Community Update

A RESPONSE TO DON'T BLAME THE FIREFIGHTERS

My comments between paragraphs

Firefighting
demands a high level of dedication and professionalism for those who choose it
as a career. A firefighter must possess the courage and stamina to risk their
lives for the sake of others. They must also study long hours and go through extensive
periods of training to become effective and efficient professional
firefighters.

The bulk of this is
blather…no one has questioned the professionalism, dedication or qualifications
of the rank and file.  That is not in
question.

Whether it is
rescuing people from a burning building, caring for their medical needs,
extinguishing fires in a home or community business, this profession is all
about helping others. Firefighters are essential to making our neighborhoods
safe for our residents, our visitors and the job providers we need in order to
keep our towns running. You would think that professionals who risk their lives
to protect us would receive more respect and support from ALL of their elected
officials and the very COMMUNITY they serve. Instead, there are too many
leaders and citizens who want to make it harder for firefighters to simply do
their jobs, maybe because they don’t believe them to be a KEY essential element
in a safe and prosperous community?  Yet
it is our very communities that suffer when our loved ones are hurt or in
danger and no one qualified is there to answer the call for help. Why is it
that so many legislators and citizens alike don’t seem to understand this and
do everything in their power to take away from these brave men and women at the
first notion of a tax increase? Why are firefighters, police, teachers and
members of our military always the first on the list to take the cuts and make
the concessions? We need to remember, “You get what you pay for” and if you
want the best and brightest protecting you and teaching your children…you need
to be willing to make your own concessions!

More blather…The same
is true of our military, National Guard and workers in a thousand other
dangerous jobs. In this case there was a budget and it was overspent so there
is a lack of funds.  IF YOU SET A
SPENDING LIMIT AND YOU EXCEED IT YOU MUST TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION. The answer is
not found in “making your own concessions”. 
Something must get cut.

So many are
misinformed with all the drama, politics and hoopla surrounding these
matters... Firefighters are there to protect us day after day, and we have to
give them the tools they need to do their jobs, including proper resources to
negotiate a fair pay wage in order to support themselves and their families.
The “Union” they belong to is the only means of protection these brave men and
women have against the very people and business they protect! Just because
“unions” may have caused problems in the past in other areas, does not mean
THIS union THIS time is a problem and just because you may not like a certain
members of their team, doesn’t mean the whole bunch is rotten.

Again more blather.
Whether you like or dislike unions is not the issue. Someone overspent  and we need to correct the overspending.  If the union gets in the way then “c’est la
vie”… If they help… the need is the same. 
It would seem someone does not understand the function of a budget.  THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH MONEY.  We have taxpayers, senior citizens who would
get wiped out by a significant tax increase. Why?  To what purpose?

Central
Coventry Fire Fighters have always been willing to STEP UP and WORK in order to
straighten out the finances in their town, so that those in charge can move
forward with what is best for the TOWN! They are not choosing to walk away. Why
are you punishing them for the misdoings of those they also trusted. To blame
the "firefighters" for the money troubles caused by those actually
running the show is WRONG… They are as caught in the middle with this as the
residents of Coventry! No one can really afford their taxes in any town, who
wants to pay more and how do you think these men and women will be paying their
bills without jobs? Many of these men and women live in YOUR community and you
want to un-employ them and bring in an outside company?

More blather! No one is blaming firefighters/rank and
file.  BUT “There ain’t no money”.  If that means cuts then so be it.  Blame it on those who spent the money not on those
who try to fix the problem.   The fix is the fix!  No money is NO money!  You can rail against the injustice but it
won’t produce a dollar.  You can blame
the taxpayers but we gave you enough to do the job.  What happened?

This
community keeps voting in the same career politicians and keeps them paid well
while they bash the unions and  these
"local heroes” who sacrifice time away from their families and their
lives, to do their job to protect you! Would you risk your LIFE for a paycheck?
Would that career politician who is spinning the stories you are listening to?
Please don’t believe the propaganda that gets drudged out before you by those
who don’t understand what it means to endure the sacrifice of this profession…
Knowing what it takes to become a professional firefighter and the fact that
he/she cares enough to stand up for his profession and community should mean
something to you.

It does but that is
not the issue. First of all I worked three jobs while my kids were growing up,
my wife two. I’ve been fired, furloughed and laid off.  I spent 7 years on active duty and 19 years
in the National Guard. I’ve put my life on the line. My daughter was born while
I was in Thailand and my kids told me to “get out of mommies bed” when I
returned. I came back to a different woman from the one I left and I was a
different man. So do not lecture me about sacrifice or putting my life on the
line for a paycheck. You want to talk about sacrifice, stand toe to toe with me
and then talk. Bye the bye, I served on the RING Fire department for several years,
so do not assume I don’t have a clue either.  I’ll vote as I please and stand by those who
are elected even if ‘m not sure they deserve it.

Do not put
blanket blame on a whole organization for issues caused by a few individuals.
Support the firefighters and work TOGETHER to make your town a safe and
prosperous place to live. Don’t PUNISH the fire fighters and their families…
The problem CAN be fixed by working together, not by throwing away all the
training and commitment these brave men/women have given to Coventry… We are
all in this together and CCFD is willing to make sacrifices to get us back on
track!

I worked as a civil
servant electronics specialist. I once had an individual proclaim his expertise
by saying “I’ve got twenty years experience.”  WRONG he had one days experience for twenty
years. He never learned a thing in those twenty years. AGAIN, the issue is how
much money we have to work with not the dedication, expertise, and
professionalism of the rank in file. When the pockets are empty they can’t be
made full by wishing.  There is a number
that comes from matching the needs of the force and the ability to fund those
needs.  Ideally those numbers are the
same.  Perhaps they will be but don’t bet
on it.