will include those items next time if they are usable.
I was at the mall the other day and the fire alarms went off. Sadly, it was not much of a surprise to see that not one single person even looked at the exit much less moved towards one. What kind of stuck me even more so than that was the fact that no instructions were announced. I know they can do this because I've heard it before. The alarms kept sounding, but no one told people what to do. That's really kind of disheartening in the post 9-11 era. In a large place of assembly like a mall, when an alarm actuates, there should be some form of instruction as to what people should do. Either evacuate, or there is no issue and to keep doing what they were doing. I thought maybe they were just testing the system, which still doesn't excuse them from not making an announcement. But, when I left the mall, apparatus was arriving with others still responding in the distance. The ladder truck continued to respond and I ended up passing it on my way out of the parking lot. This to me said that the issue was not immediately known otherwise the ladder would have been cancelled. Since my wife was working in the mall at the time of the alarm, I later found out from her that it was a problem with the system and the alarm activated for no apparent reason. Ok, so no one knew why it activated and yet they never told people what to do. This is something I thought about and decided to write about today because this reflects the complacency of people today. They always assume that it's a false alarm and nothing is ever going to happen. Then when it does, no one is prepared and panic and chaos rule. I just hope that the alarms continue to be malfunctions, because I shudder to think what the results might be if it were to ever be a real emergency.
Surprise! The update is a little early this week. I am going to be pressed for time later in the week, so since I had enough material, I figured I'd update now and save myself the stress later.
Quickly, I just wanted to say how happy I'm going to be when this election is over. While the election itself is very important, it just feels like no one is every saying anything new. You can't watch an hour of television without being bombarded with ads that only talk about how bad the other candidate is. While I understand why one would want to point out their opponant's shortcomings, it would be nice to know what it is they can do for us. If you were to take what the candidates are saying at face value, then neither one is fit or qualified to be president. Puts us in a bit of a pickle since we have to vote for one of them, now doesn't it? So, either one is lying or there should be an option C for us. No such luck, only option A and B exist. I don't support either one and haven't made a decision of who I'm going to vote for yet. Again, if I watch both ads, then it makes you want to vote for no one. Maybe it's just me, but rather than constantly hearing about what's wrong with each candidate, maybe we could hear what they'll do for us. Not what they've done in the past, but what they will do when they get into office. What is their plan to fix the problems in America, such as the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, and rising costs. And I said plan, not vague rhetoric. No kidding that we need change and that things aren't working. In what specific ways to do you plan to make things better? That's what I'd like to know. Hope, change, and a giddy laugh will only bring you so far. Eventually, you'll need to come up with some methods to fix what's wrong and you'll need to appoint the right people to make it happen. All I can say is that whomever ends up in office, I hope they do the right things for all Americans after being elected. Not just those that are of a special interest.
First some website maintainence items. I have decided to forgo the encryption for at least the time being. It would be way too time consuming to redesign the whole site, so at least for now I've added a "Respect the Pic" message to every photo page. Hopefully that will at least keep down the accidental stuff. I also went through the FD and Fire Related links pages and removed all of the dead links. I also removed any link to a site that I was asked to add that didn't have a return link. Fair is fair after all. If you're going to ask me to give your site a plug, at least give me a link in return.
I've listened to a lot of people, either in person or on television, lately regarding the economic issues that face the country. I think what surprises me the most is, well, how many people were surprised by this. I honestly don't understand why this is such a big shock to everyone. I had seen this coming for a few years and when I first heard the news about Lehman Brothers, I thought to myself, well...here it is. I'm not an economist or really even that smart of a man. But, they way they were giving out mortgages, it doesn't take a genious to figure out that eventually the bottom is going to fall out. Some banks were responsible, but a good deal were giving mortgages to anyone with a pulse. Even people on welfare and unemployment. I mean, are you kidding me? Even for those with good jobs and great credit, the forumla they were using had disaster written all over it. Let's base how much we'll give you for your loan on your gross salary and forget about all that other debt you have. Many institutions took what you made before taxes, insurance, and retirement and gave a loan out on that figure. Two car loans, a student loan, and thousands in credit card debt. Ah, who cares. Don't worry about it they said. And they way they made it affordable for the buyer was by giving them a low interest rate. However, quite a few of these mortgages had catches to them. First there is the one where you only pay the interest for the first few years. Sounds great don't it? Yeah, until that time frame expires and you get this huge bill. I don't know anyone that took that route, but have heard about it. The other more popular one was that they gave you a fixed loan for a few years that then turned into an adjustable rate. They said, hey the market keeps going up and up and up. And even if the interest goes up, it won't go up much. Oh yeah, want to make a bet. They didn't forsee that the market will level off and that interest rates would go up a lot. Those people then had giant increses in their monthly payments when the fixed rate turned into an adjustable rate. Even if they refinanced, they coulnd't get a rate anywhere near what they had. Mortgages payments went up by not just hundreds, but in many cases even thousands of dollars per month. PER MONTH! People couldn't pay their bills. And here we are. What kills me is that they didn't forsee it happening. Either that, or they were too greedy to care. While terrorism and foreign enemies are still a big threat, sometimes I think we are our own worst enemies. A little common sense and forsight can go a long way. Whether you blame the financial institutions or the government or both, America did this to itself.
Someone once told me that stupid people keep us in business. Well, maybe not all the time, but they certainly do give us a fair amount of runs. And just when you think you've seen it all, something comes along to prove you wrong. Last weekend my wife and I took the kids apple picking. They have a tracor pulling a hay cart for you to ride in up to the orchards. After we were done, we boarded the hay ride for the return trip and the driver picked up the ramp and started his way back. Wouldn't you know some guy and his kid jump in front of the tractor to get him to stop because they wanted to get on board. I thought to myself, are you kidding me? Can you really be that stupid? The tractor driver was able to stop before running them over and the people jumped on the back like it was no big deal. The tractor driver on the other hand was trying to recover from his near heart attack. Stupidity of this nature is not limited to hay rides. I recently had a coversation with someone regarding cross walks. It never ceases to amaze me how many people just start crossing the street without even looking. Like because they are in a cross walk, cars will bounce off of them instead of sending them a half mile down the road to their death. The law isn't a bad concept, it's just when you turn things like that over to the public, you have to take into consideration that people are going to have the mind set of "it's a law, they have to stop". True, but when you're travelling at 30 MPH and someone just walks out in front of you with no warning, what do they think is going to happen? I also think that there should be a zone of no parking near a cross walk. How many times have you seen someone appear from behind a truck and then flip you off because you didn't stop? Well, if they can't be seen, how is a driver supposed to know that they are even there? Of course, I'll take that over some idiot walking out thinking that a magical force field surrounds them. I tell ya, a little common sense goes a long way. Too bad there are just so many that don't have any.
I decided to lift the ecryption and try posting notes on all the photos pages about not taking photos. I think I did that to maybe 10 pages before getting an email from another webmaster warning me that pics from his site and mine were being sold on a disk on Ebay. He had contacted the seller and was waiting for a reply. I checked out the auction and sure enough, there were images that were part of the preview that had my captions on them. Fortunately, the seller took them down without having to involve Ebay, which given how slow they go, wouldn't have done any good anyway. The seller claimed that he sells a variety of used disks and whatnot and wasn't aware that images on the disk were not authorized. I don't know if his story is true or not, but he took the auction down and said he would not offer those disks up for sale again. It again brings up my dilema of what to do. As much as I hate to put the encryption in and not allow people to freely save the photos, I'm starting to run out of options. I'm tired of chasing people that are posting images to other sites or selling them on disks. I'm pretty surprised that I've not heard from anyone on this matter. Neither for nor against. If people don't care one way or the other, then perhaps I'll start putting time into encrypting the site so I won't have to keep chasing people.
On another note, here is one that goes in the category of you just can't get good help anymore. The UPS motto is What can Brown do for you? Brown can deliver my package, that's what they can do. I've had more problems with this company and everytime I see a seller uses them to ship their products, I cringe. I've been standing in the door with the light on at dusk while all the other houses around me are dark. Does the guy come to my house, which incently he's parked in front of? No, he goes to someone elses and leaves my package there. I've had them say I'm not home when I am. I've had them forget packages on the loading dock so they don't come when they are supposed to and have had the driver not see them on the truck, so they go back to Chelmsford instead of to me. And do you think UPS does anything about it? No. They tell you to either pick it up in Chelmsford at 8:15 at night or they'll try again the next business day. The latest mess up involves a package that was supposed to come on Friday. I paid extra for it to come in that time frame and all was well with the tracking report stating it was out for delivery at 5:13 AM. Knowing how they are, I check the tracking report from time to time to make sure there are no problem. Sure enough at 2:15 there is a note saying there was a problem and that my package would come on Monday instead. I called UPS and the guy on the other end of the phone was like a recording. He said the same thing over and over again. I apologize for that, but they will attempt to delivery on Monday is what he kept saying. Finally, I said that it is obvious you are not allowed any form of free thinking and that I wanted to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor put in a request for the Chelmsford supervisor to call me. She does and tells me that my package was put on the wrong truck by a new employee. But, even though the truck is not that far away, they won't have that truck bring it to me. My options are...you guessed it...pick it up that night at 8:15 or wait until Monday. So, I pick up the package that night and per UPS, contact the shipper and tell them I want a refund of my shipping charges and why. I thought this was kind of odd, but I guess this is how it works and the shipper can then ask for a credit to their account. I did that and the shipper is honoring my request. None the less, this was a lot of aggrevation for yet another mistake. How they do business with all these errors is beyong me. I'm just one resident and look how many times they've messed up. All I can say about "Brown" is that it's the color of something else that's not very pleasant. Which is pretty much what I think of their service.
Some of you may have noticed some changes to the spotlight photos page this past week. Mainly the innability to save photos. This is something I was testing out and still haven't decided on what I'm going to do yet. The photos on this site and on the Metrofire site may not be reposted to any other site without permission of the photographer. If you use my photo (meaning that the firenews credits are on it) you need my permission as well. Some people repost photos innocently thinking that it is ok for their particular project. Those are usually easily handled and the person generally takes them down quickly once they are made aware that they can't post the photos without permission. There are those however, from time to time that come along that think they can take the images, use them as they please, and that's too bad if no one likes it. Some have even gone as far as to try and claim the photo as their own. Kind of funny though when the photographers reflection shows up in the image. It really amazes me because these are pictures of fire trucks and fire scenes, not photos of Brad and Angelina's baby. Why do people have to do things like this? Most of the time when you ask for permission to use a photo or photos, you get it. So it just boggles my mind the lengths some people will go to. Again, there are times it's an innocent thing and that's bound to happen. Other times it's not so innocent. And this is why I decided to try out some security measures. It's not something I want to do because I would have to reorganize the site in order to enact these measures site wide. That would take some time to do. And, it would also affect the many people that save images for personal use. I know a number of people that save images for use on their own computers for little collections and lists that they keep for themselves. They don't repost them to other websites or use them for anything other than personal collections and that's just fine. But, these are the people that would be affected the most and I really would hate to do that to them. I still am not sure what I'll do at this point, but I hope that I'll be able to leave the site open for people to copy text and save photos all they want.
A few requests for people sending things in. When you send in a photo, please, please sign your name. Every week there are a number of different people that always forget to sign their names to the emails. I get a lot of messages and can't always place the email address with the person. Unless I email with you every day, chances are I'm not going to remember who fd235@abc.com is or FireMan124@myemail.net. Also, I have no problem posting your events or other announcements, but when sending your item in, please ask me to post it to the site. I get a number of items every week that have no message from the sender, just the event info. That's great, but you need to tell me that you want it posted. Especially if I'm not familiar with the person sending it, I may just delete it thinking it's spam or just for my knowledge. If you would like an event or notice posted, please type in a note asking me to put it up on the site. If you are sending it to multiple sites and put "please post on your respective sites" that's cool too. But items just sent to me with no message from the sender will be deleted as spam.
It's hard to believe that the anniversary of 9/11 is once again upon us. Time seems to race on at lightning speed with each year passing seemingly more quickly than the previous. I will never forget the sacrifices made by the 343 firefighters on that day, as well as all the people that perished during the attack. I will also remember those that continue to make sacrifices to this day, such as those that have served or are serving in Iraq.
In order to give credit where it is due, not every reporter is anti-firefighter. Kevin Cullen of the Globe wrote an article in defense of the common firefighter. Rather than babble on, I'd like to post that for those that haven't seen it and say thanks to Kevin for realizing and reporting that a vast majority of those on the job are good and decent people.
"Mike Carney is a contractor from Winthrop, and not long ago he took a crew to a building in the South End to fix a leak in the basement.
The leak was in a 4-inch pipe for the sprinkler system, so the owners had called the Fire Department. The firefighters weren't authorized to do more than advise the owners to hire contractors to fix the problem, and that's when Carney's crew showed up.
