I was saddened to learn that Bobby Johnson of the PFFM had passed away last weekend. Every death notice sucks, but this one was a little different as I had personally met Bobby. I had spoken with him on a number of occassions at state meetings and found him to be a real genuine guy who was so pleasant to talk with. It was easy to see he loved firefighting and being part of the PFFM. And even though there always seemed to be a crowd of people around him asking him a million questions, he always managed to acknlowledge each person and answer every question. He was a good man who constantly put others before him and he will be missed. I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2010. Happy New Year.
Can you believe it's almost Christmas again? Seems like the kids just went back to school and it's almost Christmas vacation. While I will be updating news and announcements next week, I will be taking a break from the department listing and photos. I will update those sections on 12/30, so it's only a little bit of a wait for those that need your photo fix. You can still send in your photos as usual. And in case you are interested, many stores are opening at 5 AM on the 26th for your Christmas returns. Because....God forbid....someone be grateful and happy with what they received. And God forbid you give the people in retail a break. Merry Christmas everyone.
This has been quite the week for those of us in the emergency services field. Locally, we lost an EMT that was known by many to cancer and two fire professionals passed away suddenly. In Washington State, 4 police officers were assassinated in a coffee shop. And yesterday in Worcester, 6 fallen firefighters were remembered along with Kevin Kelly and others that made the ultimate sacrifice. The way we recognize our fallen comrades really makes us like no other. And to remind us of that, all you have to do is read the comments people post on online newspaper articles. While most are fairly nice, there are just some comments that make you ask what is wrong with people? I think the worst comments by far were the ones I saw posted under an article about the four police officers being killed. It was just sickening what people would say about how they were glad four cops were off the street. That the guy that shot them should be hailed a hero. I know these people are just idiots hiding behind keyboards, but none the less it's still unsettling to see what people will say. I normally don't read the comments people make and now remember why I don't. I wish people would revert back to the old saying: If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.
And, I'm glad to see the firefighters in North Andover were allowed to put their Merry Christmas sign back up. The political correctness in this country is way out of control. And the PC police is not fair and equitable either. All you hear is diversity and tolerance, yet there isn't any tolerance when it comes to what we have known and accepted since the country was founded. I don't think our fallen soldiers and sailors would be happy to know that this is what has become of the freedom they fought and died for. That it's ok to openly worship the electric eel, jam that fact down everyone's throat, parade it around town square, and make everyone be happy that they worship the eel. Or that we have to bend our laws and rules to accommodate complaints and gripes from people that are not even citizens or pay taxes. But, if you are a hard working American citizen that pays all of your taxes and say Merry Christmas....well, you have stepped over the line buddy. That's offensive and will not be tolerated. All I hear on television and read online and in newspapers is about everyone's rights to do this and do that. That's great. Worship the electric eel, celebrate your holidays, have a parade with floats and balloons for all I care. Hell, I'll even throw confetti as you go by. But don't trample over my rights to say Merry Christmas or enjoy my beliefs and holidays in the process.
With the Thanksgiving holiday being this week, I've updated the photos early as I won't be able to do them on Friday. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Now that "Black Friday" is upon us, the mahem begins. People will kill you for that last toy, electronic, or piece of clothing to make that certain special someone happy. But, I guess the real question is, if that special something is what is required to show a person you care about that you love them, then perhaps something is missing. Shouldn't that be shown by the things we do every day and not just from a gift we give when the feeling of euphoria is running rampid? Just something to think about.
The Stoneham Firefighters Association is putting on a calendar style raffle where each day in January will yield a cash prize to the ticket number that is pulled. Although I am not running this raffle, this is my department I and have agreed to help with spreading the word about it and to post the winning numbers come January. I also will be accepting checks via snail mail on behalf of the firefighter in charge of the raffle, so if you check out the raffle page I created there is information on how you can purchase chances and help out my association. This is a really cool stocking stuffer, as each ticket has 31 chances to win. Even if you win a prize, your number is put back into the "pot", so you have the opportunity to win more than one time. While I posted this information on the raffle page, I need to stress that all checks must be made out to the Stoneham Firefighters Association and not to me. While that might sound self explanatory, you'd be surprised how many people have written out checks to the wrong people during fundraisers in the past. The raffle page can be found HERE and there is a link on the main index page. Chances are only $10 a ticket, so I hope that if you can, you'll help us out.
Since I've pretty much had it with PC BS, when I got this the other day I knew I just had to post it:
Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
*December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
*At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
*Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!
Well, it's November already. Pretty soon we'll be seeing Christmas trees and hearing holiday music. Well....we already are....if you go to a store. Anyway, rather than complain about that, I'd rather recommend a movie that I saw. It's called Taking Chance and stars Kevin Bacon. Kevin is a Marine Lt Col that volunteers to escort the remains of a Marine killed in action. The entire movie is based on a true story and shows how the remains of a deceased serviceman or woman is escorted all the way to the family. Even if you are not into the more somber type of films, this one is worth watching.
