Geppetto

In the past, letters from the volunteer service, having any magntitude, would be signed by all of the "5" chiefs. This was a sign of unity. In regards to the Mill Spring fire, a letter was posted, signed by only 4 of the chiefs, without Glenbrook. Granted this fire may have had responses by only 4 of the departments, but in the past, ALL 5 of them would have shown solidarity. It is my understanding that Glenbrook has been on the "outs" for some time, even so much as automatic mutual aid to/from them (from the other 4) has been altered. The posted letter just reinforces that thought.

And from a geographic point of view - Belltown should be the strongest of the companies. For the sake of the readers - Belltown is centrally located within the city. That means that it has the luxury of obtaining members from the entire city. I would imagine that the other departments actually envy that predicament. Ask yourself, if you lived in the Long Ridge area, would it make sense to volunteer your time and effort in Glenbrook? (by "conservative" estimates 15 minutes by car) Probably not, unless you want to become a salvage/overhaul firefighter, which I also seem to get the read that no-one wants to do. Look outside the city, and close to home - for example. In NY, the Bedford, Bedford Hills and Katonah Volunteer departments already except each others manpower at calls. That takes plenty of ego-squashing and combined training, so that you know who the heck you're working with. And there are hundreds of positive examples nationwide. Is that the case in Stamford? By reading the letters posted at the Board of Reps site, it looks as if Glenbrook is now ostracized. A similar "untouchable" status was given to Springdale when they signed on with the city back in the '90's. My comment was not disrespectful to the firefighters in Belltown. I do not care who advances hose lines, as long as someone does! BUT, it just seems to me, and maybe not only to me, that much more could be accomplished if everybody did something together. When this finally ends - there will be plenty of fat lawyers, but I am not sure there will be "5" companies left to fight fires. Unfortunately, some of them will have used up there last energies in this fight, when they could have salvaged some of their colorful histories combining into a new (and practical) entity. It is only my opinion.

I am sincerely glad that 1 of the volunteer companies has enough personnel to cover their calls. But the unfortunate underlying theme is that even if that district is covered, it appears that majority of their (and other) posting personnel show no concern for the greater picture of the volunteer fire service of Stamford. I make no pretense that any one of the 5 should or could attempt to cover the vast area outside the downtown area, but once again I put forth the thought that perhaps, just perhaps if there was "1" volunteer department, there wouldn't be so many holes in the system. I've got my own little piece of bottom land. What you do with yours is your problem.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10879089?

State orders cameras out of firehouse Stamford Advocate By Jeff Morganteen Staff Writer 10/30/2008 STAMFORD - The state Board of Labor Relations has ordered the city to remove 15 surveillance cameras installed in the Springdale Fire Co. station on Hope Street.... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10852212?

Fire sends resident to hospital Stamford Advocate 10/28/08 By Jeff Morganteen STAMFORD - A small kitchen fire Sunday night in Springdale sent a middle-age man to the hospital for smoke inhalation and underscored the continuing rift between paid city firefighters and volunteers. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10833324? And the hits just keep on coming ...

FYI - They speak Portuguese in Brazil.

House fire ignites debate By Jeff Morganteen Staff Writer - Stamford Advocate 10/17/2008 STAMFORD - Earlier this month, Tom Molen hosted a dinner party for about 15 friends at his Mill Spring Lane home, a large modern house with gray wood siding on a North Stamford cul-de-sac. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10743567

There has been some recent interesting correspondence between the City and the volunteer fire companies. I am not sure if all of it has to do with the "still memory-fresh" Long Ridge fire, but it seems that that may have been the catalyst. http://www.boardofreps.org/content/92031/92034/default.aspx

I would think that IF the powers that be, Chiefs, Directors, Mayors, etc made it clear that SFRD was mandated to train the volunteers, (through whatever resolution, contract or whatever it took), then it would be done; regardless of the union's position. The union personnel are firefighter's first, and they have to take orders just like everybody else. Would they want something for it? I'm sure they would and ... (I'm sure some incentives could be given to them as well.) The term "rival organization" comes from the IAFF By-Laws, and it is my understanding that several of the Stamford volunteer companies committed acts which the union did not find in their interests. (Lawsuits, forced layoffs etc.) This then "forced the hand" and caused them to be labelled with that title. It is also my understanding the the city adminstration has never labelled any firefighting unit as rival, probably because there is no one agency responsible for fire protection throughout the city. Unfortunately, as each incident unfolds, it is becoming apparent that there is going to be less and less volunteers to train. I can not see the union losing through attrition.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...9/NEWS/81009007

The SAFER grant given to TOR would be better spent supporting a "STAMFORD" (citywide) Volunteer Division/Department rather than feathering their own district's nest.