"When we got there, we found out one of the firefighters had plugged the leaking main and slowed down the water loss," Carney was saying. "Then he came back, when he was on his way home from work, and put a temporary mechanical clamp on the pipe to keep it from rupturing. That was before we even got there.
"Now, what's the big deal? It's his job, right? But that's the point. It wasn't his job. I don't think the average person understands that if that 4-inch water main failed, those condo units would have been under water in minutes. It could have flooded every brownstone on West Newton Street. That firefighter didn't have to do what he did. He did it because it was the right thing to do."
In the year that has passed since two Boston firefighters, Warren Payne and Paul Cahill, were killed fighting a fire at the Tai Ho Chinese restaurant in West Roxbury, we have usually only heard about firefighters doing the wrong thing. If that firefighter, whose name Mike Carney never got, had been caught smoking a joint, off-duty, in total anonymity, instead of saving people's homes, off-duty, in total anonymity, he'd be doing the perp walk on the news tonight.
A lot of what's wrong with the Fire Department has to do with bad systems, and bad people taking advantage of them. But given the complexity of the Byzantine arrangements, blurring all sorts of lines of responsibility, accountability, and propriety, it's easier to ascribe the personal failings of the few to the many. If this were done to a racial or ethnic group, we'd rightfully call it stereotyping or racism. But we can do it to firefighters because, well, aren't they all just a bunch of hacks looking for some place to take a dive so they can file a phony disability?
Most firefighters I know, like most cops I know, didn't take the job so they could rip off you, me, or anybody else. Most of them, the vast majority of them, are a pretty idealistic bunch. A lot of them served this country before they served this city. A lot of them like the idea of taking home a paycheck for working in a business that helps people, that maybe saves a life or some property.
And most of them are like that firefighter who, without fanfare, saved a block on West Newton Street from going under water: They take their role as public servants seriously.
That doesn't excuse the behavior of the thieves and the criminals, from the preening Firefighter Speedo to the deputy chief accused of being a serial rapist. Neither does it minimize the importance and legitimacy of the good journalism that has brought the abuses of the public trust and the public purse to public light.
But let's keep some perspective here: There are 1,555 firefighters in this city. How many do you think are corrupt?
And while it has been convenient to criticize the firefighter union's insistence that the acceptance of random drug testing be part of collective bargaining, it is seldom mentioned that the Menino administration was told in 2000, by a commission appointed by the mayor, to create a drug testing policy and that the mayor and his people dropped the ball.
Blaming most firefighters for the state of the department is like blaming American soldiers for the mess in Iraq.
It was wrong to hoist every firefighter onto a pedestal after 9/11. That doesn't make it right to knock them all off be cause of the bums in their midst."
Well, this was another great week of firefighters in the news. Unfortunately, if this was before the bashing campaign had begun, these items wouldn't have made long lasting headlines. But, the media has clearly signed on for a long term campaign against firefighters and are going to report on every bad deed they can dig up. And, to a degree, I understand that. The problem that I really have is with all the opinions being offered. From columnists to television reporters, so many have stopped reporting and have offered up their own opinions and thoughts. Sure, it's a free country, but that's no really their job is it? The facts and opinion are two different things. And frequently, they don't report all the facts to keep a story interesting and to shape it a certain way. That doesn't seem right to me. And let's be honest, how many people can be swayed or form an uneducated opinion simply because a certain media person says something? More than you think. Their opinions can sway many into a mindframe that is unhealthy and untrue.
If you look at history, the media gets people worked up over many things. One isolated incident casts a bad shadow on everyone that does that job. Look at the post office. There were a few people that were selling drugs from postal vehicles, goofing off when they were supposed to be working, and stealing mail. Now everyone thinks all the postal employees should be investigated because they are all corrupt. A teacher accepts sexual favors for good grades, and all teachers are of the devil. It's human nature for people to generalize and not accept that the law of averages dictates that with so many people in an organization, there are going to be some that are not up to snuff. Some people slip through the cracks and others started off ok, but something happened to set them off the track. But, because of that small minority, now you are being looked at in a negative light. If there are 50 people in Boston Fire that are bad apples, that still leaves over 1500 that are good and honest people. But, no one cares about those people or all that they have done for their community. Why? Because it's not interesting. If the news can't put rain in a sunny forecast, then they are not interested.
While I hope that things will turn around soon, I honestly don't think they will. The media has their hooks in something and they are not going to let go. Unfortunately, it creates a bad environment for all of us that are good citizens and love our jobs. And some say they don't have a problem with the firefighters themselves, but the unions that protect many of them. Well, are unions perfect? No. But, so many people worked long and hard for these benefits, do you really think that these pioneers of labor really wanted people to scam their rewards? Of course not. They wanted them to be there for those that truly needed them. But, the media would have the public to believe that the unions only want to scam the public and take money out of their pockets. It just simply isn't true. Let's be serious, I make an ok salary, but I can't support my family on just my income. My wife must work. And my medical coverage is decent, but certainly not great. I don't have dental insurance and my kids are only covered until they are 12. The benefits we have are good, but not exactly earth shattering. In every other profession there are people that scam and take advantage of benefits that are offered. From the banks and offices, to the federal and state government, people try and get away with things. I don't want to say it's human nature, but the problem is not by any means limited to the fire service. But, these days, the media would have you believe that firefighters are the laziest and most self serving people on the planet. But, despite all this, I'm still happy that I'm a firefighter and still enjoy what I do. And I know that many of my brothers and sisters out there feel the same way. Being a firefighter is something that is in your heart and to paraphrase Matthew McConaughey, We may be behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game, but we can not be defeated.
A friend of ours recently rode in the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise funds for cancer research. I donated money, as did many others to this worthwhile cause. Having a sister that just passed away from cancer and knowing so many others that have been treated or died from it, I sincerely hope that a cure, or at least a breakthrough, is on the horizon. I do believe that a significant breakthrough will come, I'm just not sure if it'll be in my lifetime or not. One thing that I can say is that the healthcare system in American is broken. Badly. In a system where a company that has never met you can deny paying for a proceedure that you need, paper pushers have been given far too much power. I could go on and on for days about this, but one thing that comes to question, is that if a cure ever came on the market, how quickly would we see it? The drug companies make a lot of money off of cancer patients. From my sister's treatment, I know how outrageous the cost is for these drugs. If a cure came to be, I wonder how happy the drug companies would really be. The people making the big money that is. This country is overrun by greedy people who are more concerned with their own gain than the good of the people. So if a miracle drug were to be discovered, how quickly would it reach the people that need it? Would the drug companies willingly stop making a profit on all these chemicals if they were to suddenly become obsolete? Or would they charge such an astronomical amount for the wonder drug, that insurances wouldn't pay for it and only the richest of the rich could afford the treatment. Maybe, eventually public outrage will cause something to happen. But, how many people would have to suffer and die before anything was done. I'm not into conspiracy theories and the like, but the reality of it is that insurance and drug companies have way too much say in your health care. And I don't see it changing in our favor anytime soon. If the government really cared about this issue, why isn't research a top priority? Why do private citizens have to raise money for research? Shouldn't this be more important than some of the other things they spend billions of dollars on? It really is sad because if so many people didn't have to have their hands in the cookie jar so to speak, then perhaps we might be a little closer to finding that cure. Maybe, I don't know. But, something to think about.
In the last few weeks I've engaged in quite a few conversations regarding the Boston Firefighter that was out injured and then caught participating in a body building contest. I'm not one to say anything about my fellow firefighters, as everyone has reasons for doing what they do. I'm not condoning being out injured or retiring off the job with a fake injury, not at all. I just don't look at it as any of my business. However, when you get caught doing something like this and it is plastered all over the news, it becomes the business of every firefighter. It makes us all look bad. And this is an area that we, especially those in Boston, don't need any help with right now. The media has done a great job of making my Boston brothers and sisters look bad without some knucklehead going out and adding to the problem. What I'd like to know is what was this guy thinking? Did he not think he'd get caught? It just boggles my mind that someone could be that stupid. And if he just had to suffer for it, then I'd say whatever. But, it not only adds to the negative thought process towards people on our job, but it also has created problems for those that are out with injuries or have been retired off the job. They are know having to be scrutinized to make sure their injuries are real. It's really a shame because 99 percent of the people out didn't want to be out. Like living with constant pain and suffering is such a great thing. I know a few people personally that were retired off the job and they didn't want to go. They were forced out because of their injury and they were very upset about it. Being a firefighter to so many is not just a job title. It's part of who they are and being made to leave because of injury is sometimes hard to take. Knowing how I feel about the job and the people on it, sometimes it's just hard for me to swallow that there are people like this guy that are so self centered, that they would chance ruining benefits that took years to put into place just for their own gains. Not that I entirely understand what he would have gained. I guess I'm just tired of a few causing such a shadow to be cast on all the great people on this job. I hope they smarten up soon.
I want to thank all of those that have offered their sympaties, the caring from the fire community has been overwhelming. It's been a tough week and your support has been much appreciated.
I'd like to tell anyone that would like to listen (or read in this case) a little about my sister Janice. She was 55 years old and had been battling cancer for nearly five years. She was the nicest and most kind hearted person you could ever meet. She never thought of herself, only of others. She is the only person I know that donated a portion of every pay check to churches and charities, and would frequently donate above that when the occasion called for it. And that didn't include what she did for people every day, especially her family. She would often want to help or contribute funds and would say that she wanted to "bless you". I would often say no one sneezed, which she would just giggle at. I've never met anyone so insistent on helping others. But, she would never want anything for herself.
Janice was an avid hockey fan and was dedicated to her beloved Boston Bruins. Even when a band of five year olds that couldn't skate could play better than them, she would find some reason to praise the team. Even if it was just one player doing one thing right. It was because of Janice that I saw so many Bruins games growing up and came to love the Bruins as well. Despite not making a lot of money, she took me to as many games as she could. One time we had seats down by the glass and she fell down after slipping on an area that was wet. The EMTs wanted her to go to the hospital, but she refused. She didn't want me to miss the game. She cared so much, that she sat there in pain so I didn't miss the game. And even though I said she should go, she wouldn't budge. She had known I had been looking forward to it.
My cultural growth was not limited to hockey games. Janice took me many places so I could experience new things. I saw a number of plays in the theater district of Boston, the Nutcracker, and along with my mother, even Disney World when I was small. I even experienced Tom Jones and that Humperdink guy. And when I was going into the Coast Guard, she took me to the Top of the Hub restaurant in Boston for dinner. Good, bad, or indifferent, I owe a lot of my experiences growing up to her. She thought nothing of taking me to see something new. And she never asked for anything in return.
Janice was a big fan of penguins, so it was no surprise that her "2nd favorite" team was the Pittsburgh Penguins. She loved the logo and would cheer for them, so long as they weren't playing the Bruins. Last year I purchased her a game worn Penguins jersey that was used by Mark Eaton. Her favorite number is 3 because she was born on November 3rd. The Bruins 3 is retired, so I thought this would be cool since it has the logo on the front that she loved so much and the number 3 since that was the number Mark wore. You would have thought I had given her gold; she was so honored that I would get that for her. She had it hung up in her room so that she could look at it all the time. A hockey fan that I had corresponded with a few times from Toronto emailed me to say that she was having a beer with Eddie Shore in heaven. Lionel Hitchman wore the Bruins 3 which has been retired for many years, so I'm sure he's joining them too. While Janice didn't drink, she might have a glass of ginger ale with them.
These are just a few of the insights on a woman that to me was the epitome of a decent human being. She loved my children like they were her own and you could see the joy in her face every time they came over the house. My children adored her as well and I think that kept her going for possibly longer than she might have otherwise. She wore her heart on her sleeve and it was no secret what I meant to her. I just hope that she knows what she meant to me. There is a gaping hole in my heart that will not easily be repaired. The number 3 will forever be retired in my heart and the ping of puck hitting the goal post will never be the same. Janice was not just my sister, but my friend and I will miss her more than these words could possibly describe. Godspeed my friend, I love you.
For those of you that have kids, and even those that don't, check you local library for passes to many of the Boston museums and other attractions. We went to the Museum of Science last week and with the passes from the library, only paid $5.00 a person instead of over $15 per person. It was a great savings and with prices the way they are today, every little bit helps. And for those interested in baseball, they are running a very cool exhibit. It is like a mini baseball hall of fame with a large amount of artifacts including old uniforms, gloves, bats, and other memoribilia. Since I don't see myself ever going to Cooperstown, this was a nice way to see a lot of special items that I otherwise would have never seen. Very cool if you are looking for something to do and are even just a casual baseball fan. The exhibit is included with general admission, so there is no extra charge to see it.
