Well, I went back and forth about posting my own rendition of the Star Spangled Banner on WestCoast911.com. But today at the station I was approached by a colleague that convinced me go ahead and put it up…
So here I am, your meek web editor, all decked out in my dress uniform at the route 66 rendezvous car show in San Bernardino. I had the gracious honor of commencing the ceremonies at our annual firefighters’ muster.
By the way, if any other firefighters in California have a team that would like to join us next year in the competition, just drop me a line and I’ll point your hose stream in the right direction. You can usually find me floating around somewhere in the dangerous waters of our West Coast 911 Firefighter forums.
The International Association of Firefighters has recently put out an article regarding their stance on the number two killer of firefighters - Vehicle accidents.
The primary emphasis is once again; seat belts. Buckle up out there guys. Stay safe.
Here is the article:
Firefighter Vehicle Accidents and Seat Belts - vehicledeaths
A six-man, six-woman jury is set to begin deliberations Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by four San Diego firefighters who allege they were subjected to sexual harassment when they were ordered to participate in the 2007 gay pride parade.
In closing arguments Tuesday, the firefighters’ attorney asked the jury to order the city to pay each firefighter $500,000 to $1 million for the damage they suffered from being taunted by spectators.
But the attorney for the city said the four deserve nothing, that being ordered to drive a firetruck in the parade is no different than being ordered to fight a fire, and that dozens of city employees and officials participated in the parade without claiming any ill effects.
Charles LiMandri, the firefighters’ attorney, said the city violated its own anti-sexual harassment policy by ordering the four into the parade even though they objected and other firefighters had complained about slurs and crude gestures from crowds at previous parades.
The city would never put female employees in a situation where “hand and tongue gestures of a sexual nature” could be anticipated, he told jurors.
“Can you imagine if a woman is working in an office and there’s pornography on the computer next to her, and a supervisor says, ‘Just avert your eyes,’ ” LiMandri said.
Chief Deputy City Atty. Maria Severson scoffed at the firefighters’ complaints. While there were some “juvenile comments,” the vast majority of the estimated 150,000 parade watchers applauded the firefighters and “treated them like rock stars,” she said.
“Four million dollars for being in a parade for an hour and a half?” Severson said incredulously.
During the two-week trial, firefighters John Ghiotto, Chad Allison, Jason Hewitt and Alexander Kane testified that their treatment during the parade left them feeling powerless and violated. The four said they filed a lawsuit when Fire Chief Tracy Jarman refused to apologize for a policy that required firefighters to participate in parades when ordered.
During her testimony, Jarman, who marched ahead of the truck, said the Fire Department has changed its policy to make participation in parades voluntary.
LiMandri noted that the city prides itself on having a “100% response” when employees sense they are being sexually harassed. “Our city, which we love, failed them,” LiMandri said of his clients.
Severson said the firefighters, even if they felt offended by the comments, were sitting in a firetruck that protected them from the crowd.
“We’re not talking about walking or holding a sign,” she said. “We’re talking about sitting six feet off the ground with tons of metal around you.”
Illinois 121 near the Kenney Blacktop between Warrensburg and Latham was closed in both directions for several hours Thursday as emergency personnel worked to clean up after an anhydrous ammonia leak at a local fertilizer plant.
Macon County Emergency Management Agency Director Phil Anello said the road was closed from about 8:50 to 11:45 a.m. because of an ammonia leak at the Van Horn Fertilizer plant near unincorporated Heman.
Anello said no injuries or hospitalizations were reported in the incident, and foul play is not believed to be involved. Anello said it was an accident with a faulty valve that caused a large ammonia cloud to form.
The leak triggered a “multiagency, multijurisdictional response,” Anello said.
Warrensburg Fire Chief Keith Hackl, whose department was the lead agency in handling the leak, said 12 to 15 homes downwind from the leak temporarily were evacuated, but the communities of Warrensburg and Latham were not directly affected.
