Letter: 'Oops, we forgot to tell ya!'
Oops, we forgot to tell ya!
We have firemen and their families, various local "civic" groups, county commissioners; fire commissioners, new-city wannabes, and a lot of brain-dead local sheep who are beating the bushes with tales of horrible consequences if we cut any firemen.
All these folks have one agenda: where can they get enough money to continue with "business as usual" and keep all the "necessary" numbers of firemen?
They are not looking for facts concerning the safety of the community they are looking to continue the fire department's bureaucracy which perpetuates the continuing influence firemen have on elections (this same strategy applies to the coppers and our precious non-performing teachers also).
The potential horror stories being spread are what amuse me the most: same ole lies; same ole doom-and-gloom strategy: "the world is gonna end if we get rid of any of our heroes." Consistent with that tripe our "leaders" bemoan their mantra: "we gotta find some money!"
The truth is the facts about minimum levels of fire protection are available and always have been but no one has bothered to tell you about it.
You see, each government-service agency is required to have an insurance policy. This policy covers potential civil liability the government agency may incur if it fails in its obligation to the community. There is (and always has been) a body that dictates the minimum standards and the specified obligations required of the government agency.
So, with that said let me tell you there is an answer to the horror stories and it is the Insurance Service Office (ISO).
What is the ISO? It is the district's insurance underwriters and it is they who decide everything that has to do with the department's minimum requirements. They know what must be done and they demand what must be done. They are the ones that are held financially accountable if the government agency is lacking.
By systematically and empirically studying our community's demographics the ISO determines how many men (and most other facets of the department) are needed. The ISO is the department' "boss" so to speak. There is no way around the ISO.
So, as you can see, it makes no difference what you think, what I think, what the Fire Commission thinks, what the county thinks or what the union thinks - the ISO sets the standards - the ISO's standards are cut in stone. When minimums are not met you WILL hear from the ISO!
Have you heard any of our "leaders" state the fire department has not met its minimum obligations? No, you haven't heard as they have planned to keep you in the dark on this fact.
Now then, how many of you out there know about the ISO or have been made aware that such an agency exists? How come none of the fire commissioners refer to the ISO?
Who DOES know about the ISO? All the "leaders" I mentioned above know about the ISO yet they haven't mentioned this fact to you, have they?
The new-city wannabes tell us we will "get local control" if we incorporate, right? Well the new-city wannabes are part of the crowd keeping the truth from you so we are fortunate to get a "sneak preview" of what is to come from those folks.
Moving on, you may ask, "Since no one has even mentioned the ISO then what personnel numbers are being used to "justify" the department's head count?" The answer is it is the union's recommendations, of course.
Yep, the union is allowed to set the "standards" and those numbers are used as "base lines."
Do any of you believe the union "pads" these numbers and creates as many positions as they can? You better believe they are padded; it is job security for them. The union's basic ambition is to create more union members and the cost is of no concern! Ain't it great to be in America?
I know this about the unions as I saw it first-hand as a UAW local union president with over 9,000 members. I also witnessed this plan of action in the two police departments I worked for. The union furnishes the "standard" numbers and the cities "obey."
As an example of the union's lust for over-population let's look into this more closely and examine one of the fire department's "policies": when there is a fender-bender auto-accident the fire department sends 80 rescue wagons, four fire engines, 35 supervisors, 61 firemen, three Cub Scouts, 46 Red Cross volunteers, Public Information Officer Patrick Comer with an "attaboy" letter from Obama, and three partridges from a pear tree to the scene! Is this policy mandated by the ISO? Nope. But the union "standards" "justify" this plan of action and that is what is implemented.
This shameful and wasteful policy is expensive, dangerous, unnecessary, and requires the department to sustain unrealistic numbers of fire and "support" personnel which is exactly what the union desires (kin of reminds one of cross-district bussing of our school kids, eh?).
What should be done to legitimately investigate the fire department? First, the leaders should furnish and distribute certified copies of each ISO report for the past three years.
Why certified copies? Because that way an elected official (by virtue of his oath of office) has to "swear" to the authenticity of the ISO reports. Certification is the attempt to ensure the ISOs have not been compromised.