I went to the mall this week to get something from one store. In that short time I came to realize that people have no manners anymore. And not just the young people, but the older people too. I guess I now see why more and more younger people have lost their manners. While entering the mall I held the door open for a middle aged woman that was probably twenty feet or so away. She made no attempt to hurry herself and then never said thanks or even smiled when she reached the door. Ok, just one grumpy lady. Or so I thought. Would you know the same thing happened on the way out with a different woman, also middle aged. I held the door for her while going out and she acted like it was my job to do so. And then while leaving the parking lot, I let two retired aged women cross the street, even though they were not in the cross walk. Not so much as a short wave or a smile. What is wrong with people? Are we so self absorbed that we can't offer the courtesy of a hand wave or a quick "thanks" when someone lets you pass or holds the door for you? I mean really, what message are you sending the children? Hey, mommy is a jerk to people, so I guess it's ok. Maybe next time I'll let the door slam in the lady's face and then see what her response is. Or perhaps just say "your welcome" even though a thank you was not offered.
I have some site stuff to tell you about, but first I wanted to touch on the issue in Randolph. For those that don't know, the Randolph fireworks were cancelled because the firefighters refused to take the details that are mandatory in order to launch the fire works. They have been without a contract for over a year and were looking for a way to make a point. Whether you agree with this method or not, I personally applaud the firefighters for showing the public one of the many things they do that are not part of the job description and are extra. If the union said, hey we could not take the details, but we're going to be nice and do it, the public would have enjoyed the fireworks and then forgotten about it the next day. Whether people understand, are pissed, or don't care either way, it got people talking. What the public doesn't understand, know, or care about is that public employees have to negotiate everything. And the town/city government has gotten nasty over the years. They'll drag out negotiations, costing the unions and the towns a lot of money in lawyer fees, just for a raise. And more often than not, the raise isn't anything to write home about. They want you to give up something everytime you want a cost of living raise. And, when you finally make an agreement, they'll even go back on their word before the signing to create even more distrust and animosity. But, this is something the general public doesn't understand. The cities/towns play these games that create the problems. If they would just play fair and negotiate in good faith, most of the time all of these issues would be avoided. And as far as the fireworks go, people won't pay attention until you take something away from them that they like. A few weeks ago a lady came to my station on a Friday looking for someone in the office. Both officers were assigned to groups to save on overtime (not an unusual practice), the secretary does not work Fridays, and the chief was on vacation. The woman felt the need to keep making comments and I was polite and just nodded. But, what did she expect? That the chief was going to not take vacation just in case someone might come in with a question? Not many in the private sector would do that. They vote down over rides that would keep your manning up, allow for major cuts without even a rumble of discontent, then complain when services are reduced or eliminated. And if that's not bad enough, you now have the hundreds if not thousands of reporter wanna bes that are out trying to catch you doing something. We actually had someone complain that the engine crew was at the grocery store buying food for dinner with the truck. While this is just an isolated case and was dismissed, it goes to show that people will complain about everything. And this is what is happening more and more. And yet they want us to bend over backwards to do nice stuff that is beyond what is required. My feeling is this, if a negative attitude is put upon a group of people, then eventually that's going to radiate into a negative attitude back. Even if that's not what your intentions are. If the cities/towns would stop the games and citizens stop thinking every town employee is a degenerate, then things would get a lot better. Maybe not go away, but will get better. That's my 2 cents.
A bunch of things to tell you about regarding the site since the last update. I now have a back up email that is in place for those that have problems with Comcast. Some of these issues happen periodically because of a tempory issue and others can't email me because many government/city/town email systems are viewed by Comcast as spam and rejected. The new email is webmaster@firenews.org. The Comcast one will remain my primary email, so if it works for you please continue to use it.
In addition, there have been a number of changes to the site. The candids section has received an overhaul. In lieu of the text link table, I now have photo display pages with roughly 20 photos per page. I have also resumed posting photos used in the Spotlight section to here. All of the non-New England photos are now in their own section instead of having multiple sections. This will make it easier to peruse these photos and they are all organized into tables by state and then are in alphabetical order by department. The Coast Guard photos are now on the Misc page along with police specialty vehicles and some other odds and ends. Non-New England fires that are archived are now kept in a separate table on the fire photos page following the New England fire photo listing. And lastly, I have created and MVA archive page to allow such photos to be kept online.
So a lot of cleaning up that I think will benefit everyone. Last thing for this week is some staggering numbers involving the fires out west. These were sent to me earlier this week and are just unbelievable:
Total Fires: 1,459
Total Acres Burned: 416,272
Personnel Committed: 19,134
Fire Engines: 1,496
Hand Crews: 571
Dozers: 359
Water Tenders: 400
Helicopters: 100
Every week I receive many questions, requests, and ideas from the populous that visit the site. Even now after all these years, I get questions asking what kind of photos I would use. Pretty much, I'll look at anything, but I can't run everything I get every week so I have to make decisions on what I think everyone would like to see. While this is firenews, I don't mind running candid photos of our friends in law enforcement, private EMS, and the military. And if there is something that is somehow related to public safety or the military that is cool, I'll look at it. Like I said, I only can run so many photos, but I try and give everyone a chance if I can. I also must point out that I'm still getting photos that are too small to use. Submissions must be 640X480 or larger. I can size down and have the photo look ok, but sizing up will make it look bad. I can't make the explanation any more simple than that. I also seem to still have people that are submitting other photographer's photos without their permission. It's ok to send a photo in for your friend because they don't use the computer much, but they need to approve of it first. I've received a few calls at the firehouse recently wanting to know how I got a person's photograph and that they didn't want it to be online for one reason or another. I receive hundreds of emails every week and many times over a hundred photos to look through, so the likelyhood of me knowing who sent me the photo while I don't have access to my email is pretty unlikely. So before you submit someone else's photo, please be sure to have their expressed permission before doing so. It just creates more work when I have to go and delete photos and code that I've put online.
I can't really type anymore as I've been working on the site since I got home from work around eight this morning. It's now after 1 PM. But, I would like to comment on the passing of George Carlin. It's a shame as he was a great commedian and had given many people a break from their stressfule lives while they watched his routines. May he rest in peace.
A bunch of short things this week. First I'd like to congratulate the Boston Celtics on their championship win. Pretty nice being in Boston these days and all I can say is the BRUINS ARE NEXT!
I'd also like to wish Chief David Parr of Wakefield, MA well on his upcoming retirement. He's a great guy, a great chief, and he'll be missed.
One thing that is for certain, many people in the fire service have a lot in common. One thing that is unfortunate is that many of us have been touched by the effects of cancer in one shape or another. A friend of ours, Dana Dockery, whom is the wife of at Stoneham Firefighter and the sister of another will be doing the Pan-Mass challenge in August to help raise money for cancer research. She lost her father earlier this year to bone cancer. If anyone would like to support Dana and help this cause, this is the link to the site where you can donate: http://www.pmc.org/mypmc/profiles.asp?Section=story&eGiftID=DD0179 .
Last for this week is a link to a video that I think you should all see when you have a few minutes. It's 16 minutes long, but well worth the time. This week marked the one year anniversary of the Charleston tragedy that took the lives of nine firefighters. This video focuses on Captain Louis Mulkey, who was also a high school basketball coach. This is quite a story, and as I said, well worth the time to watch. http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3421852 .
For many Massachusetts departments, last Sunday was their annual Memorial Firefighter's Sunday in which they have small ceremonies to honor their deceased members. While on my morning walk, I happened to pass by Methuen's ceremony just as they were getting ready to do the tolling of the bell. We don't have a ceremony in Stoneham, but during the week of Memorial Day, flowers are placed on the graves of our deceased members that are burried in local cemetaries. I think these acts and ceremonies are a great tradition and are one of the things that set us apart from every other profession. Many of the names being recognized are unfamilar to the younger firefighters, but they respect them just as much as those they looked up to. Many of these individuals were pioneers in the fire service, working with equipment that would be considered unsafe by today's standards. They paved the way for all the changes and technology as well as set the traditions we honor today. In conjunction with my rant last week, I sincerly hope that no one will try and alter or get in the way of these traditions and ceremonies. I heard a story yesterday that just baffled me. It happened within the last few years in the mid-west part of the county. Someone complained that they were offended that the U.S. flag was hanging at the entrace to a school. The principal took it down. Even more disconcerning is that there was not an uproar that this happened. I mean seriously, if you were in any other country and told a school official that their country's flag was offensive, they'd tell you to leave the country or even have you arrested. But, here, we bend over backwards for a few unpatriotic people and slap the faces of all those that ever put their life in danger or gave up their life defending this country. I just hope that if anyone tried to take away our ceremonies or tried to take an American flag down from a firehouse, that the citizens would rally behind us. I can't say whether or not they would, but unlike the school people in that town, I can say without a doubt that the firefighters would put up a fight like no one has never seen before.
Memorial Day has come and gone once again, but I personally think that it is necessary to remember our fallen all of the time and not just on certain dates. Those dates are obviously important and should be there for national holiday purposes. But, I think many people tend to forget the reason for the holiday and just think of it as a nice day off from school or work. Brave individuals died so that we can have the benefits we have today and too many people seem to overlook that. The right to free speech and to complain about everything came at the cost of lives.....many lives. Some of these rights include unspeakable things like burning the flag and wanting to recognize some other language as the offical tongue of the United States. I'm not going to get sidetracked, as that is another story in of itself. Men and woman have given their lives in the name of freedom since the country was founded and continue to do so today. Recently, LT Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL, was awarded the Medal of Honor after being killed in action delivering an important message. His actions saved the life of another shipmate and relayed vital information to U.S. forces. I misplaced the article, so I don't have this next person's name on hand, but another soldier was awarded the Medal of Honor when he sacrificed his life to save others in a grenade attack. While training Iraqi soldiers, a grenade was tossed into a group of men by an insurgant. Without hesitation, this man jumped on the grenade and sheltered the group from the blast. This action saved the lives of both American and Iraqi soldiers.
Being a firefighter, I also remember those in public safety that have given their lives in the line of duty. These men and women died doing their jobs and trying to help others and they should be recognized as well. This is why the firefighters memorial in Boston is an important thing to me. While I haven't made the trip to see it in person yet, I have donated funds and kept up with it's building and eventual unveiling. I became aware of something this week that disgusted me. To some it might not be a big deal, but to me it's disgraceful. There is a stone at the monument and etched upon it is the Firefighter's Prayer. However, it is a "PC" version and "GOD" was omitted from the first line. Prayer...God...kind of goes together, don't you think. (here is a picture of the stone - http://i.pbase.com/g3/67/703667/2/89148023.nWWGbmLX.jpg.) It kind of amazes me that we have to respect every body elses religion and beliefs except the ones that the country was founded upon. And if someone doesn't believe in God, fine. They don't have to, but this is something that is a written work and should be reprinted as it was written. Not paraphrased as not to offend. If anyone was misquoted in the paper because the reporter decided to change your words around, would you think that's ok? I would imagine not. Why is this different? If you're going to reproduce a written work, do it right or not at all. As a union officer, I am very disappointed in the PFFM. I've been to many meetings where Father Mahoney has given prayer before meals or for our fallen comrades. Is that next to go? Maybe in a world that is so chaotic with violence and mahem and no respect for others, some of us find a little prayer now and again comforting. Not to mention, such things have been a part of our service since we have had firefighters. Whether fighting a fire or going into battle, prayers have helped those on the front lines for centuries. And now we have to alter them becuase presumably someone might be offended. Well too bad. If people worried more about their own lives and actions instead of things like this, the world would be a better place. Tollerance, respect, and understanding are what we are told when it comes to all these new cultures that we are being eposed to. I'm all for it, but let's be fair about it. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. And this is what the prayer is supposed to look like:
When I am called to duty, God,
Whenever flames may rage;
Give me strength to save some life,
Whatever be its age.
Help me embrace a little child
Before it is too late
Or save an older person
From the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
To put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
And to give the best in me
To guard my every neighbor
And protect his property.
And if, according to my fate,
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting
My children and my wife.
Thank you to all members of the military, fire service, law enforcement, and emergency services that have given their lives in the name of freedom and so that others may live.
Shortly after last week's update, I was notified that there would be no parade at the annual expo in West Springfield. This parade is by far one of the largest and most interesting that I have ever been to and I was disappointed to hear that it would not be taking place. I've heard a number of reasons for this from money to vendors wanting to leave earlier on Sunday to lack of interest. Perhaps it's a number of things that have contributed to the ultimate decision, but I don't think the planners really understand the impact that this will have. While I understand the main focus of the expo is to bring chiefs and purchasing agents in to look at the latest technology, it has also become a family show on Sunday. Many travel a great distance to look at the stuff in the expo and then watch the parade. Even in the rain hundreds stood out to watch the apparatus go by. Many have made it a family day :, going to the expo, watching the parade, and then going out with the family afterwards. Many photographers attend to the event to photograph the apparatus along the parade route. In less than a week I've already talked to at least a half dozen people that will not be going because there is no parade. I too was planning to attend and have reconsidered. And I'm sure that's only the beginning. With gas prices the way they are, many won't feel it's worth the trip to just see the expo. An expo that you have to pay to get into. And while the average person might not by purchasing a fire truck or Hurst tool, many do purchase personal safety equipment such as personal ropes and flashlights. And I think that the vendors selling tee-shirts and collectibles will also feel this as well. While the expo is nice, the people I've talked to feel it is not a draw on it's own. Especially, like I mentioned, with gas prices going throug the roof. Whether the planners realize it or not, the parade was a big draw. Combined with the expo it made a nice event to take the family to. It's a shame that for whatever the ultimate reason is that this event, like so many others, is going by the wayside.
