LEE'S RECORD/JAY JAHNKE'S LAST MINUTES?

In regards to Friday's Chronicle cover story on firefighters.

Yeah, firefighters are heroes sometimes but they don't need to feed the un-suspecting press a bunch of bull! Their air packs don't weight 40 pounds they weight 19, the hose packs are not 100 lbs they are 20, the irons weight 16 not 25 lbs and their gear certainly does not weigh 40 lbs it weighs 16. That is th 71 lbs not the reported 200 lbs. A trip to a bathroom scale proves it. Oh, one guy doesn't really carry all of that.

Now if we can't believe the illustration why would we bother to read or trust the rest of the story? Four on a truck is a little too late huh? Let's see, 10 engines and 6 ladder trucks were on scene with 55 firefighters when the firefighter needed help. Only four were on the fire floor. So 51 were not. So how does one guy extra per fire truck make any difference?

Could it be the firefighters violated department SOPs and chose not to take their 60 minute air bottles up with them and instead chose to use 30 minute bottles? That is what happened. There were six on the fire floor at one time, but two left to change out their short duration bottles. Had they followed policy they would have been there to help. If you choose not to follow the rules you risk your own life

Is it possible like many believe that the firefighter panicked after a window blew out spreading the fire rapidly and ran back into the fire by mistake? So how do you save a firefighter who goes the wrong way? The firefighters union is misguided by poor leadership that comes across in public like thugs and cry babies. Why would the union ask for four firefighters on every truck when the other 15 major US departments and OSHA say to run 5 and 6? Once again the union asked for the wrong thing! This is the same union leader who told us that Mayor Brown's staffing plan is 3 lives and 2 years too late. Of course we all know the firefighters who died at McDonald's were all off fire trucks with crews of 4. Why did two firefighters die?
Because the two people in the building shouldn't have been in the building and with 1000 portable radios in the department no one could figure out how to make sure the two firefighters in side had one and could hear the order to retreat. Of course their officer was not with them who had the radio. More half truths Mr. Williams. The president of the police union was right, the firefighters are lying to get raises.

I'm not sure who is feeding you reporters these lies but I bet it is the union. Items in the story like, a firefighters gear can absorb so much water it can easily double a firefighters body weight. Firefighters gear is designed to shed not absorb water. Are we supposed to believe that the gear will absorb a whopping 25 gallons? Come on, get real! If it did they'd use the material for paper towels. Saying the small crews couldn't carry the larger hose needed simply isn't true. There is only 6 pounds difference between hose sizes. It happens every day at the fire academy, come see for your self. Could it be that the old out of shape union firefighters can't cut it anymore?

For the paper to say the staffing problem began 2 years ago cannot be supported by facts. There has been a staffing problem for 8 years. The union's idea to go from 4 shifts from 3 caused the staffing problems in the first place. For the union to whine about 3 on a rig seems silly when all their contracts back to the 60's all asked for minimum staffing of THREE and maximum of FOUR. If it was so important they would have done what 65% of the nation's unions have done, stated a realistic minimum number. The reason they didn't was they wanted over time. You see if you fully staff the department some most firefighters will loose at least $4500 a year in overtime. They don't want that.

The Union bosses assertion that there were not enough firefighters there to help Jahnke proves his fellow firefighters do not follow federal law or practice the time honored tradition of "You Go I GO". In other words don't leave your buddy behind. EVER! Could the real reason for the death of a firefighter be cowardice on the part of the guys who were suppose to be backing him up? Why did it take 10 minutes to locate him?
Because all the other guys ran for their lives leaving him behind? Mr. Williams if you cared about firefighters lives you'd be asking why were the buildings the firefighters have been dying in not sprinkled per the fire code.

The reason firefighters carry axes and irons is to go through walls when conditions get bad so they can survive. If the firefighters won't do what they are trained you can't blame it on staffing. When your
readers find out the backup engine company never made the fire floor to back up their buddies the real truth will be know. Yes there is plenty of blame to go around. The idea that a small crew had to carry him out is a fraud, all training academy's teach dragging not carrying.

It is amazing how so much conjecture is supported by absolute non-sense. It is time for the firefighters to shut up, get in shape and to start performing professionally. They got exactly what they wanted from Mayor Brown, four on a truck and a $7500 a yearly raise. Now the overtime is available the union president says his firefighters will work it to help the city out. The sick leave problem went away over night, they all want the money. So now the over worked firefighters have to work 8 shifts a month instead of 7. My heart bleeds for them. With only 22 days off a month, they'll be forced to take a day off at their part time jobs as SCAB (non-union) fill in paid firefighters in volunteer departments surrounding Houston where they gladly work with crews of 2 and 3.

The same federal laws that say there are supposed to be 4 to 6 firefighters per fire truck also say the chiefs vehicles are supposed to have drivers and that paramedic ambulances are supposed to arrive in less than 8 minutes. Adding a 4th guy to our fire trucks will not change the 10 minute average paramedic on scene times in Houston. Many areas of town wait 15 minutes. Only adding more medics and ambulances will solve that.

The woman crying about how her family member wouldn't have died in the house fire Friday if the hydrant had worked isn't fact either. If you noticed the lady was already in an ambulance when the hose was being stretched. Having a working smoke detector would have saved her, you can get one free by calling the fire department. But these are facts, not fiction.

Signed an unnamed source, oh that's right to submit a letter to the editor you must include you name, phone number, address and city, but you don't need any of that to make the front page.

In regards to all the silly posts by firefighters on this forum:

1) no one raised your hours, 2) CADETS GET INJURED EVERY WEEK. 3) cadets get hurt and return to school and fail every class, 4) Learn to add.

THIS CERTAINLY GIVES US SOME THOUGHT HUH? WONDER WHAT THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION WILL SAY?

From:

To: SNITCH@housnitch.com

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 4:39 PM

Subject: Another rebuttal to half truths

Brenda,

I again see the need to rebut the half truths another of your readers has sent in regarding the problems with HFD. This time I have no idea where this writer in coming from (I think he is with HPD, but he obviously has some contact with volunteer FD's), but I will say that not all of his criticisms are without merit - there are some points he had made that are good and point to other areas of concern, but the overall tone of his diatribe really just boils my blood. My comments are inline:

<In regards to Friday's Chronicle cover story on firefighters.

Yeah, firefighters are heroes sometimes but they don't need to feed the un-suspecting press a bunch of bull! Their air packs don't weight 40 pounds they weight 19, the hose packs are not 100 lbs they are 20, the irons weight 16 not 25 lbs and their gear certainly does not weigh 40 lbs it weighs 16. That is th 71 lbs not the reported 200 lbs. A trip to a bathroom scale proves it. Oh, one guy doesn't really carry all of that. >

I won't quibble with the writers math, but this is not the whole story, as usual. I haven't been on a scale recently with my gear, but each individual does carry about 50lbs of personal gear, including the air pack. Now add to that the additional gear that they must take up to the floor, air bottles, axes, hose, etc. Each crew should take up a certain amount, but the first in units take up proportionally a greater amount, probably about 100 lbs divided amongst the crew. Now I won't go into the argument that the officer shouldn't have to carry much in order to be able to plan the fire attack or rescue, but the drop of even 20lbs per person makes a big difference.

