FFPCogs

A volunteer division Asst Chief is a major step in the right direction and if all parties can sit down and develop a mutually acceptable plan to move forward it should suffice. The cynic in me though believes it won't. Therefore IMO a Fire Commission comprised of career, volunteer and publically elected represenatatives offers the best hope of building and managing a truly integrated combination department. The Charter Revision Commission disagreed, maybe others won't.

Quite frankly FD I cannot answer your questions with any degree of certainty as I am not privy to what the other VFDs may or may not do. Speaking for myself here i can say that I and others within my FD are seeking to move forward under the assumption that the Charter will change. Of course there are some adjustments I would like to see to that process and I will work tirelessly inasmuch as I can to see them come to fruition. Regardless of the outcome of those efforts though I am fully aware that a far more interactive realtionship with SFRD is coming and the fact is it is welcomed...no matter what rhetorical nonsense may appear on these pages from those who seek to "prove" otherwise. That said it would be far more welcomed if there were a greater degree of mutual respect and forthright communication on the expectations of all the parties involved. I have tried to outline mine and as far as I'm aware that of my fellow members as clearly as I can without reservation...hopefully others will follow suit.

FD828 to the best of my knowledge there is no longer a "Mayor's plan" since the funding was cut. No money no plan. So now it is time to look ahead to when the probable occurs and we are united via a Charter revision. That brings everything full circle to who it is we will be "partners" with. My position is clear and in fact it is the same one I've held all along, Representation, standardization and integration. Just curious to see if others agree and if so to what extent. Maybe if enough common ground exists the denunciation some seek may yet be forthcoming, but more likely it won't have to be..

Upon rereading this it dawned on me what the misconception is. I for one am not looking to "get" anyone and it makes me wonder why anyone would think there's anyone or anything to 'get' unless there's something to be "got" in the first place. So just like what has plaqued us all along from the outset of our mess, we're off on the wrong foot ibecause of miscommunication, misinterpretation and mistrust. I simply want to know who, in their own words, we may shortly be forced into bed with. Honestly I would think you or anyone else involved would want to know the same so as to reduce the rhetoric, hearsay and BS. Start anew? Ok let's put it out clearly so there is no confusion as to why actions are taken and comments made. All I want (and I am confident my fellow members want) and will continue to work for is a combined fire service where my men and I are capable of operating as equals based on our training and qualifications....or in other words by virtue of what we've learned, earned and produced. No career or volunteer labels, just firefighters and fire officers working as one department.....period. Anything else will get a challenge from me and I can safely say the majority of my fellow BFD members as well. So there's a nice clear picture and firm footing from which to start anew.

SFRD E9 I want to thank you again for taking the time to share your views. As we both know neither you nor I or anyone of us is going to change the world, but by submitting your experience and views on it you have offered a model for consideration which may hold some keys to mutual support. Like other concepts and ideas presented in the past there will be points which most will see as useful and this can be a huge help in bridging gaps and identifying commonalities which are the buildling blocks of cooperation. By the way I've read Chief Siecienski's thesis "Developing Collaborative Efforts in a Combination Fire Dept". Although written in 1999 it is still a very interesting, useful and enlightening read.

Good for you Cap you are after all entitled to your opinion just as I am mine. I too am also quite comforatble standing behind my record and what it has produced and with the suggestions I have put forth..

Thank you SFRD E-9 for your response. From what I read that sounds absolutely doable although to be honest i envision a somewhat more integrated command system. That said I couldn't agree more that this should be give and take and i and have no problem giving when the end result is one that builds a true combination system to serve our City. i must agree on one more very important point you made, and that is that we can make it work and in fact it will no matter what. i happen to believe though that it will work much better and serve the city better when we do so together as partners. Your response was to me a great first step in that direction which I intend to share with my fellow members. Again thanks.

I don't need to create new tension, there's plenty of it already there and niether I or any of my volunteer colleagues created it. You can call it trolling or whatever the hell else you want Cap, but those who want to see a truly successful and cooperative future combined fire service know that the input of all is of value in building such....and that includes criticisms and a good hard look at what brought us here in the first place. So while it may be the leaderships that implement the course, the more obstacles removed by the rank and file the easier the transition will be, since after all it is we who will be working together. Communication on any level is a good thing and at least as far as vollies go it could make all the difference in the world. You see what has become clear is that there is a misunderstanding of how thing work in Vollywood. Unlike the military, ultimately it is the memberships of the individual departments that decide the course their department takes. The more open and free discourse there is about our probablre combined future the more informed and therefore better decision they can make...otherwise we run the risk of it being one based on misinformation, misconceptions and the inherent mistrust that has grown over the years. Far better to have broad support for the Charter Rivision and help assure it's passge, then face yet more contention and see it fail at the polls. Frank, honest and open communication is the only way to achieve that support.