I had read that the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous places to work. I'd agree with that, but what I didn't see on the list of dangerous work places is anyone that has to work in or around a supermarket. Holy crap, every time you go grocery shopping you take your life into your hands, never mind if you have to work there. Inside the supermarket, people zip up and down the aisles and don't pay attention when they come to the end. They dart out like missiles out of a silo and ram into anything that is in their way. In the aisles, people push their carriages while looking at the shelves so that they can then try and shove their cart full of groceries right up your behind. Or, better yet, they let their five year olds push the cart with two items in it so that they can cause even more damage. The deli counter can turn into a war zone when that one person decides that they don't understand what it means to take a ticket and tries to cut the line. And then there is the accident on aisle three with oil all over the floor and God forbid the person that did tell anyone. No, it's much better to let it sit there so someone can come along and slip on it. Then you go outside and the mindless carriage pushers meet the mindless wanderers and mindless drivers. It's a nightmare of stupidity as half these cell phone talking people don't know what they are doing or trying to accomplish. This one is walking at an angle while looking at her receipt, this one is on the phone and not looking while backing up and that one is pushing a carriage in a zig zag pattern as if they are trying to avoid gun fire. And the designers of the parking lots make it so that you have to drive towards the store to then turn onto the access lane to get out of the parking lot. That's a great idea, instead of having a cut out so you can drive away from the store, let's have all of the walkers and drivers trying to come and go converge in the same area. It's a crazy and insane place. While the flight deck of an aircraft carrier may be one of the most dangerous places to work, I think the grocery store should come in as a close second.
It's been a couple of weeks, so a few things. First, you've probably noticed the little link box underneath the main photo on the home page. It would be much appreciated if you could click on the links in the box as I get a few cents for each person that clicks through the links. You don't have to buy anything, give personal information, or do anything other than click on the links. With the amount of people that visit firenews I'm hoping that it'll help with the costs of keeping the site online. And, who knows, maybe one of the links will actually be useful to someone.
The next thing is I'd like to do is give a little plug to the AHL teams in New England. Many of us are hockey fans or at least enjoy the sport and minor league hockey is a great way to enjoy the game but not have to sell your first born in order to afford tickets. I have a partial season ticket package for 4 seats to the Manchester Monarchs and it cost me less for that than it would have for 4 tickets to 1 Bruins game. I love the Bruins, but it's just too much money for tickets, parking, ect. Plus I somehow always end up next to some drunk that keep spilling his beer on me. The atmosphere at the minor league games is very family orientated and a good time for all. So if you are a hockey fan and want to take in an exciting game, check out the nearest AHL team. In New England we have teams in Bridgeport CT, Hartford CT, Lowell MA, Springfield MA, Worcester MA, Manchester NH, Portland ME, and Providence RI.
And lastly, did anyone see the thing on the news where the guy was making coffee naked in his house and some lady looked into his windows and then called the police? The guy was arrested in his own home for indecent exposure. I've always thought of myself as fairly intelligent, but I have to say I don't get this. If you are in your own home and someone looks into your windows and you happen to be naked, how can you be arrested for indecent exposure? You are in your own home. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the lady trespassing if she's looking in his windows? I mean, from the get go this sounded like a really strange story. And the newscasters didn't seem to be bothered by the fact the lady was peeping into this fellow's home. Why was she looking in his windows in the first place? If the guy was walking around his front lawn like that as school children were walking to school, I could see. But he was inside his house. I'm guessing there must be more to this story, although I don't know what that might be. While this may seem like a funny story, it does concern me as it's another sign of the direction this country is going in. When someone can be arrested for walking around his own home naked, it begs to ask what is next? Women must wear pants? Speedos are illegal? (for some that might not be a bad thing). Or perhaps it'll be against the law to play Judas Priest's Breaking the Law. One just has to wonder where the line will be drawn before we say enough is enough. Of course if the man was an illegal immigrant and said it was common practice in his home country, they probably would have given him free liberty to do what he wants. But, that's another story.
So, if you haven't heard, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. While I'm not as critical of Obama as many of my brethren, I do have to wonder why exactly he was chosen. He has been in office for less than a year and from what I can figure, hasn't done anything that would even attract the attention of the committee that awards this honor much less give him consideration. Furthermore, the process began when President Obama had only been in office for only a few weeks. I really don't get it. Who was he up against? I mean, the competition must have been pretty thin if someone that had been in office for less than a month received consideration. And the funny thing is that most of the articles I read only offered vague reasons for him receiving the award. To me, the Nobel Peace Prize is a very time honored award that has gone to someone that has done something to help mankind. People like Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Honestly, I really don't even know what to say about this other than it leaves me to wonder what exactly the criteria is to be considered for this award now. That and is the state of the world in such disarray that the only person good enough is a guy that was in office for less than a month when the selection process began.