<Now if we can't believe the illustration why would we bother to read or trust the rest of the story? Four on a truck is a little too late huh? Let's see, 10 engines and 6 ladder trucks were on scene with 55 firefighters when the firefighter needed help. Only four were on the fire floor. So 51 were not. So how does one guy extra per fire truck make any difference? >

As far as I know (I wasn't there), only the first alarm companies were actually on location when Jay radioed the mayday. If there were any second alarm crews, they had just arrived in the staging area and were not actually at the building. Of the first alarm companies, only E28 had 4 as far as I know, so with the ambulance and chief, 5 engines and 3 ladders on location, there were 28 firefighters on location (again, I don't have specific knowledge of this, I am just going on the information I have heard). Of these 28, 3 (the DC and ambulance crew) were definitely outside, along with the 8 Engineer/Operators. The leaves 17 officers and firefighters. 3 were committed to the lobby (E 28 is what I understand) as control of the building (with high rises, there are numerous things to do immediately there, such as coordinate evacuations, turn off HVAC systems, control the elevators, etc.). That leaves 14. Two crews should have went to the fire floor (4), two crews should have went to the floor above (4), one crew should have went to the roof (2 for possible evacuation and ventilation) and one crew went to the floor below to set up a supply and rehab (2). This leaves one crew to act as a rapid intervention team - maybe. Remember that there were a lot of people self-evacuating from the building - and not all of these were particularly mobile for many reasons, so who knows how many crews were actually aiding in the evacuation at that point in the incident.

<Could it be the firefighters violated department SOPs and chose not to take their 60 minute air bottles up with them and instead chose to use 30 minute bottles? That is what happened. There were six on the fire floor at one time, but two left to change out their short duration bottles. Had they followed policy they would have been there to help. If you choose not to follow the rules you risk your own life>

Fair criticism, but with a couple of caveats. 1) not all units carry the 60 minute bottles, the trucks definitely do, but not all of the engines have them. and 2) When carrying a lot of equipment up and only having so many hands, some things get left behind. Air bottles can be brought up with other units to the supply, so these probably get left first.

<Is it possible like many believe that the firefighter panicked after a window blew out spreading the fire rapidly and ran back into the fire by mistake? So how do you save a firefighter who goes the wrong way? The firefighters union is misguided by poor leadership that comes across in public like thugs and cry babies. Why would the union ask for four firefighters on every truck when the other 15 major US departments and OSHA say to run 5 and 6? Once again the union asked for the wrong thing! This is the same union leader who told us that Mayor Brown's staffing plan is 3 lives and 2 years too late. Of course we all know the firefighters who died at McDonald's were all off fire trucks with crews of 4. Why did two firefighters die?
Because the two people in the building shouldn't have been in the building and with 1000 portable radios in the department no one could figure out how to make sure the two firefighters in side had one and could hear the order to retreat. Of course their officer was not with them who had the radio. More half truths Mr. Williams. The president of the police union was right, the firefighters are lying to get raises.>

Actually, it is the National Fire Protection Association that mandates minimum staffing of 4 on every apparatus with 5 or 6 recommended for areas with high rises (this is NFPA standard 1710). Why do we ask for 4 on the trucks - because we are realistic and know that we could ask for 5 and 6 and get laughed at by the mayor and city council. The unions goal is to ensure AT LEAST minimum staffing levels so the city doesn't run us down to 3 on every apparatus. The radio issue is also a money issue - we want them for every member on duty and we have them now on the apparatus, but not on ambulances. This is still a problem.

<I'm not sure who is feeding you reporters these lies but I bet it is the union. Items in the story like, a firefighters gear can absorb so much water it can easily double a firefighters body weight. Firefighters gear is designed to shed not absorb water. Are we supposed to believe that the gear will absorb a whopping 25 gallons? Come on, get real! If it did they'd use the material for paper towels. Saying the small crews couldn't carry the larger hose needed simply isn't true. There is only 6 pounds difference between hose sizes. It happens every day at the fire academy, come see for your self. Could it be that the old out of shape union firefighters can't cut it anymore? >

The problem with larger diameter hose is not the weight of the hose by the pressure and weight generated by the water in the hose. Water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon - it is hard enough to control when you flow 100 gpm on small diameter hose, but when you get to 200-250 gpm, this is not a 1-2 person job - it is a 3+ person job. As for the gear absorbing water, I missed the chronicle report, so I can't comment on it.

<For the paper to say the staffing problem began 2 years ago cannot be supported by facts. There has been a staffing problem for 8 years. The union's idea to go from 4 shifts from 3 caused the staffing problems in the first place. For the union to whine about 3 on a rig seems silly when all their contracts back to the 60's all asked for minimum staffing of THREE and maximum of FOUR. If it was so important they would have done what 65% of the nation's unions have done, stated a realistic minimum number. The reason they didn't was they wanted over time. You see if you fully staff the department some most firefighters will loose at least $4500 a year in overtime. They don't want that. >

I could care less about the overtime, actually. And I get a lot of OT on a regular basis and I have never gotten $4500 in one year. And 4 shifts can't be blamed because our hours worked per week has stayed constant at 46.7 per week. It is a long explanation, but we work the same number of days in a 72 day cycle under both the 4 shifts and previous 3 shift calenders. This is why any shift change back to 3 shifts would have 1) either changed any staffing levels or 2) cost the city an enormous amount of OT. As for the minimum manning language in the contracts - we have taken what we could get and prayed for no problems. And realistically, the only reason that we have not had a serious problem earlier is the DROP - that has kept many firefighters that would have retired a long time ago without it.

<The Union bosses assertion that there were not enough firefighters there to help Jahnke proves his fellow firefighters do not follow federal law or practice the time honored tradition of "You Go I GO". In other words don't leave your buddy behind. EVER! Could the real reason for the death of a firefighter be cowardice on the part of the guys who were suppose to be backing him up? Why did it take 10 minutes to locate him?
Because all the other guys ran for their lives leaving him behind? Mr. Williams if you cared about firefighters lives you'd be asking why were the buildings the firefighters have been dying in not sprinkled per the fire code. >

They weren't sprinklered per the fire code because it was not required in the fire code when those buildings were built. As I wasn't there, I can't comment on who left whom or if anyone could have done anything about it. It is my understanding that they were retreating out of the floor and Jay's air bottle ran out when he got turned around and was trying to leave.

<The reason firefighters carry axes and irons is to go through walls when conditions get bad so they can survive. If the firefighters won't do what they are trained you can't blame it on staffing. When your
readers find out the backup engine company never made the fire floor to back up their buddies the real truth will be know. Yes there is plenty of blame to go around. The idea that a small crew had to carry him out is a fraud, all training academy's teach dragging not carrying. >

It is still difficult to drag a fully geared firefighter out of any building, especially when you are already out of air.