True but he would be a "new" Chief for volunteers. And although I would have absolutely no problem with him Chief Conte is not guaranteed the top spot as of yet. The potential exists for an outside person to be brought in to run our combination department.

Interesting take. I had always thought the whole intent of this thread and in fact this site was the free exchange and discussion of ideas and opinions. That's one way of looking at it. I tend to believe that any insights into the views of our potential future partners can only be helpful. Communication is the key to any successful partnership and quite frankly I think the more misconceptions we can eliminate now, before the probable shotgun wedding, the smoother the transition will be after it. I guess you could say that what you call pointless and irresponsible I call prudent and potentially very helpful, whether that wedding occurs or not. Well first off our one Chief doesn't exist yet, but we'll assume he will. While he will have the ultimate power to make decisions many factors will influence that process. This discussion is in no way meant to set a direction as that will be the Chief's job, but more so to open the bridges that have long been closed by simply conducting an open discourse amonst firefighers. I believe many of the bumps in the road can be smoothed over by such communication even if disagreements persist. Is it? I think this is no more about fire protection now than it was when this debacle started. It is simply closer to a resolution than it as been. At least I got what I was looking for as far as you are concerned. By not answering the questions posed you have in fact answered them. Thanks PJ

With all due respect, no Skylark I don't believe I am putting the cart before the horse. The "new" Chief of a combined Stamford Fire Dept will be influenced by a number of factors in determining what roles will be played, who will play them and how. This will include those of his subordinate Asst Chief of Volunteer Services (assuming the BoR reinstates funding for the position of course) who will be the lone voice of volunteer representation. Unfortunately the common belief and ultimate truth is that this position, as envisioned, will be nothing more than a filled chair collecting a paycheck with no authority or means of redressing any grievances of the volunteers who, unlike our career counterparts, have no CBA to protect them. I have quite clearly illustrated the concerns shared by my fellow members and myself about this lack of protection and of the possible roles we will be tasked with under this new regime. I have gone on to explain why we are genuinely (and justifiably) concerned about these issues. So to either alleviate or reinforce those concerns I am simply looking for some clarification from the SFRD contingent on here as to their views on what those roles should or could be and why. And this is important because, for a number of reasons, those views WILL have at least some bearing on our new Chief's plans for our combined operations. I'm also certain that such enlightenment may go far in setting the tone for our pending cooperative venture now and in the future. Cogs

True enough PJ but one would think that any Chief worth his salt would seek the counsel or at least the input of his trusted staff, officers and personnel in making that decision. As was posted I was just curious as to what any SFRD contributors here envisioned for the future based on their own opinions and experiences that, specualtion or not, may influence that decision. Thus far we do have the union President on record calling for volunteers to be akin to CERT. Based on his standing within the organization one can only assume that ithis is the union's official position as well. Now whether or not that position will become the official mandate of a Chief remains to be seen, but with the full understanding that anything posted is just speculaion is that a position most agree with or is another role(s) envisioned? If so what is it (are they)?

Well it's been a few days since I asked the above questions relating to what is envisioned for the future with no reply, so I will again ask any of my SFRD colleagues to comment on this question: What is the exact role(s) you see for Stamford's volunteers once the one chief is in place?