Earlier this week I read about the President's proposal to lengthen the school year and day. The plan seems to have raised a bit of controversy, much like many of the President's ideas. The thought process is that American children are not as educated as children from other countries. And in other countries, the children go to school for a lot more hours than here in the U.S. That's all well and good, but my question is since when do we gauge ourselves by what other countries do? Other countries have a main language and don't cater to people that don't speak it. Nor do they cater to those that are not citizens or chose to disrespect their beliefs, ways, and patriotism. In most of these countries, you would not be greeted so kindly if you burned their flag or tried to have it removed from a school because it offends you. In that case, they would tell you to return to the country you came from if it offends you so much. So, why all of a sudden do we care about how other countries do things? As far as this issue goes, I would not complain if the school year was longer. My understanding is that the reason for the long summer vacation is because way back when the kids used to help the families with crops during the summer. That doesn't seem to be the case today. If you ask your kid to mow the lawn, DSS shows up at your door for making your kid do hard labor. I know from my own kids, when the first day of school comes around they remember nothing from the previous year. It takes several weeks to refresh the students in what they already learned. Many other states have much shorter summer vacations with longer December/February/April vacations to equalize the time. That seems to make sense to me, because the kids still have a nice time off yet are not gone for so long that they forget everything. I don't think lengthening the day is such a great idea unless they plan on doing away with homework. As of right now my kids are busy with projects and homework until at least dinner time. Before you know it, it's time for bed. If they lengthened the day, there wouldn't be much down time for kids and I don't agree with that. I think kids need to unwind just like adults do after a long day at work. And it wouldn't leave much time for sports and after school activities. While learning is first and foremost, I do believe that activities such as sports offer children many benefits such as teaching team work, giving self esteem, and being another way to blow off steam. When my daughter did cheerleading, there was barely enough time in the day with the school hours being what they are. If the day was to be lengthened, I don't know they would do it. And then there is the largest piece of the puzzle, the cost. How exactly would we pay for all these extra hours? Certainly you don't think the teachers are going to work an extra 200-300 hours a year for free. I wouldn't expect them to. Plus there would be other costs, such as heat and electricity for the extra hours. A number of schools tried longer days last year with the same summer vacation. I read that on average, it was $1,200 extra per year per student just to extend the school day a couple of hours. When you think of how many kids there are in each school system, that's a lot of money. And how much would it be if you lengthened the day AND shortened the summer vacation? And where is the money going to come from to do that? The last time I checked the economy isn't that great and most experts are saying it won't be good for a long time. But, that's the thing with all these programs. Whether they are great, dumb, or somewhere in between, they all cost a lot of money. And the politicians that support these plans never seem to say where exactly all that money is going to come from. So before we rush into anything else, maybe we should figure that part out first. And if we are going to use other countries as models, then maybe we should use some other stuff as well. Like not being able to sue when you spill hot coffee on yourself because the cup didn't say it was really hot. Or being allowed to sue the registry because you were not allowed to have your face covered on your driver's license. We should start putting some common sense back into the country first, which doesn't cost anything. Then maybe once we have some of that good ol' common sense again, we can make better decisions involving billions of dollars.
Have you ever noticed that there are many things you need or are required to have insurance for, yet they are a giant pain when you try and use them? My father bought a computer a while back and he took out the insurance for it. It's a pretty good plan where the Geek Squad from Best Buy will come out to fix your computer if you have a problem and if they can't fix it after three visits they will replace it. He paid quite a bit of money for the plan, so when he started having problems that were way above my ability to fix, I told him to call in the Geeks. So, he did. The PC was shutting itself down for no apparent reason and was more often than not refusing to start at all. He waited a week and a very nice technician showed up to the house. When my father called they were able to access his computer and had an idea of the parts that might be needed. They sent them UPS and the tech installed them. Unfortunately, it didn't solve the problem. So, he ordered more parts which would now essentially give him a completely rebuilt computer. Another week goes by, the tech returns and installs the new parts. Same problem despite the fact he replaced everything. So, he tells the insurance that they should just replace the computer. No, they don't want to do that yet. They want him to try something else. So, he orders more parts and has my father order a disk from HP. He comes back a week later and again, no results. The disk won't work with the motherboard that Best Buy installed as they only get certain ones, not every single part on the market. Which is what the tech told the insurance people the week before. The tech talks to the insurance again and guess what? They want him to come back again. He says this is the third visit and there is nothing left for him to try, the thing is toast. No avail, he has to come back again. Now, this is going on five weeks my father has not had a computer and he's getting pretty pissed. The man is 80, has cancer, and undergoes chemo every week. This aggravation is not exactly beneficial to his health. So, the guy comes back one more time and chews the fat with my dad, fiddles with a few things for the heck of it, and then calls the insurance again to tell them the same thing he's told them for the last two weeks. The thing is dead, there is nothing left for them to do, give him another one. They say they have to review it. Review what? The thing is dead, the tech from Best Buy has been there four times and is telling you it's dead, what more do you want? So, several days go by and the insurance company calls him back. They will give him a new one, but the amount they allot him won't cover a new one completely. He still has to pay $100 out of pocket. I don't know, call me crazy, but after all that they should have paid for the entire thing. I mean, that's what the impression is when you take out this particular plan. They couldn't fix it and it says they'll give you a new one. It did still work out as he didn't have to pay for them to come and try and fix it, for the parts, and only cost him $100 for a new computer. But, the stress and aggravation was ridiculous. What gets me is that he should have had a new one weeks ago, but they didn't want to listen to the tech. Kind of sounds like health insurance. The doc you know says you need something, yet a doc hundreds if not thousands of miles that you've never met before has to look it over and make a decision. Plus, had the insurance company listened, they would have saved the cost of the visit, plus the parts that were wasted, along with the UPS shipping costs. Another case of not being able to see the forest through he trees if you ask me.
It's hard to believe that it has been eight years since the 9/11 attacks. It was a day that changed America and it's a day I'll never forget. Nor will I forget the sacrifices made by all those that died. From the firefighters and police officers, to the civilians that bravely helped others, to those that died simply doing what they did every day. We must not let time decay our memories. We must not use the excuse of "moving ahead" to blur the memory of what took place and the reality that so many perished. It is our responsibility to ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain. We must remember them always and strive to be a better nation.