<It is amazing how so much conjecture is supported by absolute non-sense. It is time for the firefighters to shut up, get in shape and to start performing professionally. They got exactly what they wanted from Mayor Brown, four on a truck and a $7500 a yearly raise. Now the overtime is available the union president says his firefighters will work it to help the city out. The sick leave problem went away over night, they all want the money. So now the over worked firefighters have to work 8 shifts a month instead of 7. My heart bleeds for them. With only 22 days off a month, they'll be forced to take a day off at their part time jobs as SCAB (non-union) fill in paid firefighters in volunteer departments surrounding Houston where they gladly work with crews of 2 and 3. >

I must really be bad at math, but I'm not receiving a $7500 raise. I'm having to work overtime to get about $4300 per year, and I make more than the average firefighter. I will give you the 22 days off if you work the 24 hour shift that I do (and I'll tell you that I don't get paid for what I do - I get paid for what I may be doing 5-10 minutes from now - put that in your pipe and smoke it for a while). And I don't work for those volunteer departments - I make much more on the side than that.

<The same federal laws that say there are supposed to be 4 to 6 firefighters per fire truck also say the chiefs vehicles are supposed to have drivers and that paramedic ambulances are supposed to arrive in less than 8 minutes. Adding a 4th guy to our fire trucks will not change the 10 minute average paramedic on scene times in Houston. Many areas of town wait 15 minutes. Only adding more medics and ambulances will solve that.>

I'm all for that - lets hire a lot more firefighters so we can make that a reality. The staffing problems in HFD are a global problem - we have started to address the EMS staffing and response time problems with the squad program and additional ambulances, but we could always use more!

<The woman crying about how her family member wouldn't have died in the house fire Friday if the hydrant had worked isn't fact either. If you noticed the lady was already in an ambulance when the hose was being stretched. Having a working smoke detector would have saved her, you can get one free by calling the fire department. But these are facts, not fiction.>

True. Water doesn't save lives. Smoke detectors do save lives. I have no problem admitting that.

<Signed an unnamed source, oh that's right to submit a letter to the editor you must include you name, phone number, address and city, but you don't need any of that to make the front page.

In regards to all the silly posts by firefighters on this forum:

1) no one raised your hours, 2) CADETS GET INJURED EVERY WEEK. 3) cadets get hurt and return to school and fail every class, 4) Learn to add.>

So this is probably a silly post by a firefighter too, at least according to you. But I would put up my education, training and knowledge against yours any day of the week.

WE knew somebody would do it right....was just waiting on it Darlin...thanks...

From:

To: SNITCH@HOUSNITCH.COM

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 4:49 PM

Subject: Fire Department

Dear Brenda,

It is obvious to me that the person who wrote the article about the fire department could not be a firefighter. For one, he/she doesn't have the guts to be a firefighter because there is no name in the "From" line. Second, as for saying Captain Jahnke panicked is so full of crap. I have known Captain Jahnke since we were in elementary school and panic was not in his vocabulary. Third, when firefighters retreat from the fire (for new air bottle, rehab), they go in pairs. Captain Jahnke was not by himself as there was another captain there with him. This other captain also ran out of air, passed out and was carried out by another firefighter who was coming to help. He told the firefighter helping him that Captain Jahnke should be right behind him. As for how Captain Jahnke got separated, only Captain Jahnke would know that.

I challenge the scumbag who wrote this piece of junk to make his/her name known - if he/she has the guts! Also, to the scumbag - before spreading lies and your stupid assumptions, get the facts straight!

the "from" line is ALWAYS deleted by US....that way no one is retaliated against.. AND more people feel free to talk with us.

From:

To: brenda@housnitch.com

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 8:26 PM

Subject: FIRE DEPARTMENT

HELLO BRENDA,

This is the first time I have ever read one of your articles. I believe everyone has the right to know the truth. I was not there the day that Captain Jahnke died. If Captain Jahnke turned the wrong way, then we will never know if the other two firefighters would have helped. All I know is a friend and a brother is dead, I feel he was trying to do his job which was to save lives and property. You probably already can tell that Captain Jahnke was well respected in the department. His long line of family tradition are not just firefighters they are all Houston firefighters. I have been in this department for 20 years and have been a paramedic for 18 of those years. I have a first hand look at what these firefighters have to go through. Well, as the person stated in the letter that was written I really don't know how much all that crap weighs. I am not sure, but I believe that information came from the administration and not the LOCAL. I know it is to much for 1-2 people to carry up 5 flights of stairs. You can argue with these people, but the best way to settle the problem is to ask if they have ever been in a burning building or have they ever had to do CPR on an infant knowing that you were going to have to tell the family that their baby is dead. Until you do the job, PLEASE DON'T CRITICIZE US. Firefighters see most of HOUSTON at its worst time. We see families when someone has died, we see families when their house is on fire. I have had dead children in my arms and have brought them back to life with the help of God and the training I have received from the city. I love my job of helping people and I love my job of working for the City of Houston. One of the reasons the department has ran so efficiently in the past is the dedication of the men and women in the department. When the chiefs went to city hall and told them about the manpower shortage. What came out of that ordeal? Well, we don't have the money for that problem. How can the city find the money less than 2 weeks later. No matter how bad you may talk about us, spit on us, cuss at us, and literally throw s--t at us we will be there to HELP when the time comes. I want to thank this person for taking so much interest in the department.

AND HOUSNITCH THANKS ALL THE MEN & WOMEN IN OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THE GREAT JOB THEY DO, AND WE SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR EFFORTS FOR MORE MONEY, MORE STAFFING ,BETTER EQUIPMENT...WE JUST DON'T THINK ORLANDO SANCHEZ IS THE MAN TO GET THAT DONE FOR THEM....AND WE ALL KNOW BROWN ISN'T!

From:

To: Brenda Flores

Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 5:15 PM

Subject: FIREMAN

Finally, someone has spoken the truth about the goings on at the Fire Department. I am not a fireman but I have kept up with the developments and it is obvious that the person who wrote the article knows his facts and is even correct in his assumptions.

It exposes the firemen and the union for what they really are. Greedy, cowardly liars who panicked and caused the death of one of their own. And now they want Orlando Sanchez for Mayor.Yep! Greedy, cowardly and liar certainly describes Mr. Sanchez. He would represent them well.

Any intelligent person can see that Mayor Brown is not the bad guy here. The Firemans Union and Mr. Sanchez are trying to make him a scapegoat.

Snitch you are falling down on the job. How dare you let the truth get in the way of your "Anybody but Brown" zeal.