Hackl said Warrensburg firefighters received assistance from many fire departments, including Harristown, Latham, Kenney, Maroa, Hickory Point Township and South Wheatland Township.
The Decatur Fire Department also sent 10 technicians from its hazardous materials unit to help control and clean up the leak, Battalion Chief Michael McGeehon said.
Anello said that while the accident was unfortunate, emergency personnel are often required to respond to similar incidents in the fall, as many farmers look to fertilize their fields with anhydrous ammonia.
“These things happen sometimes, and (farmers and fertilizer sales people) use extreme caution when handling this product,” he said.
He credited the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and Macon County Highway Department with working quickly to secure the scene so emergency personnel could contain the leak without interference from passing traffic.
West Coast 911 firefighting news source - Herald and Review - Illinois
Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour’s plan to shrink an $8.7 million budget gap includes a proposal to temporarily shut down a fire company when firefighters miss work instead of using overtime to keep the city’s 10 stations running at full force.
That change would save Modesto $400,000. It would lead to reductions in staffing 70 percent of the time from December through July at one of two fire stations.
Engine 21 at Station No. 1 parked inside the facility. Modesto is proposing another $6.4 million in budget cuts. One of the big decisions to "brown out" Engine 21 or Engine 11. Engine 21 is downtown at Station No. 1 and Engine 11 is at Station No. 11 in north Modesto. The engine crew will fold up when firefighters call in sick or miss vacation. /photo by Modesto Bee - Bart Ah You
It’s part of a slate of budget cuts Ridenour is sending to the City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday. He’s proposing $5.2 million in spending reductions and efforts to collect about $1.5 million in new revenue.
The package does not include revenue from the tax-sharing agreement the city approved for General Petroleum on Sept. 9, or from two similar deals for Modesto fuel distributors that are scheduled to appear before the council Tuesday night.
The mayor’s proposal won’t go into effect unless the City Council approves it. And there’s a chance Ridenour will propose more spending cuts before the city’s budget year ends in June to protect reserves.
“By the end of the year, we’ll be where we need to be even if I have to come in again,” he said.
The mayor also wants to save $100,000 by reducing trash pickups in city parks to twice a week instead of three times. Another budget cut calls for the city to eliminate part-time positions, saving $213,000.
The two fire stations that could be affected by the staffing reductions are:
Station No. 1 on 11th Street, which could lose Engine No. 21 at times. The company is the first responder to calls in the airport neighborhood.
Or Station No. 11 at Carver Road and Pelandale Avenue could give up a rescue truck.
Fire Chief Jim Miguel said the department would choose between the two companies based on risk to residents.
“We know where it’s likely to have the least impact,” he said. Continue reading →
So… what did you do last Thursday?Display your flag (hopefully the stars and stripes) at your home?Watch endless hours of documentary features of the tragic events of that day?Observe a moment or two of silence during the day in respect of those lost?Attend a memorial service?Talk about the events to friends and family?Spend quality time with loved ones?Excellent!Once again, you’ve set the example for others to follow.Me?I hung out with 500 friends and waved at all the people watching us.Yeah… it was another one of them motorcycle things.
We gathered at Station 231 and were surprised to see a much bigger participation from our local group than last year.Wives, girlfriends, friends of friends and two individuals that felt strongly enough to ride that one rented a bike (at about $110 a day) and one borrowed a bike from a captain that had to work.Both agreed at the end of the day that it was worth the effort.We cruised down to Elsinore and picked up two more riders from that area and then headed out on the Ortega Highway to Ladera Ranch for a lunch time BBQ.We were a total of 20 bikes including a crotch rocket with a rider that refused to use both wheels on the ground.Ah, youth….