First I would like to offer my condolences to Stoneham Firefighter Joe Cryan on the loss of his mother this week.
I hope that all the moms out there have a great Mother's Day. At least we got some nice weather for the day. The other day I was going to work when a car on a side street came to a stop sign, barely stopped, and then cut off the guy in front of me to go flying across the intersection. It never ceases to amaze me how badly people have gotten with driving and how impatient they are. There was no one coming the other way and I was the only person behind the guy in front of me. If the guy coming out of the side street waited another five seconds, he would have had no traffic coming either way. But, he had to do a burn out and nearly cause an accident to save those five seconds. Frankly, I don't get it. I see this all the time, nearly every time I drive, which is really scary. I've seen so many people that put on their directional and then change lanes without looking. As if their turn signal somehow clears people aside. And forget rotaries. People don't know what to do. They just approach, gun it, and hope for the best. I don't think people even know what the word yield means. They think it means you go faster and those that have the right of way must let you in. And as if driving isn't bad enough, car companies add things like televisions and DVD players. Ok in the back seat for the kids (although I think kids watch too much TV as it is). But, in the front? If you are driving, do you really need to be watching a movie? Great advertisement, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll slam into a pole. Believe it or not, I don't really have too much of a problem with people on cell phones if they can be responsible. But, that's the key. Be responsible. Keep it short and make sure you are paying attention first and foremost. But, too many people are more into their conversations than watching the road. I guess some people even text message while driving. Are you kidding me? I can't even do that while sitting in the living room, much less while trying to drive. Unfortunately, I don't see it getting any better. People have taken multitasking to dangerous levels endangering not only themselves, but those around them.
Recently the Stoneham Firefighters have taken to wearing red t-shirts on Friday's to show support for our troops. I'm not exactly sure how this started, but wearing red to show support for our fighting forces began a while back, although many are still unaware of this practice. In addition to the shirts, we also made an agreement with the chief that we'll each pay a fee each time we wear the shirt, which will then go to a group that sends care packages over seas. The father of one of our guys is part of this group and the money goes towards shipping costs. I was somewhat surprised to learn that the Post Office does not offer discount rates when sending these packages out to men and women serving in the theater of operation. From what I understand, these packages can be quite costly to mail. Evidently, there is a bill in Congress to offer reduced rates when sending packages to the war zone, but who knows if/when this will come into law. I'm not really sure I understand what the debate is about. For those of you that follow, or don't follow, hockey there was a recent incident that the NHL made a fast ruling on. The NHL, according to most sports fans, has to be the most disorganized and poorly run professional sport. But, a few weeks ago an incident occured where Sean Avery of the New York Rangers was standing in front of the opposing goalie waving his arms in order to distract him. There was no rule against this, but within a day's time, the league ruled that this was unsportsmanlike conduct and that anyone acting in this fashion would receive a penalty. A day's turnaround is pretty fast for the NHL. But, they reviewed it, made a decision and that's that. Why can't something be done like this for the Post Office. I mean, it's pretty easy stuff here. If a package is being sent to a certain APO, then it's free or at least half price. These people are serving over seas in harms way at the orders of our government. One would think they would at least let friends, family, or just caring strangers send them care packages without having to take out a loan. The war didn't start last week. It's been going on for how many years now? Yet, Congress still has to debate this. It just sickens me because it is so simple. It just comes down to that if the government wants to take something, it's immediate. If you want something, no matter how much sense it makes, it takes an eternity. Come on Congress, get with it already.
My best wishes to the four Saugus Firefighters injured in yesterday's fire. Some real acts of heroims at that scene and they should all be proud of themselves. So to the media that speaks ill of firefighters, I say actions speak louder than words.
As you most likely have noticed, I've started my Metro project with two departments now complete. In addition to this feature, I have another special feature coming that I think is very exciting. I have been in contact with Roger Conant, the photographer that took the famous shot during the Worcester Cold Storge fire where the flames shooting up took the form of a firefighter. He has countless photos from the fire scene from that night all the way up to present day where the new firehouse is being built. He also has a great amount of interesting information from the fire and has offered to share his photography and information with the public through my website. This is a great honor and I am happy to assist with this project. More information on this coming soon.
And last for this week, I want to offer a job well done to my Boston Bruins. As a die hard fan, I think they did a great job to prove all of the hockey media wrong. The sports writers didn't have the Bruins making the playoffs by a long shot. Not only did they get in, but they made for an interesting series with Montreal. I think with all the young players they have, the playoff experience gained in very valuable. Through adversity and injury, they showed a lot of heart and fought through it all to bring honor back to hockey in Boston. As a fan, it was very exciting and I look forward to next season.
I'd like to offer my condonlences to Justin Petrillo and Dana Dockery on the loss of their father this week. I worked with Justin on Group 4 for a number of years and work with his brother-in-law Paul Dockery on Group 1. Bob Petrillo was a nice guy and I'm going to miss seeing him come to the station.
Anyone who read a Boston area newspaper or watched the news this morning can probably figure what I'm going to say today. What is it with Boston Fire and the news? I'm really starting to believe the talk that the media and the city are on a negative compaign against the department. For those that don't know, the Boston Globe had an article this morning about the abuse of the injury leave in the fire department. In a nut shell it focuses on an FBI investigation into firefighters that are out on long term injury or that retired with false injuries. What gets me is that I was watching Fox this morning and the news has become more opinion than fact. I sat there and listened to these people pick apart firefighters with no real facts for the better part of ten minutes. At the end...the end... of the segment, they said the FBI was investigatin twelve instances of this abuse. Twelve. Unless I missed something, twelve is not a lot given the size of the department. Even if they said it was a lot more, it wouldn't surprise me. This is not an usual thing in today's society for some strange reason and the fire department is no exception. Especially in Boston where they hire a lot of people at one time, it's expected that not everyone is going to be the perfect firefighter. Most are honest and good people, but it is expected that there will be those less than honorable people that will slip through the cracks. And some start off as honorable and then something happens to make them do something dishonest. The point of the matter is, this isn't unique to the fire service and in today's world if you have 12 out of 1500 employees trying to get one over on the system, that's not a big number. My wife fell at work a while back and injured her hand. She spent months in agonizing pain because of the workman's comp people. Why? Because of so many false claims, they have to do this long and involved process to make sure everything is legit. Meanwhile my wife suffered in pain and her thumb was literally pointing in the opposite direction. Finally when the doctor said she would lose all use of the thumb if she didn't have the surgery immediately, the comp people ok'd it. She still has problems now because they waited so long, but unless we lawyer up they'll sweep her under the carpet. The reason I tell you this is that it wasn't the firefighters that made the comp people hold off on the surgery. This company only represents private industry. So, there must be dishonest people in the private sector. Hmmm, crazy. Some think only the firefighters do dishonest things. But, the media doesn't seem to sell as many newspapers or get as many viewers if its just a normal person screwing the system. The firefighters are a more interesting story. After all, the reporters do have careers to propel. While it would be nice to think the media will back off and stop reporting stories without all the facts, I don't think they will. Like I said earlier, it's not news anymore. It's gossip and opions of the un-informed.
A friend of mine called me earlier this morning to tell me to turn on MSNBC. There was a fire in a large apartment complex in which firefighters were making rescues over ground ladders. It's kind of bizarre, because it actually ties into what I was going to talk about today. It's amazing how naive people have become about fire. While fire prevention has been great over the last twenty years or so, I think people have a false sense of security in the safety of the products in their home. Between what we see on calls and hear people say, I'm amazed. Not long ago I saw someone drying their clothes on a space heater. When it was mentioned that this was not a good idea, the occupant was clueless thinking that technological advances made the device safe to put her clothes on. And she's not alone. But, all one has to do is watch television and you can see that is not the case. How many multiple alarm fires have there been this year alone in New England? Even worse, how many fatals? In this last week alone, two people were killed in New Hampshire, two kids in Boston, and ten in Pennsyvania. And how about the "almosts"? We've all been to those where you say if the occupant called a few minutes later of if they weren't home, the house would have been gone. Fires may be down, but they are not out. And obviously some of these were unavoidable because of arson or an accident that the occupants couldn't have prevented. But, too many are caused by carelessness and if people don't start taking fire safety seriously again, then the big fires and fire related fatalities will only climb.
For those that actually read this page, I wanted to run something by you that I was thinking of doing. In 1993 a book titled The Fire Buffs Guide to Boston and the MetroFire Communities was published. It was a great book that gave the reader insight on all the Metro district departments along with station and apparatus listings. This was a fine read and I'm lucky to have come to know the authors. As a tribute to them and this publication, I'd like to run a special 15th year anniversary article. This would be a multi-part work that would show the changes that each department has undergone since the book was published. I have what I need for photos of current apparatus, but if I go through with this I would need help with photos of apparatus that was in service with these departments in 1993. The photos didn't have to be taken in that year, but I would like for the photo to reflect how the apparatus did appear at that time. So if a truck was refurbished after 1993, I would want the pre-rehap photo. So, if I can get some help with the older pics, then I think this would be a nice tribute to a true one of a kind book that was and still is a tremendous resource for fire buffs and firefighters alike.
This week I need to talk about photo submissions. Every so often someone comes along that feels I am indebted to the world and must post their photos. Recently I decided to not use one particular person's photos and he then felt the need to give me grief about it. If that wasn't enough, he then turned to personal insults that had nothing to do with the site or his photos. Hey buddy, if that's what makes you feel good about yourself, then glad to help you out. But, the fact remains that I receive tons of photos every week. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I anticipate to receive more as people start dusting off the cameras. And while everyone may not like it, guidelines are a must. I sincerely try and give everyone a chance and get at least one photo of theirs on the spotlight page. Lets face it, even if you sent me 20 awesome photos, it would be unfair to post them all. So if it's something I can use in the listings, I'll post them there and give you one or two in the spotlight section so others can have their photos posted as well. If I posted every photo that I received it would take an idiotic amount of time to download the page, especially if you are still on dial up. It's called spotlight photos for a reason. Some photos I just don't think belong there. And if you send them in a resolution less than 640X480 (or in close proximity to), I'm not going to use them. All photos are resized to that resolution and sizing up will make a photo look like crap. What I think some also forget is that I am responsible for everything on the site. I pay good money so that I can have a large archive with plenty of bandwith to download the photos and so that you don't have to look at advertisements and pop ups. I also do all of the coding myself along with the photo work which includes resizing and putting the credits on. This is very time consuming. Many weeks I spend over eight hours working on the site. And since I do have other things to do, this means getting up early and staying up late and even missing out on some activites with the family so I can get this thing done. There is a lot of sacrifice on my part to bring this site to you every week. Most of you understand this and appreciate what I have to give up in order to work on the site. For those that don't, please cut me some slack.
Well, it's official. My friend Sean is back in Mass after serving his tour in Iraq. It was good to see him again the other day and I know all of his family and friends are breathing a sigh of relief. Now we just have to get the rest of them home.
On May 10th, the Brockton Firefighters will be dedicating a memorial to the 13 firefighters killed at the Strand Theatre Fire, which occurred March 10, 1941. I think it is pretty top notch to remember these firefighters in such a way after all these years. It's easy to think about the more recent tragedies such as Boston, Charleston, Worcester and of course 9-11. But, to honor those killed before most of the members of that department were even born is a heartfelt gesture that shouldn't be taken lightly. While I'm just one firefighter with a webpage, I'm happy to say that I'm proud of Brockton's Bravest for not forgetting their roots and those that paved the way to the future. Back in those days, firefighters did not have the training or equipment that we have today. They were armed with nothing more than courage and determaination. Those men deserve to be honored and remembered just like the line of duty deaths of more recent times. It is very important that we recognize the sacrifices of all our brothers and sisters, from yesterday and today. I am working the day of the dedication, and even if I weren't, my family situation might have prevented my from attending. But, I do encourage all that can attend to do so and support Brockton's gallant effort to honor thirteen brave souls that perished on that fateful day. To learn more, you can visit www.brocktonfirelocal144.org.