One thing that has been a big topic the last few days was the outburst of Congressman Wilson from South Carolina. I have to say, for once the opinionated media seems to be taking the right stance on this topic. Whether you like or dislike President Obama, and whether or not you agree with the healthcare reform package, it is just plain rude to yell out "you lie" in the middle of his speech. And it seems that most of the media agrees and even asks for some form of punishment to be handed down to prevent this from happening again. That one really amazed me. But, I think they are right. We expect that the congressmen and women that we elect will conduct themselves with a sense of dignity and professionalism. Yelling out in the middle of anyone's speech is rude and inappropriate. It is disrespectful and is a poor showing to our already uncaring generation of youth. If one of my kids yelled out like that during an assembly at the principal, I would be mortified. And they would be punished for doing so. The lack of respect by so many of today's youth is unprecedented. They already walk in front of your car without looking and then give you the finger. They already show disrespect and a total lack of interest in using any form of manors. And I personally agree that he should be made an example of in some way. What, I'm not exactly sure. But, having free speech doesn't mean you can be rude and disrespectful to everyone you pass by just because you have first amendment rights. If the congressman disagrees, then voice that at the appropriate time and place. The media is more than willing to publish what any of them have to say. So say it in an educated and professional statement at the appropriate time. Don't show the world that this is what we've been reduced to. A bunch of children in fancy clothes that can't wait for our turn to speak. Show today's youth how they should act instead of furthering feeding an already out of control society where foolishness like this is becoming more and more commonplace. It's time for those of us with values to stand up and say no more.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Box 52 Board of Directors for inviting me to their annual dinner/meeting. I created and maintain their new website and as a member of the organization, took no money for doing it. They wanted to show their appreciation by inviting me to the dinner. I really think that is nice and wanted to make mention of it here. In the past, I've quietly donated time to a number of organizations. On a number of occasions I was taken advantage of and wasted countless hours of time for nothing. While I never expect anything in return and inviting me to the dinner was not necessary, it is nice when an organization takes the time to say thank you. The Box 52 Assoc is a great group of individuals and it is my absolute pleasure to help them out. I hope to make some meetings this year, as the last few years I seem to either be working on meeting days or am committed to something else.
I just wanted to say quickly that I recognize that Sen Ted Kennedy was a great man and that he did a lot for Massachusetts and for the country. Whether you like him or not, 47 years as a senator is a long time and I believe he did have the common person's best interest at heart. It is however too bad that the news must stay focused on this subject for hours on end without interruption except for the occasional weather update. For one I'm sure the family and friends don't really need to have cameras pointed at them continually. And for two, there are other things going on as well. I feel bad for Officer Davey of the Weymouth Police Department who's LODD funeral is being overshadowed by this over coverage. Well, if for nothing else, it does get them talking about something besides Michael Jackson. Godspeed Ted, Michael Davey, and our fallen brothers in Buffalo.
My desire to stay in the confines of air conditioning has translated into me being a lot further along with the jump link project that I had thought I would be. Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island are done. I am working on Vermont and will have that online soon. You will also notice that for some pages, especially in RI and VT, that I have broken the letters down further. Previously, all of the departments in RI for example were on 2 pages. I have created more pages to spread things out so that there are less departments on each page. So in conjunction with the jump links, this should make looking through the pages a bit easier.
I can't believe it's August 21st. Where did the summer go? I can't believe that in just 11 days my kids start school again. He he. He he he. Sorry, it's hard to containe my glee sometimes. Seriously, while the break can be nice, I'm not really looking forward to the mountains of homework and the endless line of projects that the teachers send home. And of course having a girl is fun because there is all that social bs that they go through. So and so is my friend today, but not tomorrow, then sort of the next day. Then she's my best friend, then my enemy, then my true friend, then a good friend, then an ok friend, then a sorta friend, then a good friend again, and then the coveted BFF. WTF? I can't keep up with this unless I have a scoresheet. After listening to this, I need to hook up with my BFF Tylenol. And my good friends Bud, Bud Light, Guinness and Heineken.
On the apparatus pages I have finished the quick jump links for CT. I will start Maine next week. You may also notice some differences in photo sizes starting this week. I am now using 800X600 images, which is a little bit larger than the 640X480 ones I had been using. Since some don't have the ability to take or send photos larger than 640X480, I will continue to use those as well.
Have you ever noticed how certain things, like glasses, are constantly changed so if they break you have to buy a whole new pair? Many of you probably don't know that I can't see worth a crap. I wear contacts a lot of the time, but I do wear my glasses when I'm hanging around the house or at night when I'm not working. A few years ago I got new glasses, that were not cheap, and I was happy that when I went last year for my eye appointment that my script didn't change so I could keep the same pair. A few weeks ago I was wearing my glasses when they just fell apart for no real apparent reason. I was watching tv when they just fell apart. So I go to Lenscrafters the next day so see if I can get the lenses put into another frame. Wouldn't that be easy now. Of course it would, so therefore it couldn't be done. Why? Because frames change styles so often so that unless you break them within six months, the likelyhood of you finding a frame that you can put your lenses into is slim to none. Thus, you have to pay for the whole pair to be made. This just seems to be the case with so many things, now doesn't it? Remember when you could actually get things like appliances repaired? Now it costs more to repair things than it does to buy new ones. Look at computers or cell phones. You buy the most expensive and latest and greatest thing, only to have it be replaced by something better in a few months. How about cars? Their value is depreciated no sooner than you drive off the lot. It's just another example of how everything revolves around making a buck and screwing the average person.
I took my kids to Battleship Cove earlier this week and despite it being a rather hot and humid day, we all had a great time. The kids really enjoyed it and asked a lot of questions which made me pretty happy. For those that don't know what Battleship Cove is, it is 4 museum Navy ships along with 2 PT boats that are kept inside. There are also a bunch of other exhibits, but the main attractions are the Battleship Massachusetts, Destroyer Joseph Kennedy, Submarine Lionfish, and Missile Corvet Hiddensee. I took a lot of pictures and will put them in my navy section when I have a chance. There are pics there now from my last visit, but these are obviously updated and I'll post them at a little bigger size. They do a great job down there and should be commended on keeping up with so many vessels.
