gamewell45

I would say, let the district fix the problems and move forward from this issue.

Very good posting. Unfortunately, this happens on both sides of the fence. Most of us in the fire service realize or should realize that we are all on the same team and our primary function is to be there when the public needs us. For whatever the reason, there will always be a minority of fire service members who enjoy stirring the pot if you will, which only causes animosity on both sides and is best served by not letting reactionary fire service members get under our skin. Instead, we should all be focusing on our obligation to protecting the public and let those who sit in the corner or in front of a keyboard casting aspersions fall on deaf ears. We'll all be much better for it. Just my two cents on the matter.

May our departed Brother find eternal rest and comfort in the lords kingdom.

I was thinking more along the lines of a rickshaw; you'd save big on gas and put people to work.

Great Keyboardist from a great band that brought you hits like "Smoke on the water" and "Strange Kind of Woman".

Rest In Peace Chief

Been driving jeeps (CJ-7) since 1980. Wouldn't buy anything else!

Agreeably many people do believe that fire will never strike them; they roll the dice and take their chances. The well-to-do have more money and as such may be willing to roll the dice more often then the average person since they have the means to rebuild and start over again. Education on sprinklers and how they work might help to allay of some fears that people may have regarding water damage, but no matter how much education you offer, there will be those who will skirt the edge and take their chances.

That's why they have insurance.

Ok, I wasn't aware of the prior relationship between the city and fire union.

There's an old saying in the labor circles; never trust management. The mayor, in his hamfisted attempt to save money has most likely seriously damaged years of respect and integrity in reference to contract bargainging. It wouldn't surprise me if the mistrust caused by this very poor decision by the mayor will have a negative impact on future contract talks down the road for the city. I wouldn't blame the union either; how can you trust someone who in the prior contract thew out all the negotiated agreements without re-opening the contract to seek changes without first sitting down for formal negotiations with the union leadership and a vote by the rank and file. Aside from whatever legal actions (ULP's) are filed, its unlikely that the trust between the parties, which probably took years to form will not be restored for a long time down the road. I've read in this thread that fire union officials are planning to take action against the city; I think they have an excellent case based on what i've read in here; courts tend to view very dimly any entity that abrogates a labor contract with only a few exceptions. I wish all the union brothers and sisters in Scranton, all the best; you've got solidarity, you'll overcome this.

Don't take everything you hear in here to heart; take it from the source.

Yes you are correct now that I think of it; I recall the Treasurer mentioning that some years ago.

I think that action by the fire fighters union would be a very prudent move at this point. Just to let the politicians know that the union is fully aware of their actions and will do what they have to do to maintain the integrity of the labor agreement.

May he rest in peace.

I know that my current fire company is a not-for-profit corporation and I may be wrong, but i think organizations such as that may be subject to various disclosure laws. I know that my former fire company I belonged to in Westchester didn't fall under that category and as such I don't think the laws applied to them since their charter was granted by the Board of Fire Commissioners. Just a thought to help move the discussion along.

I'm wondering if it would be possible for the public to foil the books. I'd think that if the fire company is a non-for profit organization, you might be able to gather information that way?

All monies donated to the fire company are used for expenses not covered by the fire district. When we send out our flyer ever year for donations, it is very specific and people are told what the monies collected are used for. The fire districts books are always open and avilable at every Board meeting for anyone who wants to review them.

There is precedence in Pa. for extreme cutbacks; in the early 80's when the steel industry was tanking in Pittsburgh, FD's experienced severe reductions in salaries and in some cases outright conversion from career to volunteer. Clairton stands out in my mind which was one of three departments to dispand and convert. It was very tough times for public safety then and now. If the Scranton public service employees are union, unless the city declares bankruptcy and voids all contracts, I doubt the legality of cutting salaries (unless unions agreed to this of course).

Perhaps or they might be using monies collected from union dues from the membership whether or not each member approves or in fact know's about it in the first place.

May the Sister Rest In Peace.

In your opinion, what is there purpose in life?

Perhaps the career/combo departments might benefit from some type of consolidation since some of them are rather costly to the taxpayers (Fairview and Arlington come to mind) and this could help to reduce overall costs to the public in those districts..

Perhaps they would, perhaps they won't. I live in Dutchess County and can only speak for the area that I live in and most people here are content with the way things are and have no desire to see anything change on that magnitude.

Notwithstanding Albany, many volunteer departments in Dutchess have no desire to form a county FD. While taxpayers can vote on a referendum to disolve the district, in many districts there most likely wouldn't be much support from the public in general; we have enough trouble getting the public out to vote very year for the commissioners election, getting them to vote to disband a district with in some cases, potential increased taxes isn't going to generate much support.