Speaking of which, a few people had sent me a link to a story online. Some idiot actually had the nerve to complain that a line of duty procession was holding up traffic. That honoring a firefighter that had died in the line of duty serving his community somehow paled in comparision to this guy's agenda. Well excuse me Mr. Important. Have thee no respect for the dead? A man died serving his community and you have the nerve to complain about waiting for a procession. What if it was your house that this guy died at? What if he was killed trying to save your property? Would you have the same complaint? Truthfully, it wouldn't surprise me if you did. I've had to wait for funeral processions on many occassions, none of which were line of duty deaths. Just an average citizen that passed away. But I would never complain, because people are mourning and in sorrow. A loved one has died and the least we can do is let the procession by without complaning or trying to drive around it. Yes, sometimes these things occur while you are in a hurry, but that's life. No different than if there was an accident in front of you and the road was shut down. And when I say complain, I don't mean mumbling to yourself that the timing couldn't have been worse. I mean making a public outcry that processions should be banned because where you have to be is more important. But, this is America today. No one has respect for anyone, living or dead. Everyone has an attitude and is just in their actions. Why? Why are you so important? And why is your life so grand that you can't stop for two minutes to allow a funeral procession to pass? I say to this fellow he should be ashamed of himself. But, as always, if he needed the fire department later on today, they would still respond and do their utmost to help. That's the thing about fire, EMS, and police. No matter what you say or how much you put us down, we'll still respond when you need us.
Before I get to my rant of the week I want to say it was nice to meet Joe Schneiderman yesterday. Every so often I get to meet one of the great people that I've been communicating with for many years. Joe is from the Hartford CT area and is a historian for FDNY Rescue 4. It was a pleasure to finally meet him in person.
To lead into my gripe, I need to give some background. Despite my ramblings on this page, I do keep a good portion of my personal life private. But, I think this is important as I'm sure many people are going to find what I'm going to complain about to be all too familiar. My oldest sister has been battling cancer for a number of years. In recent times, her condition has taken a turn for the worse. My dad was also recently diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment. So far he's doing ok and I hope that he'll continue to do so. Several weeks ago my sister was admitted to the hospital and has been there ever since. She has been in agonizing pain due to the cancer's location. It had been under control for a short time, but is inoperable due to the fact it is intertwined with blood vessels. The docs at the hospital have been trying to figure out the best course of action. They believe that getting her into chemotherapy would help as this particular combination of drugs has helped before. However, she is so weak that she needs to build up strength in order to withstand the treatment. So, they have been giving her medicine for the pain and attempting to build her up in the hospital. Then the insurance decided to get involved. First, they took one of her doctors off the case. They said he was not needed and to go get lost. Then they gave her a choice. She could go into a rehab and begin chemo immediately or go home and die. Nice, eh? Since the drugs they are giving her in the hospital are not available to the visiting nurses, there was no choice really. So they are in the process of getting her into a rehab and will be giving her chemo next week, despite the strong protest from the doctor that she might not be able to withstand it.
What burns me about this whole thing is that the insurance is not looking at my sister's well being. They are not doing this because they feel it will help. They are only trying to save money. It is cheaper for her to be in a rehab than the hospital. And they want her to have treatment because otherwise they feel it is a waste of money for her to be inpatient anywhere. This despite the fact that she would die if she did not have the medicines they are giving her that are not available for home administration. And they are not rushing the chemo because they think it's the best course of action. They just want some justification for paying the bill. The sadest part of this is that this is not an isolated and unique case. It has become the way of healthcare in the United States. Some person in an office miles and miles away from you can tell your doctor what's best even though they never met you. And the doctor has no choice if the insurance company won't budge. This is the way this country is now. It's all about money and no one cares about the welfare of the individual. We are not a country of for the people and by the people. It's a country of big business and those who are the greediest lead it and make decisions that are best for the special interest groups. And the insurance industry is at the top of that list. We are mandated to have health insurance, car insurance, and home insurance amongst other things. Yet, after paying into these plans for years that we actually need it, they put you through the ringer. They put up stipulations and look for ways not to pay or to pay the least. The Webster's definition of insurance is "coverage by contract whereby one party agrees to guarantee another against a specifc loss." GUARANTEE. But, there is no guarantee. They will look for every loophole possible to get out of paying. Or, they'll just cancel your policy. And the government is in their back pocket. So no matter how much the candidates say they'll change healthcare, in reality they won't change a thing. Because the real leaders, the big businesses who paid for their compaigns, won't let them. All the candidates say its time for change. I agree, but unfortunately, none of the people running for office will initate any change that will help the common person. And for those that need healthcare, we'll still be at the mercy of unnamed individuals in offices that we'll never meet.
I would have figured by now most people would know more about me than I know about myself, but I still get a bunch of questions asking me where I work and if I grew up in Methuen. I am on the Stoneham Fire Department where I have been employed now for 10 years. I didn't grow up in Stoneham however. My wife lived in Stoneham and I moved in with her when we got married. I also was a member of the Stoneham Fire Auxiliary, which of course my fellow firefighters like to rib me about from time to time. I grew up in Malden, which is where I graduated high school. I don't have a great memory from times before my high school years, but I do recall the Mack B Engine 2 and Mack mid-mount ladder that used to run out of the Maplewood station. I also recall seeing the Mack B Engine 6 out of Linden when we would travel to my aunt's in Revere. Like most places, Malden has changed a lot over the years, but it will always be a special place for me. And speaking of which, I'd like to thank the members of Engine 2 and Cataldo paramedics for responding to my parents house on Wed February 27th to help my sister. I wasn't aware of what was going on at the time, but my mother told me you were all very nice (I wouldn't have expected anything less). And lastly I currently live in Methuen. Circumstances which are far to long and involved to get into forced us to leave Stoneham and we lived in my parents empty downstairs appartment for a few years before buying our home in Methuen. So, that's it. Work in Stoneham, grew up in Malden, and live in Methuen. Got it? Good.
I really don't feel like ranting this week, believe it or not. I do want to say that we finally got some good news. My friend and fellow Stoneham firefighter Sean Fitzgerald will be coming home from Iraq soon. If all goes well he should be home by the end of the month. Now we just need to get Stoneham firefighter Justin Petrillo and everyone else home. I also want to say how much I appreciate all the work they are doing over there. For the guys and gals serving there now and to the ones that have done their tour and returned thank you. And especially to those that gave up their lives on this mission. You will not be forgotten.
Between the forecast constantly calling for snow and the crap on the news, I've gotten to the point I don't want to turn on the television anymore. There are so many news stations and so many hours of news, that I don't think we even know what is newsworthy anymore. Hey, there's a kid picking his nose, lets put it on at five. Whoa, a bird crapped on that guys head, that'll be on at six. Now they've brought up the two guys killed in Boston once again. I mean, for pity sake, let it go. So the report came out and the commissioner wants to have another one with the autopsy results included. Why do we need to know this? Becuase you know everytime they run the story they have to give us the background and why this is news. Like we didn't hear it a thousand times already. If the commish wants another report, good for him. Why does it have to be plastered all over the news? I think it's because they are sadistic and actually like hurting people. The news says they are just reporting facts to the people and say they are doing a service. They aren't doing a service, they are blood thirsty vampires only interested in a juicy story that hurts someone. Hey, here are some dead firefighters that might have had a substance abuse problem. Lets drag the crap out of this. That's nice, I'm sure the families really appreciate all the coverage. I'd like the tables to be flipped on the media for once. How would they like it that if they died or had a problem, that their laundry be aired for months and months. And let their kids see them in a horrible light and not be able to turn on a television, computer, or radio without seeing how their father is being berated by people that never met him. Then maybe they would have compassion. Nah, they wouldn't. Because the vultures would eat their own too. It's like they have the peverbial song stuck in their heads. Bash the firefighters, bash the firefighters, bash the firefighters. I had Hannah Montanah stuck in my head last week thanks to my daugher and that was bad enough. (Alice in Chains the week before, which is quite a contrast). But, I would listen to Hannah Montana all day every day over having to hear one more word about this foolishness. Let them rest in peach already and let their families heal.
It seems as though February is the month for crappy news. I won't get into recent developments into my own life at this time, but I do want to reflect upon something that took place last year in February. In February of 2007, Thad Root passed away. He was the father of my family's dear friend Cindy. In his younger years, he served the Marine Corps as both a soldier and a firefighter. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with him on a number of occassions and enjoyed listening to his old stories. At his funeral, two Marines presented the family with an American flag that had drapped Thad's coffin. It was a touching moment, but due to one selfish individual, I feared that the flag might not rest in its rightful home. At many union functions I've heard our leaders say how various political people are "true friends to the firefighters". I'll leave my opinion on that for another time, but Cindy truly is a friend to the firefighters. She has opened her heart and wallet to our causes every time we've asked, and even when we didn't. She volunteered for the Leary Firefighters and donated money to the Mass Firefighters Memorial, amongst many other firefighter charities. In a time when everyone seems to want to put down our brothers and sisters on the front lines, she has spoken up and defended our honor. As such, I felt something should be done.
Shortly after Thad's funeral, I approached my captain and the union president with a request. I asked if I could fly a U.S. flag on our flagpole at the firehouse for one day in memory of Thad and then present the flag to Cindy. Normally this is a practice reserved only for Stoneham Firefighters that retire or die in the line of duty. However, knowing how I would never make a request such as this on a whim and how respectful I am of time honored traditions, both happily agreed before I could even finish explaining why. And so on March 3, 2007 a U.S. flag was flown at the Stoneham fire station from 0800-1700 in memory of Mr. Root. It was then presented to Cindy with a letter from our union president. It was presented to a real supporter of firefighter. One that gives without question or looking for reward in return. Not just in an election year. A true friend. When I was in the service, one word could sum up the best compliments anyone could give. So I say to Cindy and to all those that support us...OUTSTANDING! And to Thad, may he rest in peace. OOOHH RAH, Semper Fi.
Last week a friend of mine took me to a Boston Celtics game. I had a great time, it's been quite a few years since I've gone to a Celtics game. I thought it was kind of fitting that I would attend a basketball game in February as this month marks the passing of my brother-in-law and good friend John Jones. John and I had season tickets to Boston College basketball back in the mid-1990s. We had a lot of fun together and while at the game I thought of him. John was the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet and didn't have a mean bone in his body. He was a die hard Boston Red Sox fan and I only wish he could have seen the Sox win the World Series. He was also an avid train buff and I know that he would have spent a lot of time with my son, who also loves trains. I miss you John, you were the best.
On to a lighter subject, it is kind of interesting to people watch when you are at a venue such as a sporting event. Oddly enough, there wasn't much of interest at the last Bruins game I went to, but such was not the case last week with the Celtics. This poor fellow tripped while carrying his nachos and beer and fell down a number of steps. Gravity and momentum being what it is, the chip plate landed underneath him. The man was ok, but when he rose he was covered in chips, cheese, salsa, and beer. It's amazing how we find such things amusing, although I did feel bad for him. Then there was this guy that thought he'd sneak a kiss to his girlfriend (at least I hope she was his girlfriend). Well, the camera was watching and they tortured this guy for the rest of the game. They played this little scene backwards, forewards, and in slow motion numerous times. They took it in good stride, although I think towads the end they were getting a little ticked. Probably the best things about going to such an event is the interesting people right next to you. The man to my left took a bath in cologne and then ordered up a meatball sandwich and french fries. The combination of smells made body odor seem appealing. The kid behind me yelled for pretty much the entire game. I have kids and I know he was just having a good time. But, if you are familiar with pre-pubescent children, then you know their voices can reach octaves that would make a dog howl. At one point I thought of purchasing him a pretzel or hot dog so he'd shut up for a few minutes. And to the fellow that was with this child, the song is "Enter Sandman" not madman. And the "Departed Song" is I'm Shipping Up to Boston by the Dropkick Murphy's. Anything else I can help you with? No? Good. And lastly, why must people beep their horns at each other when they are sitting in the parking garage waiting to leave? Where to they think the car in front of them is going to go? Are there cars that have deployable helicopter blades that can then come out of the roof so that they can fly over all the other cars? I mean really, what is the purpose to that other than to annoy the crap out of everyone. Well, the Celts did win and I had fun, so that's truly all that matters.
The Super Bowl is over, so now everyone can go back to normal life. Don't get me wrong, I'm as bummed as the next guy. But the hype was way too much. The last week or so it has been the only thing on the news. All day, every channel, Super Bowl talk. What got me is that no one really had anything worth while to say. It was all speculation and babble. People came out of the woodwork to give their opinions and have their few minutes in the spotlight. I never even heard of half of these "famous" people they were interviewing. And if I had to see that lady propose to Brady one more time, I think I would have broken something. And now we get to see all the what if reports. If so and so caught the ball or if so and so did this. Guess what? They didn't. It's not going to change, so move on!
What really surprised me was the hype over Puxawhatever Phil and his shadow. Once they took a break from the Super Bowl, for a few days that was the second favorite thing to report on. Would he see his shadow? Would we have more winter? For pity sake people, it's a walking sweater. If you really think him seeing his shadow has anything to do with the weather, then I have a bridge to sell you. Give Phil his moment in the spotlight and move on. Then again, guess what we have to look forward to now that the game is over and that Phil is back in his hole? You got it, more politicans telling us to elect them and they'll take care of us. Sure they will. The sad thing is, I can't find one candidate that I actually like. I'm looking for an option F, but there isn't one. Yet, I get to hear all about them and their lies...I mean promises...every day until November. Yippee. And remember, your vote counts.