If you are one to visit the apparatus pages, then you might notice some changes that have taken effect. I spent a fair amount of time this week putting in quick jump links at the top of all the Massachusetts pages so that now all you have to do is click on a department name to be dropped down to that listing. There are also up links at the bottom of each listing to bring you back up to the top of the page. I started the Connecticut listings by putting all of the departments that are listed on a different page at the top of each page with hyperlinks to the page in which they can be found on. These are the fire companies that have different names from the communities in which they serve. So now instead of scrolling down just to find that the information is listed on a different page, you can see that right at the top with a link bringing you to the page in which that information can be found. If you don't get what I'm saying, look at the CT listing pages and you'll understand. I plan on starting jump links for the CT pages next week and will continue to work on them as I can until all the states are done. This should make searching though the pages a little easier.
Someone asked me how the term brown out came to be when temporarily closing fire stations or companies. I don't know for certain, but my take is that brown is the color of pooh and that is what it is when you close fire stations or fire companies.
Thanks for all those who wrote in and gave your opinion on the individual department pages. More than not said to leave it the way it is or to make minor adjustments. Given how long it would take to do that type of format, it is probably best I come up with something a little easier. When I have some free time the first thing I'm going to do is make jump links at the top of each page with the name of each department that can be found there. That way you can just click on say Boston instead of having to scroll down to find it. Then I may go and give a separate page to those municipalities that have multiple fire departments, such as Groton CT, to make it a little easier to sort out the information. But, those that only have one department like most of Mass will just stay with the current format.
If you have been anywhere near a television or radio in the past week or so it would be hard to find someone not talking about the situation in Cambridge with the cop and the professor. I think the media has made more of this than needs to be and I don't think it is "news" to follow these individuals around as they try and get on with their lives. Nor do I really think it is news as to what the sergeant, the professor, and the president drink for beer. But, one of the things that does concern me about this whole ordeal is the speed in which the governor and president offered comments without having the facts available to them. Whether the cops were right or wrong isn't even the point here, it's that a person of high authority shouldn't make any official statements until they are able to obtain the facts of the situation and get a clear understanding. In his comment, President Obama said that he didn't have the facts, but then proceeded to say the police acted stupidly. Well, if you don't have the facts then how can you comment on how they acted? And this concerns me because he is not the president of the local PTO; he is the President of the United States. A person whom is often referred to as the Leader of the Free World. The Commander and Chief of our armed forces. And many countries and their leaders watch everything he says and does. A man of such international power and influence cannot make statements that contradict themselves. If he is not informed on a matter, then he should not comment. And even when you do have the facts and decide to make a statement, you should choose your words carefully. Because the world is watching and listening and one wrong statement could cause irreparable damage. And for anyone that cares, I don't drink but when I did I liked Budweiser.
I've noticed that some of the digital images seem to get a bit distorted when they are resized. This shouldn't happen when an image is sized down from a larger image, so I've been looking into what the issue is. I believe it may be the editor I used to size and credit the photos as it's kind of old and doesn't have as many digital filters as newer programs. I downloaded a trial for a newer version of the program and when I resized an image there was no odd look to it and the writing on the truck is very clear. So, I will switch to this program to improve the quality of the images shown on the site. I also wanted to pass along a cool book I just picked up. It's called Returning to Quarters, A History of Boston Firehouses. The book was written by Fire Captain Richard Connelly, a 39 year veteran of the Boston Fire Department. This 247 page book is jam packed with information and photographs about every firehouse the was ever built in Boston. Information includes date that it opened, date it closed if not currently in service, and final disposition. It lists all the companies that ever served that station, even temporarily, and other cool facts as well. Even with the amount of information on the internet, I still value a good book. I am happy that I picked this one up for my collection and encourage anyone interested in Boston Fire to do the same. The book can be ordered by visiting http://books.trafford.com/08-0757.
I know, everyone is waiting for the next gripe. It certainly isn't that I don't have anything to whine about, it's more that I just haven't had the time to sit and write it down. I figure more are interested in seeing the photos come out on time than read my latest ramblings. It was nice to get out this week and go with some frieds to West Springfield. It's been a few years, so it was good to get out again and see some old friends. And some new ones too. I actually enjoy that more than taking pictures. I've met such a wide variety of people since doing this site, some of which have become good friends. With work and family schedules being what they are, I just don't get out to things as much as I'd like. So, when I do, it's that much nicer to hook up with old friends and have a few laughs. The trucks are nice, but being able to blow off some steam and have a few laughs is what makes going to the shows fun for me. With my slightly increased travel in the last few weeks, it does bring me to ask this question. On most of the Mass highways the off ramp is immediately following the on ramp. This creates a lot of confusion and near misses. To me, it seems like it would have been better to do it the other way. The traffic coming off the highway would not intermingle with the traffic coming on. Now, I'm not an engineer, so maybe there is a reason for this. If there is, I certainly would like to know. Because, in my little brain, I can't seem to figure out why the planners would create this dangerous environment coming on and off the highway.
