Thursday, October 20, 2005
Lid Lift Levy Commercial
Will start airing tomorrow. Click on link (title) to view. May take a few minutes to load up. Also, there are hundreds of yard signs for us to put up, waiting at the union office. This is our only chance to prevent major layoffs, again. Thanks to all who voluntarilly contribute to the union's political fund. That's where we're getting the money to campaign for the lid lift.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Saying goodbye to Rod...
We'll all miss him. A nice guy and yep, truly a tough son of a... Rod's voice, his presence, his smarts and his strength are really going to missed by all of us who ever had a chance to work with him. Everybody probably already knows the visitation and funeral arrangements. But, if you have a memory of Rod and would like to leave it as a comment, under this post, or e-mail it in, that would be kinda cool.
Thanks, John
Thanks, John
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Stagg's post to the Mayor and City Council
Eric invites feedback from you. You can e-mail him or easily post a comment to this story.
Eric's e-mail address:
badbow111@yahoo.com
Mayor west and members of the council,
I feel compelled to convey a breaking news story coming from New Orleans as it directly correlates to our current situation. In their environment, the weather has taken a disastrous toll on the finances of the city. In our quiet corner of the country, its stagnant tax revenue, the destructive effects of I-695/I-747, and skyrocketing costs of health care. Though the sources are different, the outcomes are quite similar. Both of our cities face budget shortfalls resulting in catastrophic staffing losses in the city. In our fair city, we took the drastic measures that leave a poor taste in the mouth of all involved, but life has progressed.
Mayor Ray Nagan of New Orleans looked at what the citizens pay for, what the basic services of a city are, and he made an incredibly deep cut of 40% of his overall city staffing. He did not remove a single member of public safety and basic services. His response was to cut the services which cities have been adding for the past 100 years, the small services which make a city beautiful and charming, familiar and appealing. Mayor Nagan knew that the basic services were a foundation to build his city on as it regained its strength economically.
I think this is a position we in the city of Spokane can take at this time of budgetary crisis. Police, Fire, Water, Streets, Public Works. These are the foundation that we should keep in tact, and should build upon to not only improve our credit rating with S&P, but to draw new business to our town, knowing they will have respectable insurance rates, protection from the ills of society, functioning basic services of water and sewer, and the streets project which was so valiantly passed not long ago.
Below you will find the article the above pertains to. I implore you all take a considerable look at it, regardless of the tax increases pending, regardless of the election process on the table. These are steps we can take now to improve the outlook in the 3, 5 and 10 year steps to returning this city to what it once was and could be. Please dont hesitate to email me back if you have positive or negative feedback, other information, or just a general rant, I would appreciate any open dialogue that can be provided outside of labor-management meetings, which stifle the speech of the many so often.
Mayor of New Orleans Announces Layoffs
October 04, 2005 6:34 PM EDT
NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday the city is laying off as many as 3,000 employees - or about half its workforce - because of the financial damage inflicted on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.
Nagin announced with "great sadness" that he had been unable to find the money to keep the workers on the payroll.
He said only non-essential workers will be laid off and that no firefighters or police will be among those let go.
"I wish I didn't have to do this. I wish we had the money, the resources to keep these people," Nagin said. "The problem we have is we have no revenue streams."
Nagin described the layoffs as "pretty permanent" and said that the city will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to notify municipal employees who fled the city in the aftermath of Katrina, which struck about a month ago.
The mayor said the move will save about $5 million to $8 million of the city's monthly payroll of $20 million. The layoffs will take place over the next two weeks.
"We talked to local banks and other financial institutions and we are just not able to put together the financing necessary to continue to maintain City Hall's staffing at its current levels," the mayor said.
Meanwhile, former President Clinton met with dozens of New Orleans-area evacuees staying at a shelter in Baton Rouge's convention center. And officials ended their door-to-door sweep for corpses in Louisiana with the death toll Tuesday at 972 - far fewer than the 10,000 the mayor had feared at one point. Mississippi's Katrina death toll was 221.
A company hired by the state to remove bodies will remain on call if any others are found.
Clinton, working with former President Bush to raise money for victims, shook hands and chatted with the evacuees, some of whom have been sleeping on cots in the Rivercenter's vast concrete hall for more than a month and complained of lack of showers, clean clothes, privacy and medical care.
"My concern is to listen to you ... and learn the best way to spend this money we've got," Clinton said.