DARLIN.....I LOVE YOU, AND YOU ARE A LOYAL SUPPORTER OF OUR CAUSE...BUT I KNOW THESE FIREMEN BETTER THAN YOU DO...AND I ONLY HAD TO WAIT LESS THAN 1/2 A DAY TO GET THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSES IN ORDER TO RESPOND/REBUTT....(SEE ABOVE)....BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOUR STATEMENT THAT '' Orlando Sanchez for Mayor.Yep! Greedy, cowardly and liar certainly describes Mr. Sanchez''......AND YOU EVEN ADMIT THAT BROWN & HIS PEOPLE ARE STUPID, BUT THAT NO ONE BEFORE HIM HAD GIVEN SO MUCH MONEY & CONTRACTS TO THE MINORITY COMMUNITY....SO YOU WERE SUPPORTING HIM FOR ANOTHER RUN ....DARLIN...UNDER A DECENT MAYOR, WE COULD HAVE DOUBLE THE MINORITY CONTRACTS WITHOUT ALL OF YOU HAVING TO DONATE THE MAX FOR HIS CAMPAIGN EVERY YEAR...AND THOSE IDIOTS WHO DON'T KNOW THEIR JOBS WOULD BE GONE FROM OUR ''A'' LIST OF PREFERRED CONTRACTS BECAUSE ABILITY WOULD PROVE YOUR WORTH, NOT HOW MUCH YOU DONATED/RAISED FOR HIS WAR CHEST....THE FIREMAN AREN'T GREEDY....AND 99.5% OF THEM AREN'T LIARS EITHER...THEY WERE ''DUPED'' INTO SUPPORTING SANCHEZ BECAUSE HE TOLD THEM WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR....THEY DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO GET THEM WHAT THEY WANTED/IN FACT NEED....THE TELEVISED DEBATES HAVE HAD MY MAILBAG FULL WITH THEIR REGRETS....AND I HAVE NO FEAR THAT THEY WILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT ONCE THEY WALK INTO THE VOTING BOOTH ...NOW...KISS THAT NEW GRANDBABY OF YOURS FOR ME & THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS DURING MY RECENT OPERATION .... AND I STILL LOVE YOU. AS CHIEF BRADFORD ONCE TOLD ME ...REASONABLE MINDS CAN DISAGREE AND STILL BE FRIENDS, AND SHARE IDEAS.( AND AS I HAVE TOLD YOU MANY TIMES BEFORE....THE BUCK STOPS WITH BROWN ...SO HE IS THE BAD GUY HERE)

From:

To: brenda@housnitch.com

Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2001 7:05 PM

Subject: Per the so called: "Another rebuttal to half truths"

<<I won't quibble with the writers math, but this is not the whole story, as usual. I haven't been on a scale recently with my gear, but each individual does carry about 50lbs of personal gear, including the air pack.>>

Completely untrue, Even the boys from NIOSH Wednesday weighed the complete gear gee 31 lbs with the air pack..

<<< Now add to that the additional gear that they must take up to the floor, probably about 100 lbs divided amongst the crew.>>

Thanks for supporting my point, it is not the 200 pounds per guy the firefighters fed the paper. So, 100 pounds divided by 3 equals 33 pounds each, not 600!

<<, but the drop of even 20lbs per person makes a big difference.>>

You have the best and lightest gear made, you knew the job before you signed on. Shut up and do the job or leave. If that 20 pounds was so important the union contract would never have been signed in the past without a minimum clause in line with NFPA of 5 per engine and 6 per ladder. No you wanted overtime so 3 per rig is what the UNION ASKED FOR.

<<As far as I know (I wasn't there), only the first alarm companies were actually on location when Jay radioed the mayday.>>>

Well, I was and I also have the time line from communications to support my clams and now NIOSH has it and soon NFPA will too!

<< If there were any second alarm crews, they had just arrived in the staging area and were not actually at the building.>>

Wrong, you weren’t there, says it all!

<<<Of these 28, 3 (the DC and ambulance crew) were definitely outside,>>

No sir they were violating department policy and were in the lobby. That million dollar command van sat empty without staff being where they were supposed to be.

<<That leaves 14. Two crews should have went to the fire floor (4), two crews should have went to the floor above (4), one crew should have went to the roof (2 for possible evacuation and ventilation) and one crew went to the floor below to set up a supply and rehab (2). >>>

Don’t quote policy, state what really happened. Yeah a crew climbed 39 flights of stairs to go to the roof. Dream on.

<<< This leaves one crew to act as a rapid intervention team - maybe.>>>

So you are saying the department intentionally did not follow OSHA lay with that maybe of having a RIT team. Rapid eh? Took 10 minutes to find the guy that three of his so called buddies abandoned.

<<Fair criticism, but with a couple of caveats. 1) not all units carry the 60 minute bottles, >>

Station 2 has a mobile cascade unit, yesterday it had 50 – 60 minute bottles on it plus the ladders 4. Seeing as how only 4 guys needed 60 minute bottles I bet 6 fits into 50. What other station in the Houston fire department could possibly have an easier time of placing additional air packs and 60 minute bottles on their rig than Jay’s engine?

<<When carrying a lot of equipment up and only having so many hands, some things get left behind.>>>

Gee the hose sit on your shoulders, the irons take one hand. ^ sets of shoulders, two hose packs two sets of irons leaves 10 hands available for bottles. DON"T TRY TO SNOW US.

<< Air bottles can be brought up with other units to the supply, so these probably get left first.>>

So unlike Engine 6, we have 4 air packs on our rig with 60’s and for with 30’s. You simply fill out a requistion and mount them on the engine. You know, FD policy, follow it and live! 900 air packs in the FD, only 712 are assigned to apparatus.

<<Actually, it is the National Fire Protection Association that mandates minimum staffing of 4 on every apparatus with 5 or 6 recommended for areas with high rises (this is NFPA standard 1710).>>>

Wrong! You left out, target hazards, oil storage, warehouse districts, etc. Which station does not cover these risks? Does not respond into areas with these risks? Does not back fill into these risks? THAT"S RIGHT NONE> That is why all the other FD’s our size staff correctly. The union never thought they were worthy of more than 3 on a rig and never put it in the weak contract.

<< Why do we ask for 4 on the trucks - because we are realistic and know that we could ask for 5 and 6 and get laughed at by the mayor and city council.>>

True or false, is every candidate running on staffing? YES. They used Stevies nmber of four as the ideal. Shame Shame shame.

<< The unions goal is to ensure AT LEAST minimum staffing levels so the city doesn't run us down to 3 on every apparatus.>>>

Please quote the chapter and verse on any former union contract that ever said four. There aren’t any they all say 3 with 4 being the MAXIMUM. Don’t lie.

<<< The radio issue is also a money issue - we want them for every member on duty and we have them now on the apparatus, but not on ambulances. This is still a problem.>>

Money issue, huh? The department spent almost 10 million over budget last year. There was no public outcry. Once again someone picked a number, it was wrong and that is how many radios you got. It wasn’t money. Don’t cry money or poor union. This is the only fire department of any size in the US without an accountability system. Accountability systems don’t cost money. Two down at McDonalds without accountability and one last month. Will you ever learn. If the union would care about firefighter safety instead of overtime dollars maybe a few people would be alive right now.