I haven't had the time to write up any rants in the last few weeks, but here is something that has been on my mind. For those out of the area, an MBTA trolley recently had an accident when the driver of the trolley was texting on his cell phone. There were a good deal of people that went to the hospital with injures. Now, the texting while driving is just plain stupid. That's a given. I've seen people doing this while out and about and I don't get that. You can debate the whole talking on the cell phone thing while driving, but this is pretty cut and dry in my opinion. No one should be texting while driving. Especially while operating a train. But, anyway, that's not my complaint of the day. My thing is that all this personal stuff comes out about the operator that isn't necessary and it gets on my nerves that the media has turned into a gossip column more than a source for news and information. First, there was the discussion on the news about whether or not the operator, who I think was 24, is old enough to drive a trolley. And this is on the news because why? A talk show maybe, but the news? And my answer to that is if you can be given a weapon at 18 (17 w/ parental consent) and sent off to war, then why can't you operate a trolley? In most areas you only have to be 19 to take the fire and police tests and you only need to be 18 to be an EMT. And most volunteer fire departments only require you be 18. I guess it's ok to risk your life for people, drive a fire truck, an ambulance or a tank, but not a trolley. I guess that 19 year old sailor behind the helm of a aircraft carrier should just step aside. My point here is that it all comes down to training and the maturity of the individual. If a person is trained properly and has the maturity and intellect to do the job then the age has nothing to do with it. And I don't believe the six o'clock news is the place for that debate. And then they come out with the fact that the operator had a sex change. Ok. And while that might be the topic of interesting conversation, what does that have to do with him being on the phone and operating a trolley? Is there a national safety statistic that say trolley operators that have sex change operations are more likely to text while operating the vehicle? I tend to doubt it. Yes, this is just me complaining about the media again, but enough is enough. There used to be a time where the reporters had respect for people. Now it's just get all the dirt you can and air it to the general public. The fact that this person had a sex change is irrelevant to the news story and should have been left off the air and out of the newspapers. Maybe we need to cut back on so many hours of news every day so that way they can report the information that is relevant to the story. And maybe they can show a nice story once and a while too. I know, that's crazy talk.
While many of my rants tend to have a slight edge of humor to them, this week's public address is of a serious nature. I can't get into details, but my daughter may have been talking to an online predator unknowingly. I have been in contact with law enforcement and that's about all I can really say. I just want to take this opportunity to tell you that if you have kids you really really really need to be careful with them and the internet. My kids know not to talk to anyone without clearing it with us first. And even though they are usually very good about following our instructions, kids sometimes act on their own for seemingly stupid reasons. Be it peer pressure or whatever, kids will sometimes do their own thing, especially when it comes to the internet and these messengers and chats. And there are a sickening amount of nut cases just waiting for someone to fall into their trap. I also would suggest to be careful what you post online at Facebook and sites of that nature. I have been advised to remove personal information about my children from this site and Facebook and to not use the status update to say whether I'm home or at work as well as to not give specifics about what my kids do for activites. This is pretty sad, but it's the reality of the world we live in. There was a recent case of a 13 year old girl that was abducted, raped, and killed. The only info the predator had was her first name, age, town she lived in, the fact she played a particular sport, and her jersey number. He found her with just that little bit. So, this is my plea to you: be careful with what you post online and keep checking on your kids when they are on the computer, especially when they start to get older.
First I'd like to thank the Bruins for a great season. All of the periodicals I read didn't even have them making the playoffs, much less finishing first in the east and going 7 games into the 2nd round. I'm a little disappointed, but moreso because I thought it would have been great if they could have won the cup for my sister. But, you still can't take away all the great stuff they accomplished this past season.
And speaking of sports, there is something that has been driving me crazy for quite some time now. While I understand the need for advertisement and commercials, is it really necessary to run adult themed commercials during afternoon games? It's bad enough when games start at 7 that they have to run them, but during the afternoon when a lot of kids are going to be watching just drives me crazy. And it's not like they run it once either, by the time the game is over you've heard about Smiling Bob's four hour erection fifty times. It's really great when your young kid is running around singing the Viva Viagra song too. During the winter they were promoting a movie about sex during the afternoon Bruins games. I was like, is this really necessary? You just sit there and wait for the questions from the kids to come. What is natural male enhancemant anyway Dad? Should we get some since we're guys? I don't disagre with them being able to run ads, they need to sell their product too. However, I think the networks and the makers of the ads should have a little common sense and leave ads of this nature to a later time slot. Because something tells me that Bob will still be smiling at nine at night too.
I also have been told an incredible and disturbing secret. The reason of why our country is in such a disorganized state. The problems with the economy, with the housing market, with everything including the above ads issue has nothing to do with the Democrats, Republicans, or any other political group. All of the world's problems have been caused by the fire captains in Reading Mass. Can you believe that? I don't know what the do over there in Reading, but the captains are some serious trouble makers. At least, that's what I've been told. (Can't believe I have to put in a disclaimer, but this is a joke. I covered Reading last week and am just giving the Reading guys a chuckle).
Last week I participated in this television preview thing that was kind of cool. A friend of mine received tickets and asked me if I wanted to go. We watched several television shows and commercials and then had to answer a number of survey questions about the shows and the commercials. In addition, I received a phone call this week asking a few more questions. For the record, the first show was lame, but the second wasn't bad. The first was a drama about three people that meet that once knew each other in a previous lift. The second was a comedy about three dads. Two are married and one is divorced and the story in this one was about how the divorced dad wants to do stuff for his kid. He asks to have the son's birthday party at his house, but didn't realize how difficult it would be to find entertainment the week of the party. It was pretty decent and the child actors were very good. So, I started wondering, how much of our input really matters. Luckily for me and my inquiring mind, I know someone that used to work in Hollywood and who's brother is a cameraman. I asked and surprisingly he said a lot goes into what the people say in those surveys. It can actually mean the difference between a show seeing time on a network or being burried in the vaults forever. Same with the commercials. The answers or lack there of, can directly influence how the company advertises. If people don't remember the commercials, they may scrap their advertising campaign and try something else. So, I thought that was cool. The event was only a couple of hours and at least I know that my input was worth something.