Lastly for this week, I want to tip my hat to the pilot of the Boston Medflight helicopter. I was stuck on 93 Saturday morning heading to work because they had to shut the highway down due to a bad accident. I was amazed to see that Medflight was able to land and take off with relatively no problem despite the high winds that were whipping around that morning. It was pretty impressive to see.
This has been an interesting week in what is normally my boring and mundane life. Well, this isn't exactly earth shattering, but we got a new PA system at the firehouse this week. It's a bit different than the old system with new alert tones. I have to say I wouldn't have thought that would be a big deal, but it's a takes a little getting used to. When you've heard the same tone for ten years and then all of a sudden it's different, you don't always realize it's the alert tone right away. A few times this week I thought it was the TV until I heard the dispatcher talking. We are also going to have the radio transmissions over the PA system now, which we never had. That will also take some getting used to. I'm going to think that I'm hearing voices when the private ambulance starts talking. I can see it now. "I must be going crazy, I thought I heard Andy talking to me."
Here's something that doesn't make sense to me. As the secretary/treasurer of our union, I am in charge of the soda machine. I know, that doesn't make sense, but that's not what I was going to say. I place an order for soda, water, and power aid roughly once a month. I order the product and within a few days after they deliver it, I get a phone call from Coke asking me if I need to place an order. ?? If I just recieved my order, why would I need to order more? I know it's just marketing, but it seems kind of silly to me. The only good thing is that if you get certain reps, they'll tell you to "have a classic day." I always get a kick out of that. What can I say, simple things amuse me.
Bravo to Boston union President Ed Kelley with his campaign to try and set the record straight with all the bad press Boston Fire has been getting lately. I like the new word the female lawyer created on the radio show the other morning. I've been trying to use craparatus in a sentence as often as possible. I don't understand what the deal is with this negative campaign that is taking place against firefighters, but it's pretty lousy. Are firefighters not supposed to earn a living? Are they not supposed to have decent health insurance? I think it's just ridiculous and the public buys into it because the media is never wrong of course. They buy into it until they need us, then it's a different story. In case you haven't figured it out, my opinion of the media isn't very high. And the main reason for that is because they went from reporting news to doing whatever it takes to sell newspapers or retain viewership. They will beat a story to death if it means they might jump a point higher in the ratings.
This lack of dignity doesn't just apply to when they are reporting about firefighters. How about this story with the lady that took her own life and the life of her neice and nephew by running out into traffic on 495 last week? It's a horrible story and I feel terrible for the parents of those kids. I also feel terrible for the poor people that hit them. They were just driving along like they would at any other time and now they have to live with this for the rest of their lives. But, let them greive already will you. Every day it's plastered all over the news. The families and the drivers can't watch television or open a newspaper without having this story drawn out in every detail. Did anyone see the papers yesterday? They had a map of how the events unfolded. A map. What do we need a map for? I'm surprised they didn't count how many steps this woman took before she was hit by the first car. Let it go, let the family grieve, and find another story to report. Maybe one of people doing good in the world. Oh no, can't do that. It wouldn't bring in high ratings. I've got one word for that. Craparatus.
For whatever reason, Comcast has been a pain in the you know what with emails lately. A number of people have reported to me that emails were returned to them with some odd reason or no reason at all. This has happened at least on two separate days. I haven't called Comcast since by the time I was aware of it, the problem seemed to be fixed. But, just so you know, I do respond to every message (if you sent me 3 emails in a row, I'll probably just respond to one.) But, even if I just say "thanks" I reply to everyone. If you don't hear back after a reasonable amount of time (keep in mind I do work 24 hour shifts) then I may not have gotten the message.
Speaking of emails, I seem to be getting a lot of these survey emails lately. You know the ones where someone has a list of thirty or so questions about you. What's your favorite color, your favorite ice cream, favorite movie, favorite sport, and so on. If I have a few moments I'll humor the sender, but many times I just don't have the time to sit there and fill out all this information. My question is though, why do people really care what my favorite ice cream is? I have a number of favorites, but why does it matter? Are you going to pick me up a half gallon? And if you need to ask me what my favorite sport is, then you probably don't know me all that well. Everyone should know by now I am an avid hockey fan. Yes, I love the Red Sox and Patriots just like everyone else. But hockey is and will always be my first love. And when I tell people what my favorite movie is, they say "really? It's not Backdraft?" Is it a requirement of being a firefighter that you watch Backdraft every night? I like the movie, but I do like things outside of firefighting. When I say that if I had to pick a favorite, I'd say any of the Star Wars movies. People say "Really, that surprises me." Why? I've liked Star Wars since I was a kid. And when I was a kid movies were watched for fun and entertainment. It was a much simpler time. Before the dark times. Before children. I also like the war movies, especially those based on real events like the Band of Brothers series. But, sometimes we have just had enough of reality and need a break and want something ficticious. That's me. I'm surrounded by reality. It's everywhere. So, when I have a chance, I want to watch TV to be entertained by something that doesn't resemble reality. So before the next survey comes in, I can tell you that my eyes are brown, I like pizza, and Tom Fitzgerald is my favorite hockey player (he grew up with my wife) followed by the legendary Ray Bourque. Anything else you want to know? Well, it'll have to wait. The Pats are on soon and I have to get my ice cream. Go Pats!
Happy New Year everybody. I'm still doing a little catch up, so be patient with the fire calls and other stuff that I haven't gotten to yet. As I mentioned, 2008 brings my 10th year online and I have a few things I'm doing to mark this year. First, you will notice a few sections have new graphics. Special thanks to my friend Kevin White for his hard work to create these incredibly detailed drawings of the Stoneham apparatus. Next, at the top of the Spotlight page, I will have one special "anniversary" photo that I will pull out of the archives. It could really be anything, a person, a place, who knows. Hopefully something that won't get me beaned off the head with a frying pan by my wife. The year is still young, so we'll see what else I can conjur up.
Well, the holidays are over and it's back to being miserable again. All that shopping, spending money, cooking, cleaning, and of course eating for one day. And boy does it go by fast. Blink and you miss it. But, don't feel bad for too long. The credit card bills will be coming in soon to remind you of the joyous season. Anybody see Miss Spears got herself in trouble again? Got a little carried away with the booze. I think I saw Miss Lohan with a bottle as well. Hmmm. And they say firefighters have an abuse problem.
Just a quick update for today. The week between Christmas and New Years is always a busy week for us. I had asked last week if people would rather see larger photos in the spotlight section with the drawback being I'd have to post less. It received a large volume of mail with a large majority saying they want it to stay the same. Ok, it was more than a large majority, more like 99.9 percent. So, I'll leave the photo page the way it is and keep posting a large variety of photos for you to enjoy each week. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Years. See you in 2008 for the start of my 10 year celebration.
I don't have a lot of extra time to write this week, but wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The week before Christmas always seems to be a crazy time, but I hope everyone has finished their shopping and not waited until the last minute. (No, we wouldn't do that now would we?). Just a quick note, Westchester Collectibles is still looking for comparision photos, especially of the door lettering/decals, of the old Lynn Rescue Mack. If you have some photos, please forward them to me and I'll send them on to the company. I'm not getting anything for this, I'm just doing it as a favor to a friend who really wants to see this truck made. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and if you're working, please be safe.
2008 will mark the 10th year Firenews has been online. Crazy, I know. I've been thinking of some special things I could do in the upcoming year and have a few ideas. I plan on featuring some old pictures that will certianly get a chuckle out of some. I still can't believe I've been doing this for so long. Of course, in the early stages I had a following of only a few people. It's grown a little since then.
Yesterday I was at the post office and the line was ridiculous. It was like they were selling Red Sox tickets. One of the reasons it was so long, besides the fact there were a lot of people, is that there was only one guy at the counter. Christmas season and one clerk. At one point, another clerk came out, but then the first clerk left. Presumably for a break. This kind of further annoyed an already pissy crowd. If you think you know where I'm going with this, you may be wrong. I waited in line for over thirty minutes to mail but one package. But, do you know what? That's what you get when you reduce manpower. People in line were complaining and complaining. Yet, would they want to pay more for stamps so the post office could put more clerks on at the window? Probably not. They were saying the people in the back should come out and help. It's not their job. If Miss Secretary was told the janitorial staff was short and asked to empty the trash cans and give the floor a quick vaccuum, what do you think she'd say? Not my job buddy. Ok then, same here. I understand that stuff is expensive and that you're getting nickled and dimed everywhere. My wife works in retail and I don't have a side job that pays a lot of money. I don't have a big house or expensive furniture and my kids share a room. I understand. But, it's not the fault of the guy behind the counter. He's just trying to make a living like everyone else. You can't have good services if you're not willing to pay for them. Like my Dad always says, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I always thought that was silly, because why would you get cake if you're not going to eat it. But, the point is the same. You can't expect to have stellar service with enough clerks for everyone if you're not willing to pay a higher price.
Same goes in public safety. My department has gone from 12 Firefighters a shift to running 6 most of the time. We can't do the non-emergency courtesy stuff like we used to. But, many people don't get it. They vote down the over rides, then complain that it takes a while for someone to come and plug out a box. Or that we don't do lockouts unless there is a child in the car. Some have gotten mad saying that we always used to these things. And that they are unhappy they are going to have to pay for someone to come out and unlock their car. Well, sorry. But, you and your neighbors should have thought of that when you voted. You all made a choice and now you are seeing the result of that choice. While the average person may not vote on the price of stamps, their voices are heard. Last year when the stamp prices went up again people were outraged. Over 2 cents. So, the post office has to make a choice between putting on extra people or not raising costs again. And who do you think influences that decision?
So, don't blame the clerk behind the counter because there isn't enough help. Blame the people responsible. And don't be surprised if the people responsible are actually the ones doing the complaining.
I will be updating the fire calls later this week. I had the November ones done and then I mistakenly saved the new December page as Novembers. I go to undo that and wouldn't you know the editor freezes. So, I have to do all those incidents all over again. Needless to say I've had it for today, so we'll get to it a little later on.
Anyone see the news last week with the bill going before the legislature to ban spanking? At first I just assumed it was tougher child abuse laws, which I don't have a problem with. Anyone that harms a child should have very bad things done to them. But, this proposal was to make it illegal to give your child one smack across the behind. I thought, isn't this a bit of overkill? And how would they enforce that? Like the cops and courts aren't busy enough without having to deal with this. Where we have child abuse laws, I really don't see the point in this. If you don't want to give your child a smack across the butt as discipline, then don't. If you do, then do. My opinion is that every time a child does something wrong someone blames the parents. Sometimes that's true, and sometimes it's not. But, the more tools you take away from the parent, the harder the job becomes. Again, I don't advicate in any way doing harm to a child. We're talking about a few whacks to the butt with your hand. Every kid is different and we need a variety of tools at our disposal. My kids are pretty easy, so I'm lucky. Take away certain things and they are miserable and tend to think twice before acting up again. But, others might need a different approach. To be honest though, what really concerns me is that if this proposal passed, what doors it would open up in the future. People are never satisfied. Someone else would come along and decide that you shouldn't yell at your kids and that you can be charged with verbal abuse if you raise your voice. Or, if you take away their toys, you can be charged with theft because once you give it to them, it's their property. Sound ridiculous? Well, if someone said the legislation was going to vote on a bill that could ban spanking thirty years ago, they would have said you were out of your mind. Or that someone sued a restaurant because their hot coffee was too hot and won. Once you start the ball rolling, you never know where it'll end up next.
I think the problem with society is that we've gone from one extreme to another. At one time we didn't do enough. Now, we go overboard. At one time children were affraid because the courts protected the parents, even if the kid had serious injuries. Now, it's the opposite. They've empowed the kids too much, so that all they have to do is say they are affraid to go home and the forces of good and just are on top of you faster than you can say "what the?". Case and point. Someone I know's teen daughter got in trouble at home and was grounded. She was pissed and decided to get her parents in trouble and told her teacher she was affraid to go home. This kid never had an injury, was outgoing, and didn't present with any sign or symptom of an abused child. Yet, they called DSS and never even asked the kid why she was affraid. Eventually it all was straighened out, but it seems there is something wrong with this system. And do you know what happened to the kid? Nothing. No punishment from the school for her because she made a false report. What kind of message are we sending here?
It's come to the point that the solutions we are setting into place are far more complicated than the problem. There has to be a better way to go about things. How can we make it that bad people that hurt kids are punished and made not to harm kids anymore, while good parents aren't made to suffer because of mistakes or false claims? I guess this is a harder question to answer than some, but the last time I checked, this is America. If people are innocent until proven guilty, then assumptions shouldn't be made by those in power. Or mayby this is only the case if your are rich and powerful. Or if you may or may not have a white glove.