Ok so now there will be one overall Chief, fair enough I have no real problem with that concept. But what does concern me is what happens after that. You say it can work and frankly I agree wholeheartedly it can...any system can be made to work. But what constitutes working? Any number of scenarios can be put forth but what is it that you would consider workable in terms of Command? Responses? Standards? Staffing?... and the exact role of volunteers in all those factors? I only ask this because it was quoted that volunteers in the future will be likened to CERT. That prospect does not sit well with many volunteer FFs especially at BFD, which by the way and just to keep the facts straight, to date has answered 100% of all dispatched alarms both in and out of district. The "farm team" or SFRD "feeder"analogies also are not really viable from my point of view for much the same reason...and that being that as a viable, productive and professional department that has the solid support of it's community the idea of being relegated to anything other than primary responders is abhorrent, and in BFDs case at least, unjustified as well. So yes it can work but I sincerely hope it will work in a way that builds upon the strengths already there...not ignores them. Time will tell Also just a quick reminder that the process has a long way to go before it becomes a reality especially in light of the fact that an SFRD Asst. Chief's position was recently cut from the budget by the BoR. I was remiss in addessing one more very important point within your post and on this I can speak with full certainty for BFD. There is absolutley no hatred of SFRD FFs by any of our members...none. Most may not agree with the apparent direction we are headed for a variety of reasons, but that disagreement should in no way be taken as a sign of hatred, it is simply a disagreement and it can be resolved. I and all of our members have the utmost respect for our downtown career colleagues and the job you do, even those who seemingly do not return the sentiment. We understand that the nature of the fire service in Stamford has changed and in fact will change even more in the near future Charter revision or not. We are also fully aware that we will all be working much more closely together in the coming months and years. Universally we not only accept this fact, but we also hope that through mutual respect that new relationship will flourish and we are commited to doing our part in making that happen. That said I would hope that rational people can understand that we must also temper that hope and commitment with our valid concerns for our future and that of our neighbors in Belltown. Cogs

Thanks Billy and hey who doesn't like a challenge.....

Greetings all from always sunny Kandahar Afghanistan. So it's been awhile since I reported in, due in no small part to the fact that I wasn't here for 3 1/2 months. Yes I had an extended leave for some minor surgeries that have since healed. So here I am on day three back in the sandbox. First thing I noticed is that I now have a roommate. Yes my wonderfully blissfull life as the sole occupant of room A-77 is over. My new "guest" is Aruna and he hails from Sri Lanka. What is unusal about our arrangement is that, unlike everyone else, we are off the same time. You see everyone has a roommate but everyone's elses works opposing shifts, so in fact they are the masters of their own domain..all 100 square feet of it, on their days off. I on the other hand, through the blessing of fortune, have been moved onto red shift for temporary duty, which also happens to be Aruna's normal shift, thus we are together 24/7. Now while some might find this troublesome, I have taken the approach that it is a learning experience. Yes I am learning patience, a virtue I sadly do not possess in any quantity worth mentioning. I'm also learning to move very stealthily. You see I'm something of an insomniac. To bed at 12 or 1 up at 3:30 - 4. Now when I lived alone it was no big deal..get up, jump on skype and call the wife and kids 8 1/2 hours behind in the States, call on some friends nearby working the overnight, do the three Ss...you know sh**, shower and shave, and maybe even get a little morning wood "relief" with the help of some internet visual aids all before heading off to work. Well all but the Ss are bit hard to do with a guy sleeping a mere 5 feet away. So I've become quite the stealthy one...like a ninja slipping silently in and out of the room. And Aruna's a real good sport too but one who is not without a few quirks of his own. Chief among them was his belief that's what's mine is his, most notably my cell phone and bath items such as soap. But we've worked that out..I gave him the phone as I really don't use it, plus at 60 buck a fill up (about twice a week on average) it gets a bit costly just to yap about nothing with people I really don't want to talk to anyway. As for the bath items, scale and everything else, well let's just say he's now fully aware that those are hands off without permission. But there is another part of the learning experience and it is one that for me has real meaning. Aruna's a Buddhist, I'm Roman Catholic which as lead to some enlightening discussions for both of us. We are also culturally very different as well in our views of the world, marriage and just about everything else save one...family. Both him and I (and every other family man here for that matter) has the same view on the importance of family and yes even our extended firehouse families too. So time spent with my new roomie has again offered me the opportunity I relish most..to learn about other cultures and peoples and diminsh my own ignorance in the process. I guess things really do happen for a reason. As far as the work goes well I've only done one shift on red. Good bunch of guys, just not my bunch of guys, but it's all good. First day back saw us moving a good deal for us though. 11 runs yesterday the first of which, 3 minutes into the shift, was a semi trailer of electronics cooking good. That killed the better part of an hour with clean up and all. Then a series of smells and bells, an MVA with injuries and a small generator fire at the Boardwalk. A nice leisurely lunch of chicken curry, rice and salad followed and then some more smells and bells. High point of the day a smoky two room job just before dinner held with no real extension to the rooms involved upon arrival. And the capper of the day another generator at the boadwalk just before midnight. I should just point out that yesterday was a balmy 108 by 2 pm with evening temps hovering around 90....which like all things here carries a silver lining. Temps like that do wonders for dieting... So all things considered a great first shift back and a good first couple of days back in Crapahar after a very extended and enjoyable leave. Stay Safe all and thanks for all you all do back home Cogs

From today's Advocate: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Conn-House-passes-firefighter-compensation-bill-3528361.php

RIP

You're right of course...what the hell was I thinking....