Sorry
I'm sure you've all seen the airline commercials where one carrier talks about how another carrier nickles and dimes you to death. Well, the airport isn't much better. I went to pick my wife up earlier this week after she spent a few days in California visiting a friend. First I a little surprised to see how low the ceiling was in the parking garage. I'm sure it was that low the last time, but man it just struck me as being pretty close for those of us in pick ups. The fee to park was fun, $12.00 for less than 2 hours. I guess it's pretty comparable to other Boston parking spots, but still it's pretty nuts when you consider I was only picking someone up and not attending a game or having fun of some sorts. Then my wife brings back a box of wine, so we need one of those cart things. $3.00 for that. I was like, didn't these used to be free? Guess not anymore. And then when we left it was $3.50 for the toll so we could get on the highway. I guess everyone needs a piece. I just thought about how they get you coming and going. Although, my favorite was my wife's $15.00 seat fee on the plane. I guess it has to do with connecting flights, I don't know. But, it sounds stupid to me. If you paid for your ticket, why do you need to pay a fee to sit in it? If I lean on one cheek can I pay $7.50? The craziness of it I tell you. My wife did have a nice time and even stopped in a fire station in Rancho Adobe. She picked me up a few items from there and even asked them to pull out a fire truck so she could take a picture. The guys there were great and were very nice to her. Scott Campbell was one of them and even though I never met him, I'd like to say thanks for being so nice and friendly. This is one of the things that makes our profession unique and special. What other job can you go all the way to the other side of the country and have your wife treated with such kindness? Thanks again guys and thanks Marlene for thinking of me while you were away.
Yes my faithful followers, I am back. The doc has cleared me for full duty, so this episode that I could have done without with is now in the past. No more cast, no more splint, no more poking my eyes out with boredom. Since I'm happy about this, I'm not going to do any complaining today. Next time, I'm sure I'll have something to whine about. But, if there was one good thing about this event is that I think I'm going to do the site a little different now. While it won't be as long between updates, I realized that it is not really necessary to stress myself out trying to cram everything into one update on one day. What I'm going to do is have a table for news of the week instead of just one day and will update it as I can or if I have something to post when I update the other sections. This will allow for news items to be posted quicker. And I'll do that for the announcements as well. I may not update the archive information and photos until after the spotlight photos to allow for a more timely posting of said spotlight photos. Since that is what most people seem to wait for, I can concentrate on that and update the other stuff as time permits. Don't fear, those items will follow shortly, I am just spreading it out instead of trying to jam it all into one update. This will be a little easier for me, while actually making the site more efficient.
This is going to be a quick one. I had a bout with some flu bug that luckily didn't seem to last overly long. None the less I am missing the Bruins game trying to get caught up. But, I do want to take this opportunity to thank the nice family in Pittsfield that donated a mint condition snow blower to us. I share a driveway with my neighbors and they are rather lazy and will not shovel, even though my wife had hand surgery and I work 24 hours shifts. They'll let her go out there and try and clear the driveway with one hand while they look out the window and not lift one finger. And, before you say it, it's a bottle neck opening so just doing one side isn't an option. So, these nice people donated us this beautiful machine to make life easier for us. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their generous gift. Just when you think the world has gone to hell in a hand basket, someone steps up and shows you there is still a lot of goodness still in the world.
Congratulations to Jim McLaughlin Jr and his new bride Kristene. As I said on the spotlight page, my wife and I wish you all the very best. We've known Junior for a very long time, and although we bust his chops, he's a good kid and deserves good things.
I am in the process of putting together a site for the Box 52 Association of Boston. Since I haven't made a meeting in forever and a day, I figured it's the least I can do. It's still under construction, but if you want to check out what's there so far, the address is www.box52.org.
Ok, on to my gripe for the week. I like how all of a sudden everyone has become experts on fire departments running medical calls. It seems like all these newspaper reporters have an opinion and want to share it with the world (This is one example). I don't really understand it to be honest with you, because it really doesn't seem that complicated to me. And, such items are not presented as news. If they did that, there would at the very least be two sides to the story. Or at least some common sense. Do you think that firefighters like getting up at 2 AM for someone with the sniffles that really can, and should, take themselves to the doctors? No more than the EMS crew that has to transport them. But, the point of the matter is, most of the time you don't really know what is going on until you are there. The debate of why send a fire truck on a medical call at all is even more bafflining to me. So, if an ambulance is 10 minutes away and there is a fire station with FF/EMTs three minutes away, you say let the person suffer with no help at all? That's very kind of you. It really comes down to basic logistics. Not just that there are more fire trucks, but it's the availability. If an engine company and an EMS unit respond to a call together, they do not become available for another call at the same time. The engine clears and is available when the patient is loaded, while the ambulance then has to transport the patient to the hospital, offload the patient, and transfer care to the hospital staff. Does that mean a 2nd ambulance is immediately available in that area for an emergency? Not always. I'm not in a big city, but we have many days where one call comes in after another and then another. And when these calls come in consecutively, we are on scene longer and longer before the 2nd and 3rd ambulances arrive. Do you think those people really care if a fire truck pulls up when they are having a true emergency? No, they don't. They are just happy someone is there to help. And I've done everything from comfort care to CPR while waiting for the ambulance to show up. And, this is by no means a dig to the ambulances either. As I said, they have a lot more to do before they can clear which can mean less and less ambulance available as the area gets busier. An engine company can start treatment and many times peform life saving proceedures before an EMS unit arrives. There is a reason why the FDs are dispatched to medical calls. If these people would take the time to do their homework, they most likely would find that people died waiting for an ambulance when a fire station with an in-service fire truck was close by. If the powers that be suddenly decided to stop sending fire trucks on life threatening calls, it wouldn't be long before a law suit would be filed for wrongful death. The system isn't perfect, but it's not broken either. Perhaps they should focus on how more funding can be obtained so that all emergency vehicles, fire, EMS, and PD, can be well maintained and safe for everyone. Fix what's broken, not what isn't.
