STATter 911: Public safety director vows no firehouses will be without staffing. PGFD plan modified.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Public safety director vows no firehouses will be without staffing. PGFD plan modified.

Prince George's County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety / Director of Homeland Security Vernon Herron tells STATter 911 he has given the fire department authority to temporarily suspend furloughs when it has been determined firehouses could be left without staffing. This comes after Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Chief Lawrence Sedgwick met with Herron Thursday over the department's plan to furlough each employee for a total of 80-hours by June of next year. The furloughs have been ordered for all county employees.

As STATter 911 has been reporting this week, the PGFD plan calls for entire shifts of career firefighters to be removed from stations for eight-hours at a time. The reason entire shifts of either two or four firefighters would be furloughed together is because of the county's collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 1619. The contract requires stations with career firefighters to have at least 4 firefighters on duty Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Union president Doug Batholomew confirms during those hours it is either four firefighters or none.

Similarly, at all other times, there is a minimum requirement of two firefighters to be on duty at stations with career staffing.

While a county spokesman insisted Thursday afternoon that entire shifts would not be furloughed, Vernon Herron later confirmed that was incorrect information. Herron said the county would abide by its contract with Local 1619. But Herron also told STATter 911 he has ordered Chief Sedgwick to make sure no firehouses are left without staffing.

One of Chief Sedgwick's top aides was scheduled to meet with volunteer chiefs Thursday night in an effort to have volunteer firefighters cover for furloughed career firefighters. The department is also expecting to use firefighters and medics currently assigned to office duty to fill in at fire stations.

Sources familiar with the fire department's plan tell STATter 911 they aren't clear how the department will be able to follow Herron's mandate to staff firehouses at the same time they are proceeding with furloughs. The sources, both career and volunteer, say they don't believe there are enough volunteers and office staff available to keep all of the stations open.

The plan calls for as many as seven stations to be targeted for furloughs in any 24-hour period. Career battalion chiefs are to coordinate with volunteer leaders to determine if the 8-hour furlough for a specific station will occur between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM or between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM.

As STATter 911 reported on Thursday, the first round of furloughs is scheduled to begin Sunday. Entire shifts of firefighters at six of the county's 44 stations have been notified they will be taking eight-hours off. Those stations are 805 (Capitol Heights), 813 (Riverdale Heights), 819 (Bowie), 821 (Oxon Hill), 823 (Forestville), and 825 (Clinton). Also scheduled for furlough this Sunday are Battalion Chief 801 and Medic 818 (Glenn Dale).

STATter 911 has been able to confirm that the Forestville VFD has already lined up volunteers to fill inn for the furloughed career firefighters.

Vernon Herron insists that the safety of the public will not be compromised by the furloughs.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:24 AM

Comments:

wonder how many of those volunteers are two hatters from DC stabbing thier brothers in the back, doing thier jobs for free. what a mess that place is!

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 6:59 AM

You hear that very loud horn and see that really bright light coming at ya...it's the train wreck that is PGFD getting ready to take place. They haven't staffed apparatus properly for years and now they want to proceed with this foolishness.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 7:58 AM

Vernon Herron is an idiot. The furlough plan has been enacted as a law and there is a collective bargining agreement,which also is a law, that he must follow. He does not have the authority to go against either. I see JJ swooping in soon and letting Herron go.

Also I still haven't seen a plan from the police side. Have you heard anything there?

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 8:09 AM

This order from the safety director sounds like a Jim Estepp order

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 8:29 AM

If you thought paid/volunteer relationships were bad before...this is the straw that will break the camels back. Sounds like Sedgwick was just handed an impossible task by his boss - a set-up for failure?? Dave - standby - tensions among career staff is at an all time high and morale is at an all time low and now sprinkle in volunteer interaction!!!! You thought there was fireworks before - just wait.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 8:41 AM

Ask the braintrust in Marlboro how furloughs are being dealt with at 911, dispatch and police. While your at it - ask him how Howard County is dealing with the economy - Why Howard County -- ASK HIM ???? After all, he does reside in the jurisdiction he makes decisions for,, dosen't he????

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 9:23 AM

This may be the best thing, in the long run, for IAFF Local 1619. The Inernational Association of Fire Fighters has PGFD, paid and volunteer, under a microscope now. Any two-hatter that fills in for a furloughed IAFF member will be dealt with at the International level. Also, all the career PGFD members that belong to Local 1619 that are volunteers in other jurisdcitions that have a local chapter will also now be identified and dealt with. Vernon Herron has opened up so many can of worms that he could not have put any thought into this decision.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 9:29 AM

Of course you won't see a plan from the police side. They don't have people throwing their business around for everyone to see. Don't you ever wonder why the FOP is so much stronger than the IAFF, Teachers Unions, etc.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 10:03 AM

Enough with the whining! The career side set themselves up for this by deciciding to play hardball with the county. Now that the county has called their bluff, they complain about how the volunteers are screwing them. The volunteers are merely willing to help out in a difficult time, something the career side was not willing to do. If the career side was so concerned about public safety, they would work their 8 hours furlough time for free to ensure staffing levels. This would not only help with the fiscal issue but it would put them in a favorable light with the citizery. Unfortunately this would never happen because then they would be accusd of volunteering. It continues to amaze me how a bunch of so called adults can act so childish.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 10:11 AM

It is not a Career or Volunteer issue. It is a Dollar and Cents issue. This would be happening even if PG was all Career.

I will be there to staff my station when the Career Personnel are off because it is the right thing to do. Don't punish your Community because the Government that they elected has failed them.