After obtaining the ISO reports the minimum personnel requirements should be compared to the existing numbers and adjusted appropriately. Again, all our "leaders" know this but they are not doing it, are they?
Is there any question in your mind as to the integrity and intent of the new-city wannabes and what they will do once they are in office and "serving the public?"
Is there any question as to the integrity and intent of the fire commissioners whose job it is to represent the legitimate needs of our community?
Is there any question as to the integrity of all the other elected officials whose job it is ensure a fair and equitable bargaining agreement on behalf of the taxpayers?
The ISO sets the guidelines. Not the union. Not the media. Not Obama. The guidelines are based on facts and not hysteria. The ISO is intended to be an engineered and concise document specifying the true needs of the community.
I cannot wait to hear what our "leaders" say to your questions regarding the ISO. You are going to ask, aren't you?
Keith Kaye
Lehigh Acres
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keithkaye
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06-30-09 8:33 AM
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You may want to research: 1) National Fire Prevention Association at nfpadotorg. It is a fire and electric code advisory which offers training. 2) American Water Works Association at awwadotorg. It offers advice about clean water and the environment. 3) The Public Protection Classification at isopropertyresourcesdotcom. These are the ISO’s standards recommendations. It would be reasonable for the FD to consult these groups and come to a consensus on the community’s needs. But Lehigh’s questions remain: What procedures or documents did the FD’s insurance underwriter’s submit to the commission? How were the numbers of personnel determined and by what ‘standards’? You have a right to ask and be furnished the documentation.
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keithkaye
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06-30-09 6:14 AM
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I owe this community an apology. By not staying on-point, and by allowing my childish ego to manage my thoughts, I may have unintentionally allowed a very important set of facts to go un-challenged regarding the FD hysteria. The facts are: the underwriters’ reports were not offered to the public and those reports reflect the minimum standards regarding the operation of the FD. Foolishly, I slipped “me” into the equation and got carried away with myself and that is not to this community’s advantage. Again, I apologize and can only hope the damage is not too great. I still encourage you to demand answers and to publish whatever responses you may receive.
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keithkaye
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06-29-09 5:28 PM
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Fireguy: Me furnish facts? I have asked for facts and documentation whereas I can get an idea of how decisions were made by the negotiating parties. I have detailed how proper decisions can be reached and you “don’t understand”?! And speaking of that, since you are not a fire commissioner, just what is your capacity within the negotiating process? Did you represent the union? Officially, how do you have authority to speak for anyone in this process? You mentioned criteria (NFPA & PPC); document that that criteria was used in negotiations. Surely there has to be minutes of the negotiations’ sessions?! I suspect an old deniability trick has been played here: none of the elected parties can answer my questions so they select a groupie to ‘establish fact’ for them. If you are not a negotiator I suspect you are a firemen who will benefit from “business as usual”. “Not understand”, whatta clown. Man I feel so safe and secure with all this brain-power and talent running around!
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icefireguy
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06-29-09 12:22 PM
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Sorry, but your last comment makes so little sense that I am unable to respond to it. When you are able to provide facts and discuss the subject without inuendo I will be happy to continue this thread. Have a nice day.