After an outstanding lunch we made our way to Cook’s Corner in El Toro to meet up with several hundred other riders from around the Southland.I noticed a couple of bikes from Oregon and Nevada.Channels 2 and 7 news vans were there as well as a couple ofl older fire engines as escort.To explain further – Gary Biggerstaff is an Engineer from Long Beach FD and he started this little event about 4 or 5 years ago to commemorate the date and give back something for his extended FD family to simply “… remember and never forget”.It has grown exponentially ever since.This is my 3rd time participating and it just gets better every year.From Cook’s Corner the procession makes it’s way to PCH and follows the coast to Joe’s Crab Shack in Long Beach for a short break. The entire route is dotted here and there with on-duty fire engines and ladder trucks from the local agencies – some with crews dressed in Class A uniforms standing at attention and saluting.Police and Lifeguard units are waving as well.Citizens on the street and in their cars are waving and honking their horns.Business owners come out of their shops to see what the noise is all about and wave enthusiastically.Flags are held high and people seem to really get into the spirit, it seems, even more every year.
After a short break at Joe’s, we re-assemble and cruise for another 15 minutes to Gary’s house in Belmont Shore – a small street filled with bungalow style houses.TV helicopters are filming, news reporters are taking pictures and crowds are getting bigger as we drive down Bennett Ave.The bikes park along a 3 block section of the street and crowd around in front of Gary’s house that is marked with 343 small white crosses with the names and company assignments of the fallen brothers from FDNY.There are numerous antique pumpers in the driveways and parked on the street.Gary has a microphone set up on his front stoop and the guests are treated to patriotic songs, the Pledge of Allegiance, poems, thoughtful words from FDNY firefighters and the Mayor of Long Beach, and a final few words from Gary thanking everyone who participated and ending with a “see ya next year”.
If you haven’t been a part of this flag-waving, patriotic, lump-in-your-throat sort of Americana then you are truly missing out on an opportunity to connect with 9-11-01 on a visceral level.The mood and the emotions are a part of the very fabric of why we are Americans.The ability to ride a motorcycle on such a beautiful afternoon and to be part of something wholly larger than that infamous day while sharing it with your brothers and sisters is something that should be mandatory at least once in your life.September 11th, 2009 – you are hereby requested to attend a motorcycle ride (or come along in your car – all are welcome)with us to Gary’s house in Long Beach.He invited us.We shouldn’t let him down.Tell ya what – I’ll remind you next year.No worries.
Remember the days when we played together off-duty with our families?We’d go to the big parks or lakes or to the river and have picnics, play volleyball, softball and waterski.We’d share stories and re-live tough calls.We were closer because we lived closer to each other and within the cities we worked.But times have changed and we’ve moved out of our cities for various reasons and with those moves have come a more individual lifestyle.Many of us have kept the bonds close by still managing to hang out together in smaller groups but have had to schedule times to make trips work.Most of us have simply adapted to an off-duty type of mindset and made friends outside the department.The internet has added to the long distance existence but it has also provided an enhanced communication ability and capability to extend greetings and invitations to friends and groups well outside our immediate area.One of these opportunities has come in the form of transportation that doubles as entertainment… the motorcycle.
Although it can be more expensive than other forms of activity, it’s not necessarily always the case.Many have turned to it for their basic commute to work.There is a core group of us that have embraced the bike as a way of living beyond the more accepted methods of riding.It‘s known as the long distance trip.A multi-day adventure built around riding as far as possible and seeing as much as can be absorbed on two wheels.Some have been doing this for years – even decades.Some of us here on San Bernardino City Fire have been involved in this since 2000.We started out getting together with members of Pasadena Fire Department and embarking on a 4 day odyssey we ended up calling “Chrome on the Coast”, a name derived from the trip route up the coast of California to Monterey Bay.We’re now into our 7th year of COTC and have explored Northern California’s redwood forests, Napa Valley, the Russian River and an extensive exploration of the coastline from San Louis Obispo to the Point Arena Lighthouse.We do this ride every May.