I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I actually thought it was the following Thursday while I was updating last week, otherwise I would have made mention of it then. I will be adding the fire calls probably tomorrow, my kids decided to share their cold with me and I've had enough website work for one day. From time to time someone will email me asking to forward a message to a photographer to ask for permission to use a photo. I have absolutely no problem with that, but I just want to make you aware that my address book went DOA a few weeks ago, so many of the photographer's addresses that I only communicate with now and again are gone. My daughter was doing extra credit for school and was on a math website when she accidently downloaded a virus that some knucklehead hacked in and loaded to the site. I mean really, why must one load a virus to a math website that little kids are going to be working on? Anyway, not knowing any better, she said yes to allow the program to run when my virus software tried to stop it. Then, it ate my address book. Very nice. So, if you email asking me to forward a request, I'll do the best I can with what I have available for information.
Well, here we are at the Christmas season once again. Altough the stores have been here for a few months now. I just have one question. What exactly is a holiday tree? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a Christmas tree? Oh, that's right, some people get offended because it has Christmas in the description. But, the tree is for, dare I say, Christmas. People that celebrate Christmas, buy a tree. People that don't celebrate Christmas...don't buy one, regardless of what it's called. You can name it a holiday tree, family tree, or happy tree and the same people are the ones that buy it. Why is it that some things can be taken away or renamed because one group of people are offended, but other's are not. I'm offended that people can burn and desicrate the American flag, but that's ok. It's freedom of speech and expression. So the flag that countless people died for can be burned so some idiot can express themselves, but you can't call a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. And how did they get that right to express themselves? Oh, don't get me started. We've got TV shows and video streams that make fun of everyone and everything and that's ok. But, you best not use the word Christmas or else Big Brother will come get ya. Why can't we just call things what they are? It's a Christmas tree. Period.
And lastly for this week, I have a little treat for everyone, especially those that have been in EMS for a long time. Due to some personal reasons, I'm most likley going to let my EMT expire come December 31st. That will end 15 years as a Mass EMT, five of which were with private ambulance services. To mark this moment in time, I am sharing this paper that I've had in my possession for quite a few years. This image was made up by a Lifeline Ambulance employee when I worked there back in the mid-1990's featuring Calvin of the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes. Some of the terms might have changed, but I don't think the reactions have. Just click on the image below to bring up a much larger one. Enjoy.
It appears as though my little page here has created quite a bit of interest from the readership. I've had a few conversations about this page recently and some think I should have a video cast, ala the Guy from Boston or the Kid from Brooklyn. I don't know about that, seems like a bit of work to me. Besides, what would I call myself? The Fireman from Stoneham? The kid from Malden since that's where I grew up? Or perhaps the Guy from Methuen, since that's where I live now? Too many decisions. Then I'd have to yell and swear and this is a family show for the most part here on firenews. I don't smoke cigars, so waving one of those around isn't an option. And I don't drink, so the guy that yammers on while splashing his beer everywhere isn't really for me either. I think this text version of my thoughts is good enough, so at least for the forseeable future I'll stick with it.
Last weekend I purchased a new computer. Since things aren't made to last anymore, the computer my wife was using was approaching the end of it's time. I reformatted my old computer and set her up with a new monitor and printer while I took the PC from the package deal. I didn't need a new printer, but if I just bought the computer and monitor, it would have cost me $50.00 more than if I took the package deal. So, I save money and get the printer. Ok then. The PC is pretty decent, although it needed a graphics card and power supply upgrade. It only took me a half hour to replace both and it still cost me less than if I bought the next model up from what I got. Things are going great, right? Sure. Anybody try Windows Vista yet? Interesting, is it not? I have been working on computers for a long time and I haven't been this confused since Windows went from 3.1 to Windows 95. And why is it necessary to come out with a new operating system every two to three years anyway? Oh yeah, money. Which brings me to the real fun part. While I'll figured out Vista over time, there is one thing that really gets me about the release of a new operating system. Some of your old programs won't work. Why do they make a system that existing programs won't work on? And the killer is that many of the companies that make the software, just don't care either. Case and point. I have an Adobe graphics program that I paid pretty good money for. It's only a year or two old at the most. It don't work on Vista. I go to the Adobe website figuring there must be a patch. Nope, and according to the press release, they have no intention of making one either. They blame Microsoft and tell the customer to be mad at them. But, they also don't offer a registered user a discount if they want to buy the Vista compatible version. You have to pay full price. And that's customer service? They don't even give you the upgrade price. Like I should be punished because my new PC came with Vista. Sorry, I didn't know I had a choice in the matter.
If you think about it though, this is the way it's getting to be. Companies want to make products that won't last and then just assume have you buy a new one rather than take any pride in the old product. Let's face it, who gets appliances repaired anymore? Toaster is on the fritz? Get a new one. TV not working good? Ditch it, get an HDTV. When you buy something, it's obsolete within six months, so why get it fixed. I don't bother getting a warranty on something, because you can't get it fixed easily anyway. You have to call a number that gets you someone in India that can't speak English. Then after an Irish jig, you might get the information you need. But, you'll most likely have to ship the item someplace, and get stuck paying the shipping cost as well. Then there are the in-store ones. Some are worth getting, like for laptops, since you really can't do much with the components on those. But most, end up costing more than if you were to replace what you purchased in the first place.
You're probably wondering what my point is, and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I just know that it would be nice if companies would think of the customer a little more and their bottom line a little less. Because if you put the service back in customer service, then it just might improve that bottom line a little bit. But, what do I know. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call Ali Baboo to find out when my waranty expires.
Before I start with this week's rant, I wanted to offer my sincere thanks to everyone that had emailed or called me after I was sent to the hospital from the 4 alarm fire with smoke inhalation. It was very humbling and I thank you all for your thoughts.
In order to give you a background on what has brought to light my lastest Epiphany, I must divulge some information on a recent debacle with the Methuen Pop Warner people. I'm not really one for airing laundry publicly, but it's necessary in this case. In a nutshell, my wife was a coach this past season for my daughter's cheerleading squad. They lost the competition by a very close margin and my wife requested the scores so that she could see how the teams did and what the girls could improve upon for next year since they did a very good job. In cheerleading, the judges do not reveal the scores. This team wins, these teams lose, and that's it. Kind of strange if you ask me, I don't think any other sport would be content with that type of system. And, evidently, it's not nice to ask for the scores. My wife was not aware of this and had no malcontent when she requested them. Well, the director of cheerleading for Methuen Pop Warner pulled my wife aside and chewed her a new butthole calling her a sore sport, bringing into question her integrity, and making other false accusations. To boot, she did not afford my wife the opportunity to defend herself and walked away. Needless to say, my wife was upset by this and filed a complaint with the President of Pop Warner for being treated in such a rude and unprofessional way without even being allowed to defend her position. The President did not acknowledge her complaint, spoke only with the director, and then removed my wife from the cheerleading staff without even talking to her. To say that this lack of courtesy and due process irritated me is like saying the the bomb dropped on Japan contained a little bit of explosives. I launched several letters on my wife's behalf, which probably didn't help matters. My writing is very articulate and when people have to constantly look in the dictionary because their vocabulary isn't as diverse as mine, it tends to tick them off even more. Ultimately, we have decided that these people are not worth our time and effort and that this type of thing happens in every town because the people that run every Pop Warner are usually all parents that know each other. The likelyhood of receiving fair treatment is pretty slim. Now, there are many wonderful and giving people that donate their time to Pop Warner and I am not taking away from them. I'm not taking away from the many hours donated by the President or the Director either. I don't know them and on a normal day they are probably very decent people.
The purpose of me airing this is because there is something here that magnifies a huge problem in today's society. If the director had approached my wife and offered to discuss the situation instead of taking the power trip approach, none of this would have happened. But, this is not an isolated thing. Too many people today are more interested in just putting others down than actually engaging in a conversation to discuss an issue. Despite all of our technological advances, we have moved backwards as a society. We have email, cell phones, text messaging, GPS, and God only knows what else. Yet we actually communicate with one another less and less. People want to be heard, yet they don't want to listen. I'm going to say what I have to say, you're going to like it, and then that'll be it. I've formed my opinion without any fact and I'm sticking to it. I've heard this called the "ME" generation and I'm thinking that's a correct label. Too many people are self absorbed and aren't paying attention to what's going on around them. I'm right, you're wrong, and that's it. It's not possible that we both could be right, both could be wrong, and that there is a solution somewhere in the middle. For a society that preaches tolerance, we seem to have less and less courtesy for others. And why is it so many people feel that the world owes them something? Like because they exist, that we should forever be indebted to them. This especially baffles me with the teenagers. What have you done in your life that everyone owes you gratitude? Have you cured a disease? I think not. I feel that the problem is people no longer have respect for one another. I hear how great the world is compared to fifty years ago, yet fifty years ago a teenager had respect for adults. You'd never see a fifteen year old mouth off to a police officer or an adult. Is this world we are in today truly better? I'm not so sure. Because while technology and advances in civil rights are great, I think we've gotten away from our core values. I'd much rather spend less time on the computer and not be able to sue McDonald's because their hot coffee was too hot and in return have people respect each other a little more. Imagine being able to sit down with someone and work out your differences like adults. Just two people coming to an agreement and maybe even being better for it. No lawyers, no hate, no name calling. Just people working out their differences. I know, crazy. What am I thinking.
Well, believe it or not, this week's passage doesn't involve any complaining. I know, a firefighter with nothing to complain about. Before you call the devil and tell him to put on his winter coat, I just figured I'd focus on some positive things for once. I first wanted to give a job well done to my daughter and her cheerleading team. They missed advancing in the competition by one point and I know they were all pretty bummed out by it. But, to me when it comes to kids sports, it's not all about winning and losing. It's about the experience and having fun with it. If you ever saw my daughter cheer, you would know that she loves it. She always has a huge smile on her face and puts everything she has into the routine. It's pretty funny when you consider she's rather shy otherwise. I'm proud of her regardless of the score. She stuck with the heavy practice regiment and the games every Sunday all while trying to battle 5th grade studies. With only a few not so great test scores, she managed to balance it all.
It probably doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's been on my mind the last week. The media frenzy over the autopsy reports from the two firefighters that were killed in Boston last month has been insane. Why exactly is this such breaking news that it had to be shown as the top story for nearly a week? Putting whether or not this information is accurate or not aside, why isn't anyone focusing on the fact that this information was released illegally? According to the law, that type of information is private and not to be shared with the general public. Yet, the informant blatantly broke the law and, in my opinion, so didn't the media when they reported it. No one seems to be upset about that. Even if this information was true, it had nothing to do with the deaths of those two guys. They could have been born again christians who never even swore in their lives and they still would have been killed. But, thanks to this jerk, the families might lose their benefits. And just as sad, the kids have to listen to all this negative talk about their fathers. Heroes one minute, zeroes the next. Real nice, way to put people before your financial interests. Financial interests you ask? Why do you think people report stuff to the media? Certainly not to make themselves feel good, that's for sure. They get paid for information. And then if that isn't bad enough, I've had to listen to the public speak over the last week via every forum known to man. It never ceases to amaze me how people that have no insight on a matter can become instant experts after listening to one thirty second news cast. I've heard that all firefighters are drunks, that we are drinking in the firehouses, and that we have cush jobs. We're all drunks eh? Guess what? I don't drink at all. I know quite a few firefighters that don't drink at all. And those that do, I can say with certainty drink responsibly. Do now and again they get a little carried away? Sure. But, hello, so doesn't everyone else in every other profession and walk of life. Have you been to a bar, restaurant, or package store lately? Are the patrons only firefighters? Of course not. The people making these ridiculous accusations probably themselves spend a quarter of their paychecks on booze. And drinking in the firehouse? Give me a break. Cush job? You know what, it is a good job, but I wouldn't call it cush. How many birthday parties, holidays, and special events have you missed Mr. Citizen? My daughter's cheerleading competition is this Saturday and I'm going to miss it because I have to work. I'm also working on Thanksgiving and if I wasn't on vacation in December, I'd be working Christmas Eve too. And let us not forget about all the great things we get to see. If we don't turn a wheel I think it's a great day. You know why? Because I didn't have to see anyone suffer that day. No one in pain, no one having loss, no one suffering. Maybe if a firefighter does have a drinking problem, you should ask yourself why that might be. And maybe you should try dealing with what we have to witness on a weekly basis. Sickness, pain, suffering, and despair. It takes a special person do be in public service and for those that cast judgement last week, I don't think you'd last very long.
