View Full Version : A Vote of 'NO CONFIDENCE'
Man, oh man oh man... There is a lot of stuff going on around here. What do you guys think? .....
"San Jose firefighters voted overwhelmingly last week to declare a lack of confidence in Chief Darryl Von Raesfeld, a symbolic slap highlighting simmering labor-management tension."
It was all over the papers, and they posted the story westcoast911 too.
http://westcoast911.com/wp/2008/12/02/firefighters-vote-no-confidence-in-new-chief/
Have any of you ever been a part of this kind of drama? It stabs deep!
firemedic301
12-03-08, 11:44
Speaking first hand as a guy that was a member of a Dept. that voted "NO CONFIDENCE" of our Fire Chief I can tell you it sucks for everybody involved!!! It is a LOSE LOSE situation. When talks start in a union meating or around the stations to POLITICALLY slap your Chief in the face for major problems with your dept it starts to take on a MOB mentality. It can be started for the ABSOLUTE moral and ethical right reasons, however it is a move that can be publicaly spun in a number of ways depending on the stance of YOUR local media. It can make you guy's look noble or whiny little spoiled Firemen.
Next, you have to make sure YOUR UNION has the POLITICAL clout to pull it off and have the counsil members overwelmingly on your side!!!!!! Plain and simple, if you don't as is appearent in San Jose it makes the Chief and counsil members dislike the Firemen more than ever. My situation looked like it went down for the same reasons my old dept. did it. Now they are doomed until they can first change the counsil members come next election time.
Maybe BCLEPORE or any legal wizes (hell maybe even JOHNNY ON THE SPOT;)) can fill us in on the legal ramifications associated with voting no confidence to start litigation against the Chief or City?
I hope the best for the guy's up there, they have a long rough road ahead. I just pray I never have to be involved in another situation like that.
Here is my quandary (sp?) how is it that soooooo often MANAGEMENT that has come through the ranks "CHANGES" (ya I said it) and a USUALLY liked guy/gal becomes DISliked when the gold goes on??? Is it the rank and file that changes or is it through the actions of the individual wearing the BRASS that changes??? I think this could be a topic for another thread, but just food for thought. But DON'T get me wrong there are some GREAT BC's, DC's and Chiefs out there (I know this first hand) but man there are a bunch that change for the worse.
Again here is the saying that somes up my view - "MANAGERS do things RIGHT, LEADERS do the RIGHT thing". In the END managers get FRAGED and GUY'S will jump on a gernade to protect a LEADER when things go bad.
Now with the NEW financial struggles hitting us ALL, it will be even more obvoius who the MANAGERS and LEADERS are!!!
Just my .03 cents
At one time I used to see a truck around town that had a sticker on the back window: "GOT STAFFING? OUR CHIEF DOESN'T"
Wow.
firemedic301
12-10-08, 09:20
At one time I used to see a truck around town that had a sticker on the back window: "GOT STAFFING? OUR CHIEF DOESN'T"
Wow.
Very Familiar with that one, and the individual in question also at one time had the said Chiefs name and direct phone number under it asking the public to call said Chief and ask him why HE was cutting staffing and putting the publics safety in jeopardy (in 3" white letters acrossed his entire back window). Alittle aggressive, but when you have a Chief made as many poor decisions and that treated us the way he did bad things happen.
desertmedic
12-10-08, 13:54
Steve.. The medic in question... Wouldnt happen to be a certain ex Hesp guy that I went to medic school with? Green eyes, long...goat-like face. :eek: Name sounds like larramy flearn? :D
firemedic301
12-10-08, 17:21
I believe he is one in the same!!!!!! In fact we use to drive by the College (when you guy's were in class) on the way back from the Hosp to read the LATEST window art he was displaying
Woo-hoo... That's ball-Z. That guy is my hero. Are you guys dropping hints about a member in here? That's hilarious.
firemedic301
12-12-08, 16:09
Woo-hoo... That's ball-Z. That guy is my hero. Are you guys dropping hints about a member in here? That's hilarious.
I'm not sure if he's in here maybe Chili can shed some light on if he is in here??? I don't think so.
desertmedic
12-12-08, 23:19
Steve-o... I believe he might be. Last time him and I spoke he did mention this site.
thank god little p retired....
firemedic301
12-13-08, 20:51
thank god little p retired....