But the crown jewel of long distance riding is “The Fortnight Ride” or “5000”.This is a well planned tour that usually takes about two weeks and covers over 5000 miles, hence the name.Daily averages range from 325 to 450 miles and can span 12 hours of riding.The sights, sounds and smells of this kind of riding can only be experienced – no amount of writing or explanation can express the complete immersion you feel as the miles click by.To give you a brief example – one does not simply ride through an area… you are part of the environment and all of its exposures.You are part of the landscape.You are the weather, the wind and the aromas.There are no glass windshields, no A or B pillars, no roof and no floors to block the views.Everything is taken in all around you all at once.Imagine Banff National Park in Canada and the Columbia Icefields.Imagine the Juan de Fuco Straight and Vancouver Island.Imagine Glacier National Forest and the Going-To-The-Sun Road.Imagine Yellowstone Park and the Yellowstone Grand Canyon.Now imagine all this with no obstructions, no time limits and sharing it with friends.That is the essence of long distance riding and is the pinnacle of the riding experience.It’s an opportunity to get the full measure of why you bought that expensive toy in the first place.It doesn’t matter if it’s American or Metric.It’s not important if it’s an 800cc V-Twin or a 2000cc6 cylinder motor.It makes no difference if you like day trips for coffee and pie or the occasional overnighter trip to San Diego.The only thing that matters is that IF you bought it and are licensed to ride it and can do so safely… then why not ride it?So many of the bikes purchased in the last 5 years are barely ridden with less than 5000 miles on the odometer.Imagine the opportunities that have passed you by or will pass you by again.
We used to hang out together and do family activities.Some still do.We used to go to the lake or river and waterski till our arms fell off.Some still do.We used to have an “Auxillary” that promoted family time and department get-togethers.Some departments still do.We used to live within 20 miles of each other and spontaneously visit each other – “check in” – as it used to be known.Some still do.But most of us… don’t.The past is the past and life moves on.Rookies become veterans and familiar faces eventually retire.In between that period of time is the place called “The Dash”.It’s the written place marker on your tombstone that is in between the year you were born and the year you died.It’s the dash.This is the time that life is lived and careers are made.This is the moment for living and experiencing the opportunities that you create.How are you living your dash?Are you satisfied with what it represents?Could you do more?See more?Experience more?
Mike Alder, Mike Clark and I decided to finish what we had started over a year ago.We had planned on a two week trip up the coast and into Canada.Plans were made and then put on hold.The decision was made early in ’08 to follow through and complete our 5000+ mile trip.On Sunday, July 13th, 2008, we started at the Mobil Gas Station on 4th Street at the Ontario Mills Mall and finished late Monday evening, July 28th.All of the sights I wrote about above are just some of the sights we saw plus hundreds more.On top of that we met some amazing people and rode with some of them on a spur-of-the-moment suggestion.We were invited to a steak dinner in Hinton, Alberta, Canada and made gifts of our department patches to some of the people that we met.We helped a few poor souls that needed assistance and had our picture taken by several people that didn’t speak a word of English. We rode through some interesting weather and spent some time realizing that we were doing the right thing at the right time.We were riding to improve our skills and at the same time we were ambassadors of our department and the fire service as a whole.We answered endless questions and thanked them for their kind words of support and praise for those that were currently on the fire line.We saw some amazing sights and managed to complete our trip without even one negative comment or personality issue - an accomplishment that has us all baffled.
The reality is this – If you have a motorcycle, ride it.Our time together as a fire service family has become more complex and not easily shared anymore due to schedules, distance, age and personal tastes.The purpose of this little article was to reminisce, share, offer and support.Our trip was truly a lifetime experience and one that all three of us have decided to repeat in the very near future.Our Chrome on the Coast ride is an annual affair and is open to everyone.There are numerous opportunities for day rides and special events throughout the Southern California area all year long.I / We simply wanted to show you all what a great time we had and extend an open invitation to anyone reading this-if you have a motorcycle, you’re invited.The choice is yours on how you want to live your dash.