I will never punish my Community because of other's fiscal irresponsibility. When someone calls for help, they deserve to get help.

Dave, place this at the top of your list. As a Career Firefighter and Volunteer, I will always make decisions based on what is best for the people I help or the Safety of the crew(s) I lead.

D

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 10:27 AM

Most of the 2 hatter/scabs are hyprocrites... mainly because yuo choose to not ride the ambulance, you know that bus that takes sick and unjured people to the hospital. It takes up @ 85% of the call volume nationwide. I hope you are as willing to jump on the ambulance as you are jumping on the engine or the ladder truck to put a fire out. Something tells me that folks will let the ambo fail to stay back and staff the fire apparatus!

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 1:15 PM

So what does this mean for PG? The furloughs are cancelled. Something tells me that Jack Johnson told Herron to let the Fire Dept. folks sweat& stew over this a little bit and then cancel it to make them look good in the end. The furlough plan was just Jack Johnson sticking it to public safety for standing up to him...And remember it's all public safety...fire dept. police, sheriffs and corrections...

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 1:18 PM

Dave, you started at 21, and to say we cant staff it, your not listening to the vol. end.
WE WILL BE THERE, we will always be there. Our guys are ready for Sun. or any other day. As far as the plan it sucks, I support our paid guys and hope they loose nothing. Lets see if the chief takes a cut in pay.

# posted by

Eddie : September 26, 2008 1:27 PM

It's great if the volunteers can fill our boots when we're furloughed, but are they gonna be there Monday through Friday instead of going to there jobs?

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 4:41 PM

This is not a career/volunteer issue - it's a Public Safety Budget crisis, due to the incompetent political mismanagement of the county. As citizen tax payer we are outraged at yet another example of gross government mismanagement once again exposing PG County to negative national exposure. If you recall, the DC government played "firehouse closure roulette" due to mirror disgraceful mismanagement a few years ago and promptly got burned literally.....Go ahead, roll the dice Jack and hope you get lucky....for the citizens sake!

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 8:33 PM

To all the volunteers out there. I hope you guys realize that you will have to cover many, many extra hours to cover your stations while the paid folks are furloughed. Don't make promise that you can't keep over the long term. That's alot of time that you have to cover...

# posted by

Anonymous : September 26, 2008 10:29 PM

To the last poster, I have asked that same question before. Are some of these volunteers going to take time off of their job to hang out at the firehouse. Are you going to take time away from your family...IE: football games, birthday parties, time with the kids. No one has answered to it. It is alot more hours than you realize.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 27, 2008 1:26 PM

I know that familys like mine take a hit when were not home. I for one work at night as well as do the firehouse thing. I`m lucky, my wife doesn`t b@#$ my kids are grown but yes it`s hard on some, but most should know what they married into, a firehouse. Not to say it`s right, but I`ll never miss my work, but I am at my station for the furlough and will be here till 7am for the next two nights for joe public, I support the paid guys, they should loose NO pay, but I also will always support me station. Sorry to those who don`t agree.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 1:58 AM

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 1:11 PM

Wow dude, you live for the wrong things... when your on your death bed no one will say..wow i wish I ran one more call on a fire truck or I wish I had spent more hours at the firehouse... they look around and hopefully the ones who are there are your wife, kids and grand kids. The one that you relly love and those who really love you. Look around, your on a bar of soap circling the toilet. Y ou dedicate your life to a firehouse that will forget about you after about 6 months after youve left.. PGFD doesnt really care about the volunteers and they dont care much about he public, otherwise they would have cancelled this furlough system and looked at other options. Spend your time with your wife and kids while you can , otherwise someone else will be laid up with your wife at your house and drinking your beer while your at the firehouse being a dedicated volunteer. Take this word fom someone who has been there. I moved out of PG County a while ago and left the volunteer fire service... and you know what, I have only had one or two friends from the firehouse call ans ay what's up or what ever. i used to be that guy who would have said "I will be there for my station whne the career guys are furloughed. But not now. Be dedicated to your family first while they are still with you. Paying Child support and alimony sucks!

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 2:27 PM

i hope you realize that it's not for the next two nights at your stationbut 2 to 4 nights every 2 weeks until June!

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 2:29 PM

Dave,

Didn't DCAO Herron state that these furloughs would not have an adverse impact on public safety???

Only three hours into the first set of furloughs, paramedic units were unavailable to respond to a child that had been severely burned in Clinton. Where were all the Paramedic Units? They were covering calls in the Silver Hill area because their Paramedic Unit was furloughed.

One may have thought that maybe the above incident was just a round of bad luck. But Day Two didn't start out very well either. The College Park Paramedic Unit was unable to respond to a severe seizure emergency at the Hyattsville Court House this morning because the crew of that unit was furloughed as well.

I would be interested in hearing Mr. Herron's comments now? This is a ticking time bomb...just waiting to go off.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 4:40 PM

Vernon Herron insists that the safety of the public will not be compromised by the furloughs."

Dave-
It is my understanding that on 9/28/08 in Clinton a 5 year old child was burned on over 40% of the body. No medic unit was available for the call. Medic 829 from Silver Hill was on Furlough.

On 9/12/08 a person in the Hyattsville District Court suffered a seizure. No medic unit was available for the call. Medic 812 from College Park was on Furlough.

# posted by

Anonymous : September 29, 2008 6:52 PM

I do not know how many of you have look at the days of whats stations are losing people. But did you notice that the ambulance at 33 will have 24 hour 7 days a week coverage by career personel at there station. (nothing agains the career or vol at 33) just food for thought.

# posted by

Anonymous : March 9, 2009 2:09 AM