Uuuggghhh! I HATE small town politics!!!!

[scopus tang]

I HATE politics! What in the world was I thinking?
Two years ago, our area of the county ended up without fire protection (long story), so we organized and created a new fire district. I volunteered for the board of this new fire districti and was appointed

. For two years I've busted my butt; finding a firehall (rental for now), recruiting volunteers, finding a firechief and assistant firechief who were qualified and willing to volunteer, purchasing equipment (which by the way 1,000,000x more expansive than any saltwater equipment you ever dreamed of

), finding and funding the purchase of trucks, and pursuing grants.
A month ago, the city firefighters (paid department who used to provide fire coverage in our district, but then city government decided they wanted a redicoulous amount of money to continue providing fire coverage) began a campaign to get the districts residents to place them on automatic mutual aid pageout for structural fires in order to insure a faster response time - which doesn't cost the district anything (provided we can retain volunteers to we can continue to provide recipical responses on city fires). This after we've successfully responded to 50 some fires since June of last year. A large number of district residents showed up to last nights meeting and demanded that the city firefighters be put on automatic pageout for structural fires. Now I'm faced with numerous volunteers who are going "WTH did we form a volunteer department if the city is going to be the initial responder and all we are going to be doing is mop-up? Why did we bother to take all this training if the city firefighters are going to be putting the fires out? And why should I bother to get out of bed at 2:00am and drive to the firehall to respond to a fire, knowing that I'm going to meet the paid department responding on my way in and Know that 9 times out of 10 I'm not going to be needed."
I'm sitting here thinking why did we spend all this taxpayer money on structural equipment and trucks that are only going to be used rarely to back up the paid department, provided I can even keep volunteers interested.

Stupid - Stupid - Stupid

(I so know better than to get involved in stuff like this, why in the H did I?)
Sorry, just had to vent my frustration, and can't do it around here - because if I do, I'm an uncaring SOB who doesn't care if peoples' houses burn down or their children and grandmother die in a fire

!

 

[bionicarm]

Unfortunately, it sounds like you're going to have to see what happens when the first fire pops up and the city firefighters have to respond. Hope it doesn't cost lives or major structural damage to find out this was the wrong decision.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2951332
A month ago, the city firefighters (paid department who used to provide fire coverage in our district, but then city government decided they wanted a redicoulous amount of money to continue providing fire coverage) began a campaign to get the districts residents to place them on automatic mutual aid pageout for structural fires in order to insure a faster response time - which doesn't cost the district anything (provided we can retain volunteers to we can continue to provide recipical responses on city fires).
So it is a money grab?

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/2951335
Unfortunately, it sounds like you're going to have to see what happens when the first fire pops up and the city firefighters have to respond. Hope it doesn't cost lives or major structural damage to find out this was the wrong decision.
I don't believe it'll result in lost lives or major structural damage, but IMO it will result in a loss of volunteers, which means the city will be back with their handout expecting to get paid for fire services again because we don't have enough volunteers to respond (Their previous price was $800,000 to $1,000,000 per year for fire protection). Total revenue for the district is $250,000.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/2951335
Unfortunately, it sounds like you're going to have to see what happens when the first fire pops up and the city firefighters have to respond. Hope it doesn't cost lives or major structural damage to find out this was the wrong decision.
I don't believe it'll result in lost lives or major structural damage, but IMO it will result in a loss of volunteers, which means the city will be back with their handout expecting to get paid for fire services again because we don't have enough volunteers to respond (Their previous price was $800,000 to $1,000,000 per year for fire protection). Total revenue for the district is $250,000.
Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/2951616
So it is a money grab?
For the paid firefighters (who can hide behind the issue of being there first to save properties and lives), its an overtime/pay issue. Everytime they get paged out, they automatically page in their back-up crew. The back-up crew gets paid for a minimum of two hours overtime regardless of whether they are there for 2 hours or for 5 minutes. We've responded to over 50 fires since June, meaning they've lost out on a minimum of 100 hours of overtime pay - their W2s are obviously looking significantly different. Of course, you can't point that out, because they're being the good guys - offering to help out and put the fires out faster free of charge.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2951639
For the paid firefighters (who can hide behind the issue of being there first to save properties and lives), its an overtime/pay issue. Everytime they get paged out, they automatically page in their back-up crew. The back-up crew gets paid for a minimum of two hours overtime regardless of whether they are there for 2 hours or for 5 minutes. We've responded to over 50 fires since June, meaning they've lost out on a minimum of 100 hours of overtime pay - their W2s are obviously looking significantly different. Of course, you can't point that out, because they're being the good guys - offering to help out and put the fires out faster free of charge.
Not attacking you but just curious.
Why would the city take on the additional costs of paying the firefighters, equipment wear and stuff, if it wasn't to their benifit somehow.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/2951646
Not attacking you but just curious.
Why would the city take on the additional costs of paying the firefighters, equipment wear and stuff, if it wasn't to their benifit somehow.
Good question - After demanding that they be paid if they were going to do the work, now they are suddenly willing to do it for free

. Actually the difference is probably in who, not why. Previously we were dealing with the city council, now we're dealing with the firefighters. City council is concerned with costs to the city, the firefighters IMO are concerned with their paychecks (sorry if I offend any one - not trying to lump everbody into one big bag). I'm still not convinced that the city council isn't going to step in and tell the firefighters they aren't going to respond on automatic pages anymore, but only time will tell.

 

[reefraff]

Everything is always about money. You are going through growing pains. People can be awfully stupid though. Why create a volunteer department then pay the city to be first responders.
The state probably needs to have a regulation in place that wont allow volunteer fire departments after a certain population density is reached. If I lived in a subdivision with houses lined up 12 feet apart I don't think I would want a volunteer fire department.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2951705
Good question - After demanding that they be paid if they were going to do the work, now they are suddenly willing to do it for free

. Actually the difference is probably in who, not why. Previously we were dealing with the city council, now we're dealing with the firefighters. City council is concerned with costs to the city, the firefighters IMO are concerned with their paychecks (sorry if I offend any one - not trying to lump everbody into one big bag). I'm still not convinced that the city council isn't going to step in and tell the firefighters they aren't going to respond on automatic pages anymore, but only time will tell.
Why the change in who you are dealing with?
Is your community not having to pay the firefighters for responding?
And the firefighter's checks still coming from the city?