I wanted to start this week by reminding people that I often will post more photos from a fire scene on the fire photo archive page, even though I don't always make note of that. Many times a photographer will send multiple photos of a fire scene and even though I may only post one or two on the weekly page, I might post more in the fire photo archive page. So if there is a photo of a fire scene that you are interested in, check the fire arhives as there might be a few more. I have also posted a memorial page for LT Kevin Kelley and used all the photos that were sent to me from the funeral. This will be a permanent addition, like the Cahill/Payne page.
So fellow New Englanders, have we had enough of snow yet? I have. I'm tired of shoveling and cleaning off my truck, just to do it again sometimes hours later. I think one of the most love/hate jobs must be that of the snow plow driver. The clear the streets and places you need to go, but always seem to leave a 3 foot concrete wall at the end of your driveway that takes a wrecking ball to remove. I don't complain as I know they have no place to put it, they are just clearing the road like they are supposed to. It is annoying, but much like the weather itself, there isn't much one can do about it. I'm hoping for a warm up as we are running out of spots to shovel the snow to. Of course, I have friends in family in warmer states and they feel the need to constantly call and email me to tell them how warm and nice it is where they are. My cousin actually took pictures and sent them to me of the sunny weather in CA. You can imagine what my response to him was. But, before long the snow will be gone and we'll be complaining about the humidity. Hey, is it hot enough for you?
Well, not even 10 days into the new year and we have our first line of duty death in the Boston area. I hope this isn't a sign of how the year is going to be. It's tough to hear when any firefighter is killed in the line of duty, but it always seems to hit harder when it's a department that is close to you and you know people that work there. I didn't know Kevin personally, but pray for his family and friends in this difficult time. It's also very scary because we all ride in apparatus. This could happend to anyone of us at anytime in any type of department. Small volunteer to the FDNY, an accident with a fire truck can kill you. And sadly, it has before. This is the first such fatality in this area in a while, but if you read the nationwide LODD reports, many firefighters are killed every year in accidents. The accidents obviously occur for various reason. Some are operator error, some are weather/road conditions, and others are equipment related. It appears that this one was caused by faulty apparatus and that is truly the hardest to take. These things can and should be prevented, but many times maintenance issues are allowed to exist because of financial issues or other reasons. Many times chiefs and fire crews hold their breath until July waiting for new funds to make much needed repairs and that's just wrong. I know this is the way it is and unfortunately I don't think anything will change about it. But, in my view, public safety people should be safe in their own vehicles. There should be a way to repair or order new equipment to ensure the safety of the firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel that use them. This in turn also protects the public. For one you can get to the emergency and do your job and two you don't hurt any civilians or yourself on the way there. Especially in these economic times, I don't have an answer. I just know that something is wrong with the system, because emergency personnel should have safe equipment to do their jobs. They should have vehicles that are well maintained and then replaced when it is appropriate to do so. No more band aids and duck tape holding the rust that's holding the rust that's holding the truck together. This is unsafe for us and it's unsafe for the public. And unless someone in a high position of government can figure out how to get fire departments the equipment they need, then things like this will continue to happen.
Happy New Year! If you are wondering why there are two different update dates on some pages, it's because I ended up finishing the update a little earlier than I had thought. So, rather than wait until tomorrow I just posted everything now. As some of you have figured out, I now have a facebook account. This was at the prompting of my wife. Why I need one, I'm not sure, but I'm now on there. I don't know the direct address off hand, but you can just search for John Galla and you'll find me.
I had the opportunity to attend a Manchester Monarchs AHL game last weekend and had a great time. Everyone knows I'm a big Bruins fan, but the prices to go to a game are just too high. I would have picked Providence first, but that's a bit of a ride. Manchester isn't far from me and I have no issue with the parent club (LA Kings), so my wife and I decided to take in a game. What a great time. The tickets were cheap, but the seats were fantastic. A fun time and the atmosphere was great. People didn't push or shove or get out of line. The staff was very serious about the family environment and didn't want anyone yelling swears or getting out of line. If you did, you might be finding yourself outside. And if you got up during the game, they didn't let you back to your seat until there was a stoppage of play. I really liked that. I can't tell you how many times I paid good money to see a B's game, only to spend half of it getting up and down so people could keep getting more beer. And, they ask you to keep the talking to a minimum so people can enjoy the game. Bravo on that too. I once learned a girl's entire life's history during the three periods of a Bruins game. Not for nothing lady, but I'm here to see a game, not tune into a session with Dr. Phil. Manchester has a new fan now and I'm going to go to a few more games. Just not against the P-Bruins. I don't want to feel like a total traitor.