Robert Warner, 51, of New Orleans said he and others have struggled to get private housing set up through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"We've been mired in the bureaucratic red tape since Day One," he said.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Eric Staggs Engine 3 D shift
Eric's e-mail address:
badbow111@yahoo.com
Mayor west and members of the council,
I feel compelled to convey a breaking news story coming from New Orleans as it directly correlates to our current situation. In their environment, the weather has taken a disastrous toll on the finances of the city. In our quiet corner of the country, its stagnant tax revenue, the destructive effects of I-695/I-747, and skyrocketing costs of health care. Though the sources are different, the outcomes are quite similar. Both of our cities face budget shortfalls resulting in catastrophic staffing losses in the city. In our fair city, we took the drastic measures that leave a poor taste in the mouth of all involved, but life has progressed.
Mayor Ray Nagan of New Orleans looked at what the citizens pay for, what the basic services of a city are, and he made an incredibly deep cut of 40% of his overall city staffing. He did not remove a single member of public safety and basic services. His response was to cut the services which cities have been adding for the past 100 years, the small services which make a city beautiful and charming, familiar and appealing. Mayor Nagan knew that the basic services were a foundation to build his city on as it regained its strength economically.
I think this is a position we in the city of Spokane can take at this time of budgetary crisis. Police, Fire, Water, Streets, Public Works. These are the foundation that we should keep in tact, and should build upon to not only improve our credit rating with S&P, but to draw new business to our town, knowing they will have respectable insurance rates, protection from the ills of society, functioning basic services of water and sewer, and the streets project which was so valiantly passed not long ago.
Below you will find the article the above pertains to. I implore you all take a considerable look at it, regardless of the tax increases pending, regardless of the election process on the table. These are steps we can take now to improve the outlook in the 3, 5 and 10 year steps to returning this city to what it once was and could be. Please dont hesitate to email me back if you have positive or negative feedback, other information, or just a general rant, I would appreciate any open dialogue that can be provided outside of labor-management meetings, which stifle the speech of the many so often.
Mayor of New Orleans Announces Layoffs
October 04, 2005 6:34 PM EDT
NEW ORLEANS - Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday the city is laying off as many as 3,000 employees - or about half its workforce - because of the financial damage inflicted on New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.
Nagin announced with "great sadness" that he had been unable to find the money to keep the workers on the payroll.
He said only non-essential workers will be laid off and that no firefighters or police will be among those let go.
"I wish I didn't have to do this. I wish we had the money, the resources to keep these people," Nagin said. "The problem we have is we have no revenue streams."
Nagin described the layoffs as "pretty permanent" and said that the city will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to notify municipal employees who fled the city in the aftermath of Katrina, which struck about a month ago.
The mayor said the move will save about $5 million to $8 million of the city's monthly payroll of $20 million. The layoffs will take place over the next two weeks.
"We talked to local banks and other financial institutions and we are just not able to put together the financing necessary to continue to maintain City Hall's staffing at its current levels," the mayor said.
Meanwhile, former President Clinton met with dozens of New Orleans-area evacuees staying at a shelter in Baton Rouge's convention center. And officials ended their door-to-door sweep for corpses in Louisiana with the death toll Tuesday at 972 - far fewer than the 10,000 the mayor had feared at one point. Mississippi's Katrina death toll was 221.
A company hired by the state to remove bodies will remain on call if any others are found.
Clinton, working with former President Bush to raise money for victims, shook hands and chatted with the evacuees, some of whom have been sleeping on cots in the Rivercenter's vast concrete hall for more than a month and complained of lack of showers, clean clothes, privacy and medical care.
"My concern is to listen to you ... and learn the best way to spend this money we've got," Clinton said.
Robert Warner, 51, of New Orleans said he and others have struggled to get private housing set up through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"We've been mired in the bureaucratic red tape since Day One," he said.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Eric Staggs Engine 3 D shift
New Orleans Mayor lays off everybody except nonessential Workers. NO FIREFIGHTERS OR POLICE WERE LAID-OFF!
Eric Staggs wrote an e-mail to city leaders regarding Mayor Nagin's actions. When I get his permission, I will post it here. I guess Mayor Nagin didn't have time to do a Priorities of Government Survey, like Spokane did. Oh wait, the POG survey said that Police and Fire services were the services that citizens would never want to see cut. And yet... Strange.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Interesting Transport Story...
Man found driving ambulance with dead deer
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A man reported missing from a Florida hospital was found in North Carolina dressed like a doctor and driving a stolen ambulance with a dead deer wedged in the back, authorities said.
Leon Holliman Jr., 37, was reported missing from a River Region Human Services facility in Jacksonville last month.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol found him driving the ambulance with the deer on Sunday.
"I don't know how the man got it up in there," said Sgt. Robert Pearson. "It was a six point buck."
It wasn't known where Holliman got the deer, which had been dead for some time, Pearson said.