<<The problem with larger diameter hose is not the weight of the hose by the pressure and weight generated by the water in the hose.>>

Gee, the paper didn’t say they carried charged lines up the stairs. They said the hose is too heavy for the overweight, old. out of shape, couch potato firefighters to get up just five flights of stairs.

<< Water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon >>>

No it doesn’t. It weighs more than 8 pounds per gallon.

<<< it is hard enough to control when you flow 100 gpm on small diameter hose, but when you get to 200-250 gpm, >>>

Every day at the academy firefighters hold all sizes of lines and flows, alone. Are you saying everyone on shift needs to be retrained? The poor professional firefighters can’t hold a hose?

<<<As for the gear absorbing water, I missed the chronicle report, so I can't comment on it.>>>

You can’t substantiate that the gear will not absorb more weight that the firefighter wearing it? That there is a vapor barrier to keep water out.

<<<I could care less about the overtime, actually.>>>

Well all your buddy’s want it, yesterday at staffing the guys are lined up for it and no one is taking sick time anymore, a full drop of 89% in sick leave.

<<And 4 shifts can't be blamed because our hours worked per week has stayed constant at 46.7 per week.>>>

Support your case. Staffing problems started with the department went from 3 to four shifts, heck even Tri Data Points that out.

<<This is why any shift change back to 3 shifts would have 1) either changed any staffing levels or 2) cost the city an enormous amount of OT.>>

Once again you can’t support your facts, if you are right feed Sanchez the facts that Brown’s 3 shift system is the most expensive way to fix staffing. It isn’t and you are simply wrong on that too.

<<<As for the minimum manning language in the contracts - we have taken what we could get and prayed for no problems.>>

Way to hold firm!!!! LOL. No, you wanted more overtime dollars, and that was the best way to do it. Why would any union to put maximum staffing language n a contract??

<<< And realistically, the only reason that we have not had a serious problem earlier is the DROP - that has kept many firefighters that would have retired a long time ago without it.>>>

Yep, that is all anyone sticks around for anymore. MORE MONEY. Big, fat, old, out of shape getting every penny out of the system and watching TV all day and doing as little as possible.

<<They weren't sprinklered per the fire code because it was not required in the fire code when those buildings were built.>>

Really? The 1979 UFC, Chapter 3, p.65, chapter two, "…all buildings over 75 feet shall be fully sprinkled." And Same code, …2500 square foot wood frame commercial occupancy….shall be fully sprinkled…." What code are you using?

<<< As I wasn't there, I can't comment on who left whom or if anyone could have done anything about it.>>

Sure you can, is it the responsibility per the policy you were stating above for the 3^rd engine to back up Engine 2 on this event…E-2 being the first engine. YES> Where were they? Why was the fallen firefighter asking dispatch over and over where Engine 3 was? Like you said, everyone from the first alarm was there. Less than 48 seconds separated the engines arrival times. Can you say AWOL?????

<<< It is my understanding that they were retreating out of the floor and Jay's air bottle ran out when he got turned around and was trying to leave. >>

Retreating per OSHA (maintaining contact with your crew…visual.you know 2 in 2 out) or running like hell every man for himself like cowards? Will the UNION ask for those members who’s cowardice if proven by NIOSH and NFPA be thrown out of the organization or support the boys club status quo?

<<It is still difficult to drag a fully geared firefighter out of any building, especially when you are already out of air.>>

Oh, no one in the whole FD knows how to manage air or utilize the 60 minute bottles the taxpayers purchased for just such events? Like you said the ladders had 60 minute bottles, they were on the fire floor, did they cut a corner that cost a firefighters life? You know the cascade at station 2 has lots of 60 minute bottles. Did you also know Engine 2’s crew was so lazy on all four shifts that for 7 months they violated a department general order to take silver ringed bottles out of service due to out of date hydro and required retirement of the air bottles? Did you know Jay was wearing a non-compliant bottle? Did you know there are hundreds of compliant bottles stored within 10 feet of his fire truck for 7 months and no one would follow the general order sent to all stations and all captains to replace the bottle? NIOSH now knows it.

e and to start performing professionally. They got exactly what they wanted from Mayor Brown, four on a truck and a $7500 a yearly raise. Now the overtime is available the union president says his firefighters will work it to help the city out. The sick leave problem went away over night, they all want the money. So now the over worked firefighters have to work 8 shifts a month instead of 7. My heart bleeds for them. With only 22 days off a month, they'll be forced to take a day off at their part time jobs as SCAB (non-union) fill in paid firefighters in volunteer departments surrounding Houston where they gladly work with crews of 2 and 3. >

I must really be bad at math, but I'm not receiving a $7500 raise. I'm having to work overtime to get about $4300 per year, and I make more than the average firefighter. I will give you the 22 days off if you work the 24 hour shift that I do (and I'll tell you that I don't get paid for what I do - I get paid for what I may be doing 5-10 minutes from now - put that in your pipe and smoke it for a while). And I don't work for those volunteer departments - I make much more on the side than that.

<<< we have started to address the EMS staffing and response time problems with the squad program and additional ambulances, but we could always use more!>>>

Squads huh? Now there is a good idea, more non-transport vehicles in the Houston fire department. Engines, squads, ladders all arrive and have to wait for an ambulance shows up. 95% of the membership and 100% of the community will tell you the solution is one ambulance per fire house with a paramedic and an EMT on it. But no, we’ve got to play games with peoples lives because we want to try to use our own system, so we make the public wait 10 minutes on average as of yesterdays staff report to get a medic on scene. What a joke the EMS system is. Everyone in management should be thrown out. We could have Dallas or San Antonio’s 3.9 minute response times for a medic tomorrow and not spend a dime if EMS bosses would let us. You know it, I know it the members all know it, every fire department in the state knows it and now it is time the public knows it via BRENDA"S forum. Quit playing with the lives of the people of Houston.

<<True. Water doesn't save lives. Smoke detectors do save lives. I have no problem admitting that.>>

And how many smoke detectors did your crew pick up from supply this week and mount in people hoses? How many batteries did your crew pick up and change out for people in your response district? Let me guess, NONE! Typical, all talk no action. Now let’s compare that to how much time was spent bitching at the station, watching TV, washing your personal vehicle, working on your own things, etc…..

<<< But I would put up my education, training and knowledge against yours any day of the week. >>

27 years of service, four degrees, NFA FO, etc and obviously a better grasp of the facts. I’ll wait for yours.

<<<It is obvious to me that the person who wrote the article about the fire department could not be a firefighter. For one, he/she doesn't have the guts to be a firefighter because there is no name in the "From" line. >>>

Sure there is and was, ask BRENDA.

<< Second, as for saying Captain Jahnke panicked is so full of crap. I have known Captain Jahnke since we were in elementary school and panic was not in his vocabulary.>>>

SO, that must mean if he didn’t panic that his crew left him, if it is not within him to leave his crew, right?

