Hiring of Mt. Vernon Firefighters put on hold

[DaRock98 76]

MOUNT VERNON -The hiring of five firefighters has been put on hold by new Mayor Clinton Young pending a look at the city's finances.

http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID...18/NEWS02closer

[hudson144 150]

LOL-amazing how the 5 members were sent to get measured for their turnout gear 2 weeks ago and then get slapped in the face with not being hired! when you read the article i can see that a couple of people better go to confesion this week. Like a skunk- IT STINKS!!! I wonder if any of those 5 quit their jobs,gave 2 week notices etc. With the NYS audit due any minute now maybe the new mayor will be educated a bit when NYS civil service visits him and advises him about the rules and regs in place that need to adhered to. Ernie did what he wanted to do and it looks like Clinton has the same agenda! As i read the article again I want to bring out a point, those 5 positions are vacant because of retirements,promotions, injurys etc. the money is already there for those positions. Come may when vacations start and the manpower is not there because members are scheduled to be off whats the excuse going to be then? "THE BUDGET''? Or are we going to go down to a real minimal amount of manpower and point the finger at somebody else when one of us gets killed or civilian lives are at risk? Its pretty bad when you have a busy FD such as FDMV and there is more manpower on a garbage truck than an engine co. Years back they talked about an outside consulting firm to come in and do a evaluation of the dept. Do it now, a great idea!

Edited March 11, 2008 by hudson144

[CPAGE 2]

The faces and names changed but the game is still the same.........................................Good luck guy's hope it works out for the brothers in FDMV for a change.

CP

[FirNaTine 370]

Seems like business as usual for the brothers in the Vern. What a disgrace! Why anyone would even want to work there is beyond me. I'm surprised they don't have a bigger badge drain like the Cops. Or do they?

[lad12derff 283]

Seems like business as usual for the brothers in the Vern. What a disgrace! Why anyone would even want to work there is beyond me. I'm surprised they don't have a bigger badge drain like the Cops. Or do they?

Brother, It's easy to get a cop job but not so easy to get hired by FD. Not alot of places take transfers.

[x635 4,066]

This just doesn't end!

Now this is just an idea....I wonder if the new Mayor and other City Officials would be receptive to riding along for a day with MVFD, living in their quarters, seeing the manpower situation. Maybe even set him up with a live burn at WCFTC.

THEN, have them do the same with Yonkers FD or New Rochelle, and note the differences.

And finally, have the mayor explain why his constituents aren't as important.

The City needs to stop viewing the FD as a budget number. It's too bad that New Rochelle or Yonkers can't just annex Mount Vernon and do away with it's government altogether.

[61MACKBR1 222]

When will the citizens of Mount Vernon wake up and realize that their city is not properly protected. It is currently being protected by the BEST understaffed and under-equiped department in the couny. God only hopes that it does NOT take a major fire with serious injuries or fatailities to wake up the New Mayor and the rest of the Goverment Leaders in Mount Vernon to realize that something is not right. Great Idea Seth. Have Mayor Young go up White Plains and spend 2 days riding along with the WPFD and see how properly staffed and equiped they are. Again bring back Mount Vernon's Fire Department to the staffing and apparatus levels of the late 1960's, bring back Engine 1, Ladder 1, Foam 1 and have a Reserve Engine, Ladder and Rescue Truck in reserve.

[Guest]

This just doesn't end!

Now this is just an idea....I wonder if the new Mayor and other City Officials would be receptive to riding along for a day with MVFD, living in their quarters, seeing the manpower situation. Maybe even set him up with a live burn at WCFTC.

THEN, have them do the same with Yonkers FD or New Rochelle, and note the differences.

And finally, have the mayor explain why his constituents aren't as important.

The City needs to stop viewing the FD as a budget number. It's too bad that New Rochelle or Yonkers can't just annex Mount Vernon and do away with it's government altogether.

The sad thing is nothing will change until a firefighter gets hurt or some important government bld burns down. Or the mayors house burns. Its a disgrace that the fire dept is treatd this way especially from the mayor..

[TL2L31 8]

With no disrespect to the FF that work there, but the City Of MT Vernon is a JOKE! Who are these JERKOFFS running this city? Wake up and enter the 21st century! Sorry, I am ranting.

[RWC130 594]

Maybe this hiring was NOT "approved" by the VULCANS

just like the last promotions.