I've submitted the following letter to the Advocte in response to a previous Editorial titled "Let Charter decide fire service". Since I do not know if my response will be published I thought I'd put it out here for discussion of the concept. Any thoughts? 4/27/2012 To the Editor, Yes, let the Charter decide fire service, but how? In regards to the previous Op-Ed piece “Let the Charter decide fire service,” I personally must agree that this option offers the best possible means currently available to resolve Stamford’s ongoing Fire Service issues in a timely fashion. The question is how will the Charter accomplish this important task? To answer that question we must look at what it is we hope to achieve. As was outlined in that piece, for many the answer is one combination fire department, one chain of command and one fire chief. Speaking for myself I agree and believe that this is an admirable goal, but it is also one fraught with obstacles that have the potential to erode the volunteer contribution if not administered properly. These obstacles are based in the inherent differences between the career and volunteer sectors of the fire service which are not unique to Stamford, in fact they are prevalent nationwide. These include labor relations and management, training and certification standards and command and administrative functions both on and off incident scenes. Added to these are the contentious atmosphere and a history of animosity that has grown between the “sides” of Stamford’s fire service discouraging any cooperative efforts from taking root to date. To overcome these obstacles and create a combined fire service at this point will take more than just a willingness to embrace change, it will also take a commitment to building an integrated fire service. This service must be one that builds upon the similarities and minimizes the differences between the dedicated career and volunteers firefighters who serve Stamford if it is to be successful in the long term. This necessity can best be summed up by the following excerpt from a Blue Ribbon report entitled “Taking Action, Improving Volunteer Fire Service Serviceability to American Communities” written by members of the International Association of Fire Chiefs: “A combination fire department will not work when it is based on prejudice, or when either group of firefighters, career or volunteer, functions in the minority role or is perceived to be subservient to the other”. Keeping in mind that a combination fire department is the ultimate goal, the Charter Revision Commission has the ability to do what no one else has thus far been able to do, put all of the affected parties literally in the same room and in effect force them by Charter to develop a mutually acceptable solution. I believe this can be accomplished in the most equitable and therefore effective manner by putting language similar to the following in the Charter: The City of Stamford shall have one Fire Commission charged with developing an integrated fire protection and rescue service comprised of both career and volunteer sections henceforth to be known as the Stamford Fire Department. This Fire Commission shall thereafter have the authority to determine and manage the operational aspects of this Fire Department and the constituent sections thereof. The Fire Commission shall be comprised of nine voting members. Three members drawn from and representing the career section, three members drawn from and representing the volunteer section and three members representing the residents of the City that shall be elected by the public and have no personal, family or business connection to any Fire Company or Department. All members of the Fire Commission shall reside within the boundaries of the City of Stamford for the duration of their term. These two short paragraphs offer a threefold solution to the issue. First they mandate that such a Fire Commission would create an integrated fire department that combines the dedicated career and volunteer firefighters that have and continue to serve Stamford so well. Second they then grant that Commission the authority to govern that which they have created. Third they guarantee that all the affected parties, the career section, the volunteer section and most importantly the public whom both serve, would have a literal “seat at the table“ and equality in developing and managing such a unified fire department. While some see such a Commission as a peril, I believe that this design is in fact an opportunity, perhaps the only one, to build the truly integrated combination fire service that our City deserves and bring about a lasting solution that addresses the interests of all the parties involved now and in the future. Peter Cogliano Stamford Mr. Cogliano is a lifelong Stamford resident and member of the Belltown Fire Department. He is employed by ATCO Frontec Europe as a Fire Captain and is currently assigned to the Kandahar Airfield Crash, Fire and Rescue Service supporting the operations of the International Security Assistance Force in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. __________________ Pete Cogliano Belltown Fire Dept. Stamford, CT ________________ Captain Kandahar Crash, Fire and Rescue Service Kandahar, Afghanistan

On another forum it was suggested that volunteers ride along on career rigs, Taken a step farther I think distributing career and volunteer personnel citywide is an excellent idea. When coupled with standardized training and promotional requirements the city could save a bundle as volunteers share duty shifts with career members in what would be a truly great, maybe even the perfect, combination system. Cogs

Word on the street has it the SVFD funding has been cut. Now the real work begins.

Best of luck to this guy http://news.yahoo.com/vitality/

Rest in Peace

Thanks, more to follow once I'm back in the sandbox