gamewell45

when it comes down to it; a title is just that and nothing more; its the job function that really counts and defines the job in the overall picture.

I'm drooling......

That's basically the same system we used in my old department; it brought stability and with training, the knowledge necessary to properly carry out your duties as an officer. The department that i'm in now (and this is my opinion only, not speaking for my department) has what we call "ping-pong" officers. They bounce in and out of office depending on election results and as a result, there is no consistency, especially with the Line officers. A Lt. will get voted in, spend a year learning the job and growing as an officer and then at the end of the year, get voted out for whatever reason and you start all over again. I think its counter-productive to the fire service personally, but it appears to work for the department. Just my 2cents.

I could be wrong, but I believe that under state law, active Volunteer Firefighters can purchase their medical benefits through the town, village or municipality. It's cost neutral to the town, village or municipality; the individual pays the total cost of the premium.

That's what we call damage control.

Fact of the matter is right or wrong, this will be a public relations nightmare for the town, no two ways about it.

I'll drink to that!

Out of curiosity, what about students who are physically unable to swim or perform CPR due to physical limitations?

Neil J. McCabe, who taught me that patience and tolerance were true virtues to have ownership of.

Most voters don't care about the fire department until they need them, then suddenly they get religion.

We cannot discount the possiblity that it may have been there for some other sanctioned department/district business. Unless someone actually approached the operator of the vehicle and asked questions, there could be a million explanations that we don't know about.

Drove it for years as well. Really fine rig for its time.

I'm surprised that anyone would have any issues when it comes to safety and health, especially in the firehouse where people might spend a majority of their time. There might be more to this story then what we know.

While I agree that we all should look professional (ie. in uniform when on duty) I'm confident that someone in full cardiac arrest doesn't care much at that point.

The cost of living down there is a lot less then westchester or for that fact, the tri-state area.

Why not just a lolipop in the grill?

All Presidents are members of the same hypocrisy whether or not we want to admit it or not.

I'd be ok with it.

Making sure everyone has insurance is much better then without; those without end up going to the ER with Taxpayers footing the bill most of the time. Its cheaper in the long run IMO

I think that many volunteers already have medical benefits through their employers at this time; either way the fire departments could apply for an exemption. Both House's of Congress got exemptions. Stands to reason that VFD's could try the same

I've been told by a member from White Plains VFD (so your getting this second hand) that the labor contracts prohibit volunteers from doing any firefighting operations and it's been that way for many years. The only thing they do now as volunteers is CERT; they are all that's left of the volunteer fire department aside from the exempt and associate members.

The fact of the matter is both services will always have those who sparr with one another for whatever the reason; let the rest of us focus on getting the job done while the others poke at each other with pike poles.

Reminds me of my job; they guys all complained about work load and too much over time; once the company hired more manpower, the overtime virtually dried up and they almost all to a man complained there was virtually no overtime. They shot themselves in the foot in the long run.

Not to be argumentative, but I think it would be safe to say he does have values, just that his values are different from your values/viewpoints.

From your elaboration, it sounds as if the city abandoned/washed their hands of you once the new 207-A Solutions Administrator took over; if this in fact is true, then it is truly rephrehensible especially if it was due to the city's negligence. Hopefully the union, if applicable, reached out to assist you and perhaps investigate the possiblity of filing a lawsuit to recover funds/benefits.