Holliman was admitted to a North Carolina hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Police said they would decide whether to charge Holliman after that evaluation is complete.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
Hurricane FEMA Team Update from Chief Schaeffer
Our first 3 teams (HAUGHTON/WILLITS, TURPEN/GONZALEZ, ARCHER/ BAECHLER) have been removed from working in the Pass Christian, Mississippi community due to the impending storm. They are sheltering in place in Gulf Shores, Alabama and have been requested from their FEMA strike team leader to possibly cover Career Fire Stations in the interim. Similar requests from FEMA have been made to Fire Service teams from the West Side (Burien and Pierce) due to their level of training, adaptability and the true dire crisis situation. After discussing it with Local 29, we agreed to allow this action providing their supervisors were qualified and they were provided with appropriate PPE. As of 1430 today they are just getting situated to receive some of the effects of the storm as it is entering their geographical area.
I attached a photo to this email that FEMA featured on its website of Tim Archer. The caption below the picture reads “September 19, 2005 -- FEMA representative Tim Archer helps a resident at the Pass Christian Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). DRC's are set up to help guide residents through the FEMA recovery process. FEMA/Mark Wolfe.” (http://www.photolibrary.fema.gov/photodata/original/15788.jpg)
Our second two teams (FRASER/ TIBBLES, SANDERS/ BRUNER) were sent from Orlando, FL to Baton Rouge, LA after attending more in-depth training on the new FEMA computers for speeding assistance to victims. While enroute, FEMA contacted them and had them immediately shelter in Ft. Walton Beach, FL (about 40 miles East of Pensacola) to ride out the storm. The storm’s devastation will determine their next assignment.
As before, I will continue to update everyone as the soon as new information on our members occurs. Remember to check with Francie Archer if you are available to help out the families of our members that are deployed.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Our FEMA Folks are on the move
Gonzo called tonight to say that they are moving away from the coast to a place near Mobile, Alabama (a city named Gulf Shores- with a name like that, it can't be that far from the coast/shore). He said as soon as Rita gets done, they will be moving back.
Bob Ladd found this piece of advice in Fire Engineering and it's probably worth following...
The following is an excerpt from a July 2005 Fire Engineering “round table” article regarding what the fire service will look like in 20 years. This is one paragraph from a response by Leigh T Hollins, a BC from Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue, Manatee County FL.
“Most urban areas (small and larger cities) will continue to struggle with staffing and services. Historically, proper staffing and the services provided by the fire department in our cities have been directly tied to the politics of each particular city. What you see is what you get. It is what it is. Until a major change occurs at city hall, the only time you see a drastic change, good or bad, is when the politicians change. I see no reason to expect that the next 20 years will be any different from the past 50. If urban (and metro) firefighters want increases in staffing or services, they had better look for candidates who support their views, or 2025 will look the same as 2005.”
While there are other issues, specifically budgetary, that are affecting our staffing, we need to get more friendly faces on the City Council and State Legislature. Please help support the candidates Local 29 endorses.
“Most urban areas (small and larger cities) will continue to struggle with staffing and services. Historically, proper staffing and the services provided by the fire department in our cities have been directly tied to the politics of each particular city. What you see is what you get. It is what it is. Until a major change occurs at city hall, the only time you see a drastic change, good or bad, is when the politicians change. I see no reason to expect that the next 20 years will be any different from the past 50. If urban (and metro) firefighters want increases in staffing or services, they had better look for candidates who support their views, or 2025 will look the same as 2005.”
While there are other issues, specifically budgetary, that are affecting our staffing, we need to get more friendly faces on the City Council and State Legislature. Please help support the candidates Local 29 endorses.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Mazatlan Anyone?
Hi Bill,
My name is Chris Wetherell I'm sec/tre for local 1789 Spokane Airport. I've got a condo for rent in Mazatlan for 2006, I'm not going to use it this year and I thought I would see if any of the Local members in the area would be interested. I'll make them a hell of a deal for a week stay at a gold crown resort Called Pueblo Bonito at Emerald Bay Resort it's in New Mazatlan.
Anyone interested they can give me a call at 509-435-2600. or email me at firefighterweth@hotmail.com
My name is Chris Wetherell I'm sec/tre for local 1789 Spokane Airport. I've got a condo for rent in Mazatlan for 2006, I'm not going to use it this year and I thought I would see if any of the Local members in the area would be interested. I'll make them a hell of a deal for a week stay at a gold crown resort Called Pueblo Bonito at Emerald Bay Resort it's in New Mazatlan.
Anyone interested they can give me a call at 509-435-2600. or email me at firefighterweth@hotmail.com
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