<<<Third, when firefighters retreat from the fire (for new air bottle, rehab), they go in pairs. Captain Jahnke was not by himself as there was another captain there with him. >>>

And why didn’t that captain pull Jay out???? YOU GO I GO….

<<< This other captain also ran out of air, passed out and was carried out by another firefighter who was coming to help.>>>

So they are up there these two experienced captains, they just sent two guys out who were low on air without looking at their own supplies? There air pack alarms didn’t work and give them a ¼ tank warning? Those two experienced captains chose not to use the tag lines in the L2 (you know above the wheel well on the officers side) compartment on every engine to find their way out?

Another example of buy it but not use it, teach it but not use it.

<<< He told the firefighter helping him that Captain Jahnke should be right behind him. >>>

Sir where in 2 in and 2 out, OSHA and Texas state law does it allow that surviving captain to leave visual contact with his buddy? IT DOESN"T one or the other left the other. Come clean. Don’t sweep this under the rug like what happened at McDonalds. Let me guess your replay is well, he couldn’t see Jay. Sir the department bought 35 Scott Eagle thermal imagers to put one on every stinking ladder company in the city. Guess what, the captain didn’t think he needed. Well, he made a really big mistake didn’t he. His crew didn’t bring the right size air bottles, the see through the smoke thermal imager, and chose not to bring the light weight tag lie rope so he could find the way out. DO you suppose 1 more guy on a rig would have made any difference? He would not have out ranked the two captains who left all the important crap down stairs, he would have been a follower.

>>> As for how Captain Jahnke got separated, only Captain Jahnke would know that.>>

Yeah, especially if his buddy left him alone.

<<<get the facts straight! >>

Well post where OSHA allows what you are stating.

<<<the "from" line is ALWAYS deleted by US....that way no one is retaliated against.. AND more people feel free to talk with us. >>

Thanks BRENDA, she knows I posted my name Yeah I’d get the next letter with white powder it like you all sent to all the councilman and the fire chief this week. Very professional!

<<<If Captain Jahnke turned the wrong way, then we will never know if the other two firefighters would have helped. >>

He could not have turned the wrong way per 2 in 2 out because it requires visual contact with the team at all times. Not radio, not he’s behind me, not on the other end of the hall, not around the corner, it says "VISUAL"

<<<I have been in this department for 20 years and have been a paramedic for 18 of those years… I really don't know how much all that crap weighs.

20 years and you don’t know what a length of hose weighs? That an 8 pound force axe weighs 8 pounds? That the halogen weighs the same as the axe? That the nozzle weighs 4.6 pounds, that a Scott 4.5 with a carbon bottle weighs under 19 lbs? You don’t know you coat weighs less than the axe????????

>>>>I am not sure, but I believe that information came from the administration and not the LOCAL.>>>

Yeah the administration supply data for a negative story about the fire department and the Mayor without a single quote attributed to anyone in administration but all of the quotes from firefighters and unnamed firefighters????? Get real!

<<< I know it is to much for 1-2 people to carry up 5 flights of stairs.>>>

20 years experience…and you are suggesting 1 guy carries it up alone? What FD are you with?

<<< You can argue with these people, but the best way to settle the problem is to ask if they have ever been in a burning building>>>

Obviously, and know a heck of a lot more about my equipment than you do.

<<<One of the reasons the department has ran so efficiently in the past is the dedication of the men and women in the department.>>

Every word out of our unions mouth spews hate.

<<< ORLANDO SANCHEZ IS not THE MAN TO GET THAT DONE FOR THEM....>>>

I agree, he's saying everything the union wants to hear. At least Brown has added more ambulances, has staffed everything at four per rig.

<<< cowardly >>>

How else could anyone describe the actions of the captain who’s crew died at McDonald’s. He’s outside with portable radio and his crew is inside without a radio. Every other crew heard the order to get out. Officers are supposed to be with their crews. Not out cowering at their fire truck. DO you all remember how long it took to determine two firefighters were missing. Their own captain wouldn’t even tell the chiefs that he didn’t know where his crew was. One hour into the event someone gets around to following the initial attack policy of opening doors an hour later than it should have happened and low and behold there is a firefighter dead behind the locked door. Depending who you talked to the firefighter crawled around trying to escape for 10 to 15 minutes before succumbing to the toxic gases and dying a miserable death. If you don’t want to follow SOP get out of the fire service. Building construction for the fire service 2^nd edition state: Don’t be under or over a burning truss. Was the attic space heavily involved on arrival yes? Is anyone except firefighters likely to be in a burning McDonalds at 4 am? NO. So the fire department brought the life hazard with them. We went in where we shouldn’t have been and died because of it. A few months later on 912 we took out another McDonalds under similar conditions and no one entered. Maybe we are learning? Then this job comes up and it is obvious we don’t have our eyes on the ball.

Finally, I can’t believe Houston firefighters would stoop so low to Send the Mayor’s wife a letter with a death threat it and white powder! That undoes Jays death, the deaths of 9/11 in the community’s eyes. That is lower than low. Then to follow that up with letters to Bell and Sanchez with the same threats. I can’t tell you how bad that looked on the front page f Fridays’ Chronicle. I can assure you one thing boys, if Mr Brown gets back in you will not see a contract for 2 years. You don’t deserve one for being pond scum. And the idiot who set Chief Connealy a death threat and all of you who helped with the letters to the council, guess what? They have been sent to the state to identify the positive finger prints on one of the letters, the stamps and sealing are being tested for DNA. Remember when you signed on they finger printed you and when you got your new drivers license??? Should be really interesting. You know that is a part one crime! Same as murder, arson, etc. Seems to me the heroes are becoming zeros!

NEW FLASH!

Hey, Brenda, ask all the fireman about internal affairs confiscating all the computers and giving 48 hour notices of hearings to an entire shift! Monday the depositions begin. What do you suppose is on the FD hard drives??????

Damn, sometimes we get the scoop before everyone else does!...but let me correct just a couple of things there in your last paragraphs....Alison Bell.....Mayoral Candidate Bell's wife was the first to report the threatening letter with the powder....Sanchez never received one with any powder in it...and the Mayor said his wife had received one also...but that was not announced until 2 day AFTER the Bell's...i'm not saying the Mayor is lying, but why didn't we hear about it BEFORE Alison Bell called in 911?....and in my heart of heart's...i believe that Sanchez's people did this....it's Sanchez's style....he's a dishonorable man....True Grassroots Hispanic activists call him Orlando "Pete Wilson" Sanchez....in his six years on Council he

Never identified himself as an "immigrant" until now.

In past six years, never active with Latino community.

In past six years, never was an active champion of Latino Issues.

In past six years, never supported issues of Hispanics. Fought against MOIRA,(Mayor'sOffice of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs) Rail, After School Programs & Day Labor Site !

Did not work hard to count Latinos in Census 2000. Non-existent.

Has not fought for fair and adequate Latino representation on Redistricting.