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keithkaye
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06-29-09 11:54 AM
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FireguyPart I: Lemme make this easy for ya. As I have bargained for wages, benefits, job classifications and safety considerations for thousands of people totaling into the tens of millions of dollars I feel qualified to offer the following: Let’s say I am a fire commissioner and I am an honest, elected public servant bargaining for the interests of the public’s safety and pocketbooks. Realizing statistics and other data can be political and ambiguous I use the agencies you mentioned along with the underwriters. Comparatively, I use this example: Both cities have 100k people and their areas are 100 sq. miles. If I only use that single data I may erroneously assume I can use only those facts in determining manpower. But, I find that “A” has 30K people living in high-rise apartments and 30k more living in multiple-storied dwellings; it has heavy industry; an oil refinery; an airport; a bus station; and natural gas lines. “A” decides it needs 100 fireman and support staff. see Part II
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keithkaye
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06-29-09 11:52 AM
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FireguyPart II: City “B” (Lehigh Acres) by comparison has: nearly 100% of its residents living in one-story, single-family dwellings; about a dozen gas stations and 61 trillion trees. I see that the tree fires are a ‘problem’ about 3X’s a year and if those fires are imminently dangerous I can count on other fire agencies to assist; I decide to ‘hire’ volunteers for those exigent occasions. Would I decide to hire a full-time a ‘training’ officer and PR man (Comer)? Nope. Would I have staff officers that are not capable of hands-on training? Nope. Would I have full-time secretarial staff when I could hire that assistance from the private sector? No, I would ‘contract out’ (on a per diem basis) EVERY non-essential job and let the private sector handle their benefits (I made this statement to our fire commissioners over 4 years ago). Legitimately, how many firemen does “B” need compared to “A”? There is more, much more. I await a legitimate response. tick, tock . . .
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keithkaye
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06-29-09 8:47 AM
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Fireguy: You are correct in asking people to investigate before any decisions are made. The National Fire Protection Association generates union ‘proposals’. Why haven’t the other organizations’ numbers (and existences) been publicly stated and reviewed? Another thing, I am NOT referring to “improving their fire protection” I am referring to BASIC personnel, duty and equipment numbers (how to “improve” a public-agency is ALWAYS bureaucratic by its very nature). I suggest to those that want the truth to contact (in writing and preferably sent certified mail) the members of the County and the Fire Commission members and demand they present certified copies of the insurance underwriters' findings (whatever that agency is called). There are constant factors here: the fire hysteria is based on politics and not fact; information has been kept from the public and the underwriters’ findings were never disclosed and offered as legitimate ‘evidence’. Why? I think you all know why.
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icefireguy
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06-29-09 5:42 AM
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I certainly hope the residents of Lehigh Acres that are interested in this subject take the time to research this. The author is greatly misstating the intent of the ISO. The ISO is a independent organization that assists fire departments and insurance companies and is not a governing board setting mandates as the author insinuates. The ISO bases all their rating numbers on information they receive from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and the American Water Works Association as they come up with a PPC (Public Protection Classification) for a given community. This PPC number is what is used by many, but not all, fire agencies in the US as a benchmark for improving their fire protection in the community they serve. Most, but not all, insurance companies use this PPC number to help them decide what to charge homeowners and businesses for fire protection insurance. Please do some research before believing everything you read.
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keithkaye
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06-27-09 8:12 AM
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drgiggles: You better believe they read this. Now then what is needed, I believe, is for folks like you to contact (however you choose) those who have kept this information from you and ask if this article is true. Then, if you would, please publish whether these people responded to you and what was said. Another thing you may want to see my post to BoT in the article he wrote about the "Community's Character". Thanx for the response.
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drgiggles
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06-27-09 7:15 AM
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What an eyeopener. Hopefully all the Incorporation wannabes will read this. I doubt if they will give any thought to it. All they think about is KEEP SPENDING MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE. Drgiggles.
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keithkaye
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06-26-09 3:45 PM
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LION: Thanx for the comment. The taxpayers? When has any elected official in recent history besides (Mr. Ron Paul) shown any concern or genuine respect for the over-burdened souls (the taxpayers) that are extorted on a regular basis to fund their own demise? You know Lion if I thought for a moment that the new-city wannabes or the likes of our home-grown, cornpone clown at the County office actually were concerned for those of us who provide their slop I may support them but we know such is not the case. My desire is for the ‘silent majority’ in this area to start asking questions and demanding answers. The people who pay the bills should be demanding to see the ISP and demand to know why this information has been kept from them. The truth is because the firemen and coppers are vital to our community they will never go away but their numbers need not be so bureaucratically large. We will be protected thanks to the ISP but the union demands will be minimized. I rest my case, for now.
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ROARINGLION
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06-25-09 3:54 PM
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KIETH HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD --THE WHOLE FD NONSENSE IS TO PROTECT UNION JOBS AND TO H--L WITH THE TAXPAYERS --CONGRATS, KEITH
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