[FirNaTine 370]

City Hall could burn with half the City Officials inside and nothing would change and that's the truth. Hell didn't Uncle Ernie's house burn a few yrs. back. Then again he probably owed taxes on it, like other proerties he owned. Oh Well.

[dillondotcom 16]

My heart goes out to the brothers in the Vern. It is a disgrace how they are treated, and how that city is run. I get depressed just driving through that city, I cant imagine working there. Too bad they dont get paid the same as Yonkers. With what they put up with, they should.

[CAM502 6]

City Hall could burn with half the City Officials inside and nothing would change and that's the truth. Hell didn't Uncle Ernie's house burn a few yrs. back. Then again he probably owed taxes on it, like other proerties he owned. Oh Well.

HEY HEY calm down killer....don't forget that the Fire Alarm Bureau is the top floor of city hall!! At least let me empty my locker first.

[TXCHIEF 9]

Can possibly one of the guys from MV explain to me (or maybe it cannot be explained), why the City administration would look at funding a capital project (generator purchase and installation), with the expense dollars associated with the 5 new firefighters, which are already funded and contained within the departments budget. There should be a light going on in the head of someone within the finance function at city hall that says good accounting practices do not say this is the appropriate thing to do.

As a earlier poster noted, FDMV has actually over the past 20+ yrs reduced their operational apparatus and manpower has not increased to reflect the workload and safety needs of the department and city. As a former volunteer in MV, throughout the 70's and early 80's, I find it very sad to read the various posts on the concerns expressed by the current Firefighters there.....

There is a major need to go back to 6 operational engine companies, 3 ladders and Rescue company, with a minimum staffing of 1 Ofc & 4 FF's per apparatus........ Meeting the needs of Public Safety is the highest priority of local government and all other programs by a city or town are secondary to that priority for funding and staffing.........

[ajsbear 11]

Can possibly one of the guys from MV explain to me (or maybe it cannot be explained), why the City administration would look at funding a capital project (generator purchase and installation), with the expense dollars associated with the 5 new firefighters, which are already funded and contained within the departments budget. There should be a light going on in the head of someone within the finance function at city hall that says good accounting practices do not say this is the appropriate thing to do.

As a earlier poster noted, FDMV has actually over the past 20+ yrs reduced their operational apparatus and manpower has not increased to reflect the workload and safety needs of the department and city. As a former volunteer in MV, throughout the 70's and early 80's, I find it very sad to read the various posts on the concerns expressed by the current Firefighters there.....

There is a major need to go back to 6 operational engine companies, 3 ladders and Rescue company, with a minimum staffing of 1 Ofc & 4 FF's per apparatus........ Meeting the needs of Public Safety is the highest priority of local government and all other programs by a city or town are secondary to that priority for funding and staffing.........

Rob;

I don't think any of the politicians in Mt Vernon know what proper staffing means other than lining their pockets. While the PD has grown the FD has shrunk. The PD gets an additon to the station, the fire houses are falling down around the men. All the mayors friends get city jobs.

You're right. There was a day when we were a proud department. Today the guys there work their asses off and make due with what they have but its not nearly enough. Morale? It's in the dumpster. The games being played and who is going to suffer. The guys will do their jobs but its only a matter of time as you know before the S#%% hits the fan and something happens. Why do they have to wait till they count the BODY BAGS before someone wakes up. It's going to happen eventually. When it does, who are the citizens of MV going to blame? Who are the papers going to point their fingers at? The people of Mt Vernon have know ideal city hall is playing games with their lives and well being.

[FirNaTine 370]

Even body bags don't wake up City Officials. Sad but true. Unfortunately FDMV has had their share of fire fatalities like my Dept. and still nothing has gotten better. In fact it's gotten worse.

[ajsbear 11]

Tooo bad there is no real oversite government agency that can come in, say working in the FDMV is unsafe Therefore, this , this and this must be done now. There is no federal oversite for this.

[hudson144 150]

I see that the audit for Mount Vernon post has been closed so I will post it here because this topicis in line with the civil service commission of MV. Today the NYS Civil Service Commission has posted om thier web site the release of the recent audit of MV. A 30 page document which says alot. Alot of work for civil service for the near future!

[hudson144 150]

http://www.cs.state.ny.us/pio/information.cfm look for mount vernon! audits Edited April 2, 2008 by hudson144