Member of Republican Party who tried to DENY Drivers Licenses to all Residents of the State of Texas. (legal status given to legal immigrants who aren't yet citizens)

ANTI-IMMIGRANT Record (see below references to Houston Chronicle articles)

OPPOSED the formation of a COH "Safety Zone" to ensure the safety and protection of immigrants (Houston Chronicle, Sunday, June 29, 1997, Section A, Page 33, "Immigrants feel Heat and helping hand as well / ‘Safety Zone’ is urged to ensure immigrants access to city services.")

SUPPORTS DEPORTATION OF ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. (Houston Chronicle, Tuesday, October 12, 1993, Section A, Page 14:

"Sanchez said city officials need to take a leadership role in getting the federal government to deport illegal immigrants. The probationers he supervises tell him that half the gang members in southwest Houston came here illegally, he explained.

‘As a legal immigrant to this country, I am embarrassed by the behavior of some of the the illegal immigrants,’ he said. But Sanchez charged that city officials don't speak out about the problem because they are afraid of being accused of ethnic bias."

Quoted from MARIA JIMENEZ, activist of Latino immigrant community:"When Sanchez first ran (time of Pete Wilson), he was the first local political figure to blame social problems in the Southwest on the undocumented Central American population. He declared violence was inherent in Central Americans because they came from a violent environment so they were responsible for an increased crime rate in the Gulfton area (Houston Post, 1993). That earned him the name of Orlando ‘Pete Wilson’ Sanchez.

In 1996, Sanchez did not support the proposal of the Houston Immigrant & Refugee Coalition for passage of a Safe City Resolution, which was a statement that the city would continue to serve the undocumented population. At the time, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, had one. New York fought for one. Sanchez refused to support it.

When the AFL-CIO wanted to redress the discrimination suffered by Hispanic construction workers on city sites, his only response was making a declaration that he supported all Hispanics, but he did NOTHING – nothing proactive to resolve this issue.

In order to ensure fair attention to immigrants and refugees, we sought the establishment of an office of immigrants & refugee affairs, but Orlando Sanchez OPPOSED it. The reason the formation of the office was an "executive order" is because Orlando Sanchez refused to support (not a line-item in the city budget). This office is NOT a permanent entity within the city government. If Sanchez is elected, he may abolish this office."

THAT LOCAL 341 SUPPORTED THIS MAN WHO NEVER ONCE IN ALL OF 6 YEARS ON COUNCIL ATTENDED A FINANCE BUDGETARY MEETING BLOWS MY MIND .... AND ONE LAST CORRECTION TO THIS WRITER, BROWN ONLY DECIDED TO STAFF 4 TO A TRUCK BECAUSE IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR, AND A VALIANT MAN LOST HIS LIFE.....HE STILL HASN'T FOUND THE MONEY TO FUND THEM YET....IF YOU WANT A TRUE PLAN ....ASK TO SEE CHRIS BELL'S...HE HAS ONE....THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED A.S.A.P. IF YOU DO THE RIGHT THING ON TUESDAY, AND AVOID A RUN-OFF.

From:

To: Brenda Flores

Sent: Monday, November 04, 2001 9:54 AM

Subject: Re: Firefighting stuff

Brenda

What good are long duration air packs if the firefighters won’t use them?

FACT

Why have large flow handlines if you leave them on the engine?

FACT

A search rope allows the crew to find their way out in heavy smoke but f it is left at street level it won’t help you.

FACT

The thermal imager is designed to allowed to see through smoke. It is really tough to use one still in a compartment on the ladder.

FACT

  How can we expect the city to trust us when they know we won’t wear our helmets or gloves,

FACT, i can show you photos to support it from Jay's fire.

bring our gear up to a fire,

FACT

and we don’t even turn our floodlights on at night.

FACT, once again i have photographic proof

Why start an attack if you don’t have the staffing to complete the task?

in firefighting we have two methods of attack interior and exterior. this should have been an exterior knockdown followed by interior mop up

There is nothing wrong with forming up with sufficient manpower before you begin attack.

FACT, happens every day

It is high time to turn the TV’s off, start studying and learn to work as a team and improve the professionalism of the fire department.

COME BY STATION 69 8 TO 12 OR 1 TO 5   AND YOU'LL SEE FULL USE OF THE TV AND RECLINERS

Many of us are starting to believe our own negative press. The facts are there are too many old over weight understudied firefighters who have no business to be on the force.

PLEASE COME SEE FOR YOURSELF. THE YOUNG GUYS ARE ON AMBULANCES THE OLD GUYS ON LADDERS THE MEDIUM GUYS ON ENGINES.

Training sessions have become pencil whip sessions in a recliner where guys sleep not learn.

TOTAL FACT

No doubt about it, our crews were as responsible for the last three firefighter deaths as staffing.

FACT, HERE I'LL QUOTE FROM THE NIOSH REPORT FROM McDonalds:

NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar incidents, fire departments should

ensure that the department’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed

ensure that fire command always maintains close accountability for all personnel at the fire scene

ensure that Incident Command conducts an initial size-up of the incident before initiating fire fighting efforts and continually evaluates the risk versus gain during operations at an incident

ensure that vertical ventilation takes place to release any heat, smoke, and fire

ensure that fire fighters are trained to identify truss roof systems

ensure that fire fighters use extreme caution when operating on or under a lightweight truss roof and should develop standard operating procedures for buildings constructed with lightweight roof trusses

ensure that fire fighters performing fire fighting operations under or above trusses are evacuated as soon as it is determined that the trusses are exposed to fire

explore using a thermal imaging camera as a part of the exterior size-up

ensure that, whenever there is a change in personnel, all personnel are briefed and understand the procedures and operations required for that shift, station, or duty

ensure that, whenever a building is known to be on fire and is occupied, all exits are forced and blocked open

consider providing all fire fighters with portable radios or radios integrated into their face pieces

consider adding additional staff in accordance with NFPA standards

establish various written standard operating procedures, ensure record keeping, and conduct annual evaluations to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their overall SCBA maintenance program.

Additionally, building owners, utility providers, and municipalities should

ensure that all exterior building utilities are accessible and in working condition

consider placing the building’s construction information on an exterior placard

upgrade or modify older structures to incorporate new codes and standards to improve occupancy and fire fighter safety

THE STAFFING COMMENT IN THE REPORT WAS NOT IN REGARDS TO FOUR PER RIG BECAUSE WE HAD FOUR PER AT THAT FIRE IT WAS FOR A CHIEFS AID ON EACH CHIEFS RIG. YOU'LL SEE THE SAME EXACT POINTS MADE FOR JAY'S DEATH. THE TEFLON MAYOR COMES CLEAN AGAIN. HE LET THE CHIEF BUY THE RADIOS. EVERYTHING ELSE IS THE SAME AS IT WAS BEFORE MCDONALDS

If you live in a culture of taking short cuts and doing what is easy instead of what s right then it will eventually get you.

FACT, THAT IS THE ONLY THING I CAN ATTRIBUTE IT TO.

You bet Engine 3 did not fulfill the role they were supposed to fill backing up Jay’s crew, they were hooking up to a standpipe, that was not their assignment!