????? Did I miss something? Who is little p
OK OK....I have tried to resist the urge to start talking in these forums but I can't hold back any longer. Last time I got a little out of control on the ol daily press blogs.
Little "P" is Pambianco and Big "P" was his D/C down in training. It was one of many names that he had at county.
VNC's.....well firemedic301 pretty much summed it up. It feels good but as we and San Jose saw if you can't count a majority vote on your governing board to back you .....well you pretty much gained nothing and pissed a lot of people off. But it sure feels good! I have learned a lot of things and have done a lot of growing up since those stickers were on my truck. It took a long time to fix the reputation that it got me when I came over to county. Everybody has a boss and as much as we would like the fire chief to stand up and tell his boss off and loose his job not many people including all of us would do that. There was a lot more to the story in Hesperia. Treatment of the members, contract violations, unsafe reduction of staffing. Sometimes enough is enough and you can't take anymore. Thats how the vnc and Stickers come up.
To Clarify the stickers were:
GOT STAFFING?
OUR CHIEF DOESN'T (in the got milk font)
WHO CUT YOUR FIREFIGHTERS?
ASK FIRE CHIEF THOMAS PAMBIANCO
(760) 947-1641 (his direct office number at HQ)
Let see if I can get the pics up here
firemedic301
01-08-09, 09:05
Let see if I can get the pics up here
There they are the infamous picts!!!!! Only you. Call me and stop by for a beer, my Kegerator has 37 degree Hef on tap:D
Newcomer
desertmedic
01-08-09, 16:34
Wow, that "GOT STAFFING" appears to be on the ambulance. :eek: J, I gotta hand it to you. Wow..... You got my vote for biggest cajones of the year.
Oh, and when you comin out to 46's? We can run calls together again... Just like ole times. ;)
Let see if I can get the pics up here
your the man
Inv Ur A$$
01-10-09, 21:46
Let see if I can get the pics up here
Hats off to you! Haven't ever seen anyone be quite that ballseeeeee!:eek:
I think Chico FD could use some stickers Kernal...?
BTW... How's the mustache?
firemedic301
01-13-09, 10:25
I think Chico FD could use some stickers Kernal...?
BTW... How's the mustache?
Is that what that is called:eek:
The sticker was on the ambulance just for that photo....lol only about 5 minutes. I'm not that crazy. It was on my truck before the bigger one. That big sticker did play a part in getting our staffing back on our truck. Sounds like departments like Rialto seem to think its ok to run with a 2 man truck too. No matter what idea you have to staff with extra FF's from an ambulances, chances are they will not be there...on a call or at the hospital. it doesn't work.
As for the mustache. It was looking sweet but one day into the cruise to mexico it had to go. Getting in the way of gettin laid. I also got tired of being called Master Splinter. Hows that George Michael beard going there LVLADDER????
firemedic301
01-14-09, 00:23
The sticker was on the ambulance just for that photo....lol only about 5 minutes. I'm not that crazy. It was on my truck before the bigger one. That big sticker did play a part in getting our staffing back on our truck. Sounds like departments like Rialto seem to think its ok to run with a 2 man truck too. No matter what idea you have to staff with extra FF's from an ambulances, chances are they will not be there...on a call or at the hospital. it doesn't work.
As for the mustache. It was looking sweet but one day into the cruise to mexico it had to go. Getting in the way of gettin laid. I also got tired of being called Master Splinter. Hows that George Michael beard going there LVLADDER????
Stegging and Daniels would be proud of that statement, you are the man!!!;)
The sticker was on the ambulance just for that photo....lol only about 5 minutes. I'm not that crazy. It was on my truck before the bigger one. That big sticker did play a part in getting our staffing back on our truck. Sounds like departments like Rialto seem to think its ok to run with a 2 man truck too. No matter what idea you have to staff with extra FF's from an ambulances, chances are they will not be there...on a call or at the hospital. it doesn't work.
As for the mustache. It was looking sweet but one day into the cruise to mexico it had to go. Getting in the way of gettin laid. I also got tired of being called Master Splinter. Hows that George Michael beard going there LVLADDER????
HaHaHaHaHa :D..... That's too funny!!! I've also heard back street boy just out of rehab! LOL
I think the beard is fierce but it's starting to bug a little. I'm trying to hold on until I go back work on Jan. 24th... It's a very sad attempt for being off for almost a month.
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