This certainly was an interesting weekend. On Sunday morning around 3 AM I woke up smelling smoke. Still half asleep, I tried to ascertain if this was coming from outside or inside my house. It was so strong, that I quickly got out of bed to check the house. Once I left my bedroom, the smell disipated and I realized the air conditioner must have been pulling it in from outside. I opened a window and knew that there was a building fire very close by. By this time, my wife had now come downstairs and opened the back door. She yelled to me that the apartment building behind us was on fire. Sure enough, there was smoke pouring out of the apartment building. As Methuen Engine 6 raced by my front door, we left the house to investigate. The brothers did a great job getting all the residents out of the building and battling the fire. When things calmed down a little bit, I asked the Engine 1 pump operator about having to call for a Lawrence ladder. I was a little shocked to have found that Methuen still didn't have a ladder truck. Their ladder was damaged when hit by a dump truck several months ago and they have been unsuccessful in getting a loaner truck. So, where so many chiefs and fire officials read my site, if any department has a spare ladder that they are willing to let Methuen borrow, please give them a call. My kids sleep on the third floor of my house and I'd really, really, really like to have an aerial in service in the city.
On another matter, last Friday was the funeral for Lowell FF Kelly Page. I was working and couldn't attend, but a number of my Stoneham brothers did go to the service. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of the LODD's this year. I know it's wishful thinking to say we wouldn't have another one ever again, but I'm hoping that this is it for a while now. At least for the rest of the year. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like this was not a good year for firefighters and I'm hoping that we can go on a good streak with no LODD's for a long time. Which brings me to the lack of media attention for brother Page. I really don't understand this. After doing a fantastic job with covering the deaths of Paul and Warren earlier this month, they dropped the ball and didn't mention Kelly's death at all. This is twice now in recent times that a public servant (Richie Powers being the first) that the media failed to note a line of duty death. Ok, maybe this wasn't as dramatic as dying is a blaze, but it still is worthy of recognition. If nothing else, just to remind the citizen's of how dangerous a job this is and to post a quick note with any fund that might have been set up to benefit the children of the fallen member. What are we talking about, ten or fifteen seconds? I guess showing the guy who got attacked by a sting ray a year ago fifty times in an hour was more interesting. Bravo to one of my Stoneham brothers who called one of the television stations and complained. He was given a BS story that they were not aware of it and would "try" to put something up the next day. As always, too little too late. I do want to give credit where it is due, the Lowell Sun did run a few nice articles about Kelly.
Click for Lowell Sun Article 1 - Click for Lowell Sun Article 2.
This past Tuesday was the sixth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. I can't believe that six years has passed already. Through various forums, I had heard discussions on what departments were doing to commemorate the anniversary. Some were upset that their department opted to do nothing. I can understand that, although I think what's most important is what we do as individuals. My chief considered doing something, but then opted for a time of personal reflection. Our station is not on a main thoroughfair, so only a few would see our little ceremony. I didn't need to remember the events of 9-11, since I never forgot them in the first place. Every day I still wear my 9-11 memorial bracelet with the name of Gerard Dewan of Ladder 3 on it. I never knew him, but chose his name since I worked with Mike Dewan at Lifeline many years ago. Ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you that I'm not one for jewelry, but I wear that bracelet every day. I also have a tattoo on my left shoulder which honors all those that made the ultimate sacrifice. I remember when I got the tattoo, many of the guys I worked with had to see it for themselves because they didn't believe I actually did it. But, all this is really superficial. Ceremonies, bracelets, and tattoos aside there really was one thing we could do on that day that would honor those that died. Quite simply, go to work. I got up that morning, put on my uniform, and reported for duty as always. Because that's what firefighters, cops, and EMS guys do. I have do doubt in my mind that if a plane struck a building in NY last Tuesday that FDNY would respond to that call like they do to every other one. Despite all our differences and quirks, every man and woman on the job values their dedication to duty. If we didn't you would see the largest turnaround out of any profession. Yet, here in public safety, most who start here will finish here. Those that gave their lives in the line of duty expect two things from us. First, to take care of their families. And second, to get back in that truck, cruiser, or ambulance and do your duty. Respond to each call with professionalism and never do anything that would tarnish their memory. If you think about it, they're not really asking a lot. So honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice by continuing the proud tradition that they loved. For Gerard and all those that are no longer with us, we owe them that much.
Just a few hours after my last update, Boston lost 2 brave firefighters in a fire in West Roxbury. I found out about the deaths before I went to bed and was not able to sleep that night, worrying about the many friends I have on that department. The next morning I found out that the firefighters killed were Paul Cahill and Warren Payne of Engine 30 and Ladder 25. I didn't know either man, but somehow that provided little comfort. Every line of duty death hits me, but this was exceptionally hard. Boston is only a few towns away from where I work and I know many guys there personally. My wife was telling a friend of hers that I would attending at least one of the funerals. She asked my wife if I knew the men. When she answered no, her friend was curious as to why I would go if I didn't know them. She simply answered, that's what firefighters do. Not a profound answer, but pretty much as good of an answer as you can get. Thousands of firefighters showed up to both funerals in rather uncomfortable weather just because they had to. There really isn't a specific reason as to why, it's just something we do. I was only able to make the funeral for Paul, but did watch the funeral for Warren on TV. Both services were very well done and I commend local 718 on putting this together. For the amount of people that came and the short time they had to put this together, it was very well organized. Somehow I ended up in the church for Paul's service. I'm still not sure how it happened, but it was an honor and a privilege to be part of the service. I also think it's great, that despite our differences, firefighters can put everything aside and show their support when we lose one or more of our own. I saw guys and gals from everywhere. All over the country, Canada, and even Australia and Ireland. There really is nothing like the fire service. I will be posting a permanent tribute to Paul and Warren next week, so if you have any photos of the services or of anything that you think would be appropriate, feel free to send it along. As for brother Paul and Warren, your sacrifices will not be forgotten. Not by us anyway. Godspeed.
I have to say I am truly sick and tired of people blaming the public employees for all the problems of the world. Instead of focusing their energies on the corrupt and fiscally inept politicians we have in office, they instead blame us for the lack of funding. This latest attack comes from an article posted in last Sunday's Boston Globe from a David G. Tuerck, who is listed as the executive director of the Beacon Hill Institute and a professor of economics at Suffolk University. In a nut shell, he thinks that public employees should pay more on their health insurance so that the state would have more money to fix roads and bridges. He further goes on to say that "the problem is that the public employee unions control the state and local government." Really now? Is that why we had no control over our good health insurance being dumped in favor of a cheaper one that saves the town money, but really offers no benefit to the employees? Or the fact that I haven't had a raise in over two years. In the ten years I've been on the job, I've yet to see the town give us any benefits, only take them away. How is this controlling the government? All they want to do is take, take, take, but never give anything back. And then they cut our staffing, so that we have to work at unsafe levels. If we controlled the government, then we would have enough firefighters and police officers on the streets with top of the line equipment to do their jobs. But, guess what? We don't. Maybe a few towns do, but since you're talking about all public employees in the state, then you must recognize the many towns that do not have adequate staffing. Look at other places such as Saugus that just closed a station and is now running out of one firehouse. Or Springfield. The only people that are going to look out for the public employees is us. No one else cares. I like it how people keep sticking their hands in my pocket trying to take more money from me. Mr. Tuerck, why don't you stick your hand in your own pocket and give. I'm sure your annual salary supersedes that of mine and my wife combined. Or perhaps you should look at the federal government who spends billions of dollars helping fix other countries' problems. Maybe, just maybe, we should try and fix our own problems first. Never mind building infrastructure in Iraq, take care of the people here. The ones that live here, work here, and pay taxes here. Stop trying to take more money from me just because I work for a town and not a private industry. Ok, maybe you pay a little more for health insurance. But, many people also get some type of bonus or profit sharing when they work in private industry. What do I get? Nothing. Not even a thanks for coming to a house at 2 in the morning because someone has had a stuffy nose for three days. And, what makes you think that the government would actually use the money saved from me paying more on my health insurance to fix roads, bridges, and tunnels? They've been irresponsible with our money for so many years, why stop now? Maybe they'll give themselves another pay raise. Perhaps you should try working in a hazardous environment and then be told you have to may more for your health insurance. Firefighters, police officers, and EMS people face countless dangers every day and not from the things you normally think about. Hazardous material is everywhere that can make you ill and even give you cancer. People are constantly coughing, urinating, defecating, and vomiting on you. You face needles with God only knows what blood born pathogens in them from drugs users who leave their paraphernalia all over their residences. And everyday you face people that look down on you because they feel they personally are paying your salary. Like I'm a serf indebted to them. Please Mr. Tuerck, come out at 2 in the morning with us and face these dangers. Come out on a motor vehicle accident with us and deal with a teenager that has been maimed or killed. Come out of your office and work in the heat and humidity during the summer and cold and snow during the winter. And then see if you are so willing to pay more for health insurance. Perhaps the next time I get sick from someone sneezing on me, you'll be willing to pick up my prescription for me. Or the next time we get called to move a 400 pound person that needs to go to the hospital, I'll call you. Because I can't risk hurting my back and having to use my health insurance because it might make the rates go up.
My sincerest condolences to my long time friend Tom Pszenney on the sudden loss of his brother this week. Many of your know Tom from his many years in EMS. My thoughts and prayers are with Tom and his family.
I just want to make one thing clear when it comes to photos. All photos that are on my site are used with the permission of either the photographer or someone that has the authority to grant that permission. Now and again one might slip through the cracks, but I go through great lengths to ensure that proper credit is given. And, 99 percent of the photos on the site were sent to me directly. Only a small portion I went and got from a website, which was done at the photographer's request so they didn't have to email me a ton of photos. I do not, nor will I ever, scour the internet and lift photos to use on my site. Aside from the fact it's unethical, I do not have the time to do that. This past week, several people complained to their union accusing me of lifting photos from their union website and using them here on firenews. The matter was resolved quickly as the photographer sent the photos to me directly and I had full permission to use them. However, I was pretty irked over this. No one ever emailed me and asked me about it. They just assumed that I took the photos without permission. This kind of ignorance is why we have so many problems in the world today. People just assume and jump to conclusions. While you might think this is a trite matter to become upset over, it isn't to me. This site has been online for nearly 10 years and I have always operated it with respect and integrity. Anyone that is familiar with this site knows that. But, it's people like this that complain and whine when they don't have all the facts that sometimes make me wonder if running this site is worth the time and effort involved.
Ok, the update is finally online. Sorry for the delay, but the time to work on the site just wasn't there this last week. I've also added a few pages. A did a special article page for many of the great shots submitted from the Uxbridge General Alarm fire. And I've added a photo page for my friend Don Beckwith of California. Don was one of my first friends in the fire service and his father was a Stoneham Firefighter many years ago. He is a great guy and has sent me countless photos, patches, and other trinkets over the years. I'm going to be adding his west coast photos to this page as time allows and hope that you enjoy them as much as I have.
Last weekend my friend and fellow firefighter Sean Fitzgerald left with his Army unit for a brief training period before deploying to Iraq. He along with Justin Petrillo from my department, that is currently in training, will be in country sometime next month. While I feel for all our boys and girls over seas, there is a higher sense of urgency when it's someone you know. Probably the saddest thing about this is that just about everyone that reads this will understand this feeling. So many of our family members and friends have been pressed into service. And I know they all serve proudly, although I wish I had a better grasp on what exactly our objectives are. There are so many gray areas that I'm not sure how our soldiers are supposed to do their jobs. All I can say is that I pray every night for every soldier's safe return. I ask that God be with them and help bring them back to us safe.
I figured after nearly 10 years being online, I should have a page where I can pass along info and speak my mind rather than using the news page. So here it is.
First things first, I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable forth of July. For those that have to work, please be safe and I hope it's a quiet shift.
Next, I want to wish the Milton, MA Firefighter that was struck by a car while working a speedy recovery. As if the job isn't dangerous enough without having drunk drivers trying to peg us while we work.
I also would like to thank CNN for the fantastic coverage of the Charleston memorial service. I thought it was great how they took a 20 minute break right in the middle of the service so they could bring us up to date on unimportant news items. I was anxiously awaiting to hear that the White House didn't say if they would close Gitmo's prison or not. That and telling us the space shuttle may or may not be able to land on that day. Given the scheduled landing time was over 3 hours away, I could see why it was so important to tell us that right then. They returned to the service after chopping off the start of the chief's speech. I thought the chief's words were really heartfelt right up until the end. I say that because I don't know what the end was. They decided to cut him off and not show the striking of the bell so they could discuss, amongst other things, the controversy of teenagers wearing baggy pants. A discussion on teens wearing baggy pants and how one town wants to outlaw it took precedence over a memorial service for 9 firefighters that died in the line of duty. And the reason this couldn't have waited another ten minutes would be? This was just the icing on the cake for me of watching emergency personnel receive hand shakes only to be stabbed in the back as soon as they turn around. While to most this was just the news being the news, for me it was a culmination of the general population's attitude. We are important so long as nothing else comes along, regardless of how seemingly unimportant that might be. Heroes in the morning, bums in the afternoon. I ask for nothing other than to show respect to those that died while giving up their lives for others. This is not just for firefighters, but for police, EMS, and especially our military. Give them the respect they deserve. But, apparently this is just too much to ask in this day and age.