THAT IS WHERE THEY WERE, RADIO TRAFFIC CLEARLY PROVES JAY KNOW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BEHIND HIM BUT THEY TOOK THE 4TH ENGINES JOB NOT THEIR OWN ASSIGNMENT. OF COURSE THE 4TH RIG HELPED THE 3 RD RIG DO THE 4TH RIGS JOB, SO NO ONE SUPPORTED JAY'S CREW.

If you are backing someone up you either go down with them or come out with them. You don’t come out alone and then spend 10 minute trying to find the person you were allegedly with.

EVERYONE KNOWS IN THE STATION RUMORS THE SURVIVING CAPTAIN LIKE THE CAPTAIN AT MCDONALDS IS A TOTAL COWARD AND ABANDONED JAY.

The saddest part of our most recent high rise fire was no one in command had any idea where anyone was.

53 MINUTES OF RADIO TRAFFIC PROVES IT

For almost an hour the fire was allowed to free burn while our so called command staff tried to figure out who was on first base. We are damn lucky we didn’t kill off 10 of us.

THEY WOULDN'T OPEN P WITH TOWER 69'S LADDER PIPE UNTIL THEY COULD FIND ALL THE UNACCOUNTED FOR FIREFIGHTERS

Brenda, you won't believe what they are about to find on the hard drives of the computers that were confiscated.

PORNO, DEATH THREATS TO THE MAYOR, COUNCILMEN, FIRE CHIEF, ETC.

Guys are going to be losing their jobs over this one. Monday's interrogations would not be a good time for anyone to lie, they have way too much proof, come clean guys or go down for good!

Oh, here is another scoop for you, I hear Mr. Williams has been served for conduct unbecoming an officer in public at Jay's funeral. Local 341's boss goes down!

FILED LAST THURSDAY, BASED UPON HIS COMMENTS IN UNIFORM TO CAPTAIN HERMANN, ALSO CHARGED WITH LUDENESS FOR THE "DID YOU SWALLOW AFTER THAT" COMMENT ON tv.

IF ANYONE THINKS DIFFERENTLY ON THE ABOVE TOPICS LET THEM SPEAK AND SUPPORT THEIR CLAIMS.

THE SOONER MY FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS UNDERSTAND NIOSH AND NFPA ARE NOT GOING TO COME BACK AND SAY THE MAYOR, IS BAD BUT 9 OF 10 POINTS WE THE FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE THE BAD GUY. JUST THE FACTS, SURE STAFFING IS PART OF THE PROBLEM BUT NONE OF THE CANDIDATES MADE ANY EFFORT TO IMPROVE STAFFING DURING THEIR TIME ON THE COUNCIL, SO WHY SHOULD I EXPECT THEM TO DO IT NOW???

IF WE WANT TO KEEP FIREFIGHTERS ALIVE WE BETTER FOCUS ON CORE COMPETENCIES...

BRENDA, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND THE BACK GROUND TO MY COMMENTS

Brenda Flores <brenda@housnitch.com> wrote:

this one is hard for me....real hard

b

Why is that Brenda?

BECAUSE BABY, I PERSONALLY PUT FIREFIGHTER'S AND POLICEMEN RIGHT UP THERE WITH JESUS & ELVIS

Lee P. Brown's Record On Crime
Success Or Failure?
(Per FBI's Official Annual "Uniform Crime Reports")

Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon 1975-1976
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1974	1976	(Decrease)	Change
Murders	57	44	-13
Rapes	349	403	54
Robberies	2,193	2,236	43
Aggravated Assaults	2,325	2,507	182
Total Violent Crime	4,924	5,190	266	5.4%	Increase!

Police Commissioner, City of Atlanta 1978-1982
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1977	1982	(Decrease)	Change
Murders	124	139	15
Rapes	459	560	101
Robberies	2,019	3,655	1,636
Aggravated Assaults	3,234	5,230	1,996
Total Violent Crime	5,836	9,584	3,748	64.2%	Increase!

Police Chief, City of Houston 1982-1990
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1981	1990	(Decrease)	Change
Murders	497	568	71
Rapes	987	1,335	348
Robberies	6,893	12,921	6,028
Aggravated Assaults	1,917	7,813	5,896
Total Violent Crime	10,294	22,637	12,343	119.9%	Increase!

National Drug Czar 1993-1996
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1992	1996	(Decrease)	Change
Drug Arrests In U.S.	1,066,400	1,506,200	439,800	41.2%	Increase!

Mayor, City of Houston 1998-2001
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1997	2000	(Decrease)	Change
Murders	254	230	(24)
Rapes	790	813	23
Robberies	8,146	8,258	112
Aggravated Assaults	11,967	12,192	225
Total Violent Crime	21,157	21,493	336	1.6%	Increase!

United States Total Violent Crime
			Increase/	Per Cent
	1997	2000	(Decrease)	Change
Total Violent Crime-US	1.6 million	1.4 million	(.2 million)	(-12.5%)	Decrease!

	Never identified himself as an "immigrant" until now.
	In past six years, never active with Latino community.
	In past six years, never was an active champion of Latino Issues.
	In past six years, never supported issues of Hispanics. Fought against MOIRA,(Mayor'sOffice of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs) Rail, After School Programs & Day Labor Site !
	Did not work hard to count Latinos in Census 2000. Non-existent.
	Has not fought for fair and adequate Latino representation on Redistricting.
	Member of Republican Party who tried to DENY Drivers Licenses to all Residents of the State of Texas. (legal status given to legal immigrants who aren't yet citizens)

	*ensure that the department’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed*
	ensure that fire command always maintains close accountability for all personnel at the fire scene
	ensure that Incident Command conducts an initial size-up of the incident before initiating fire fighting efforts and continually evaluates the risk versus gain during operations at an incident
	*ensure that vertical ventilation takes place to release any heat, smoke, and fire*
	*ensure that fire fighters are trained to identify truss roof systems*
	ensure that fire fighters use extreme caution when operating on or under a lightweight truss roof and should develop standard operating procedures for buildings constructed with lightweight roof trusses
	ensure that fire fighters performing fire fighting operations under or above trusses are evacuated as soon as it is determined that the trusses are exposed to fire
	*explore using a thermal imaging camera as a part of the exterior size-up*
	ensure that, whenever there is a change in personnel, all personnel are briefed and understand the procedures and operations required for that shift, station, or duty
	ensure that, whenever a building is known to be on fire and is occupied, all exits are forced and blocked open
	consider providing all fire fighters with portable radios or radios integrated into their face pieces
	*consider adding additional staff in accordance with NFPA standards*
	establish various written standard operating procedures, ensure record keeping, and conduct annual evaluations to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their overall SCBA maintenance program.

	*ensure that all exterior building utilities are accessible and in working condition*
	*consider placing the building’s construction information on an exterior placard*
	upgrade or modify older structures to incorporate new codes and standards to improve occupancy and fire fighter safety