Fire at St. Cecilia school prompts an evacuation Stamford Advocate 10/08/08 Jeff Morganteen http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10664736 Considering the "actual" resources in the current system, does anyone know if any city units responded?

Roscoe-Rockland voters reject firehouse proposal for 2nd time By Adam Bosch Times Herald-Record October 01, 2008 ROSCOE - Voters in the Roscoe-Rockland Fire District rejected a proposal for a new $2.45 million firehouse by a vote of 200-106. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...1/NEWS/81001006

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10656283 Stamford Advocate (Briefs) 10/07/08 Jeff Morganteen A blaze that began in a fireplace extensively damaged a North Stamford home Saturday night, fire officials said. Long Ridge Fire Department Chief Robert Bennett said the fire was reported about 9 p.m. at 117 Mill Spring Lane. Volunteer crews from Springdale and Turn of River fire departments assisted Long Ridge firefighters in containing the blaze, Bennett said. Stamford-WORKING FIRE-Mill Spring Ln, Long Ridge District. LRFD, TRFD, E5, E8, E9, U4 o/s Nick - Saturday, October 04, 2008 at 21:38:08 (EDT) 3 City Engines and the On-duty Deputy Chief were on-scene and Long Ridge or the Advocate doesn't even think to acknowledge their presence - Things that make you go hmmm...

Although I did not see anything on News 12 or in the Advocate, I was told there was a substantial fire in Long Ridge's district over the weekend. Can anyone verify this?

Dodd, Lieberman Announce $48,000 in Federal Grants for Stamford Fire Department Turn of River to get 2007 SAFER Grant http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/4583

What is clear is that the volunteer fire representatives still see themselves as advocates for their own departments. The underlying theme of working as one volunteer unit; one Stamford volunteer fire department still is a foreign concept and "will never work here." I've said it before; unfortunately you are facilitating your own demise. If you work on the concept that "The city has forced this system down our throats" - OK fine, work out the legal BS in the courts. You may (and more power to you, the little guy) win the battle, but a Pyrrhic victory is one where the war is lost. Resources in money and manpower are lost, everyday, because each of the volunteer companies STILL see themselves as BFD, GFD, SFCO, TORFD and LFRD firefighters rather than STAMFORD firefighters!. How many times does this have to be said? At least the union firefighters can all say they are, even if they may not like their new patches.

There's more to this story - Times-Herald Record related articles Fallsburg fire chief arrested in connection with bungalow arson 9/4/08 http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...4/NEWS/80904018 & Man faces hate-crime count 9/4/08 http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../NEWS/809040320

Shoreline Pools blaze blamed on chemical reaction Stamford Advocate - 08/26/2008 STAMFORD - The three-alarm chemical fire that destroyed a Shoreline Pools warehouse on 246 Selleck St. last month was caused by an accidental chemical reaction in the back of a pick-up truck, fire officials said Monday. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10306293

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10254865

Also consider items required by ISO for "Ladder" and "Service" companies. It's pretty basic stuff, but you might as well get the credit for it if you're going to spend the money on the rolling stock. Some items are NOT required by NFPA 1901. There are equivalencies for many items which may work out better for your individual district. http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/3000/ppc3005.html http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/3000/ppc3006.html http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/3000/ppc3007.html

Fire dispute on hold By Wynne Parry Staff Writer Stamford Advocate - 08/07/2008 STAMFORD - The trial to determine the fate of fire protection in the Turn of River district has been delayed until October. In the meantime, both the city and the volunteer-run department have said they are open to more negotiations. Since July 1, Turn of River has operated as an all-volunteer department on a radically reduced budget. Meanwhile, Stamford Fire & Rescue has moved two engines into the district. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_10122675

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_10100002

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_10051190