Anonymous has left a new comment on your post
"Benefits":
Here are some observations for both sides to consider before tomorrow's last
attempt at reasonable men and women negotiating in good faith:
The APFF will continue to distrust the City Manager and Council.
Union die-hards will continue to dismantle the department for personal agendas.
Department managers will continue to be caught in the middle.
Citizens will still be in the dark about the real cause of all this and the
details of civil service.
The election was won by the APFF; yet neither side told the truth or had fair
campaigns.
Followers from both sides were blind to root cause and the real issues.
Unethical behavior from both sides, NOW and DURING the campaign has made an
impact to current decision making on both sides.
Fair proposals won’t see the light of day because neither the city nor the
union will demand a fair negotiation with real give and take from both
sides....sounds a lot like the collective bargaining Crow has threaten. This is
in the future folks, good luck; I won’t be here for that one…
Young members want old members out for promotions.
Young members don't care about lost benefits because of their ignorance and entitlement
attitudes, and their sense of time- "they have time to get everything
back", lol.
Many mid-life members will be the real losers, those with new families. Yet
many have been silent until now….shame.
Old members will have to retire early. Shame that many didn’t take a stand.
Crow and his terrorist inner circle will continue to try to transform this
department into Fort Worth.
Crowson will go in a few years and the new chief will have a mandate for reform
- from the City Council's perspective, not Crow's. As it should be.
Arlington Firefighters (I say this because not all FFs whine about their
working conditions) will continue to whine about everything and not share the
truth -
They work only 100 days out of a year with current and 143 benefits. The vast
majority don't make so many calls that it’s a hazard to their health. This
department only has about 100 dangerous structure fires a year; so do the math
about how dangerous they say it is. Even at hazardous calls we have state of
art equipment, policies and training to keep us safe. Firefighters love to wrap
themselves up in how dangerous they have it, come on; I've been around for a
long time and have done everything anyone else has had to do....and its BS
folks.
No disrespect to those that have suffered on the job, it can be very very bad
and we do deserve support and compassion from the public. This is just tough
love for those out their spreading misinformation.
AFD has always had one of the best pay and benefit packages in region. Even
with the proposed pay increases we are on the verge of being back in the top
tier. Thanks Trey and Council!
Hey, union where has Crow been? Writing "books", protecting
disciplined employees, or learning for his next job as a union lobbyist like
his budding Curtis Dunn and Randal Meadows?
Tomorrow will come and go. I hope and pray I have a decent department to go
back to and work for......because this is a right to work state after all.
As much as I would like to see the APFF leadership replaced, I pray they listen
to reason and make a fair settlement, same for you Mr. Parker, Mr. Yelverton
and city team.
-An Arlington Firefighter and citizen, name withheld for many reasons.
I want to thank this firefighter for speaking the truth about the current situation and using honest reason in doing so. I think that his understand and position of the issue is spot on and I welcome this type of comment. It is so sensible that I have posted it as its own article. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI fear for this firefighter's future safety. He/she is very complacent... I had been a firefighter all of three years so I thought I knew it all. One day I was talking to a Battalion Chief and I told him I didn't think our job was all that dangerous. I saw the expression of fear in his eyes, not from HIS past but from his fear for MINE. 4 years after that I saw a crew mate fall through a roof and get badly burned. He recovered but it left a permanent mark on me. Don't kid yourself. It just takes a momentary lapse of judgement in an IDLH atmosphere to take you down. I'm not a chest beater. I just hate to see complacency.
DeleteStan Flahaut
Well we had a meeting today about your benefits package. You were offered most of your benefits back and Crow decided all by himself that he didn't want them. Great Job! The City is poised to distribute Civil Service as printed. The only barrier between you and the benefits is Crow. So fitting and predictable. Tomorrow is the second meeting and I am afraid that might just be the last. Looks like the City will be saving a great deal of money directly from the pockets of the firefighters.
ReplyDeleteWhy'd you take down the hateful post you made about today's meeting
ReplyDeleteJamie S.
I didn't it's right above you. I might add that President Crow, as you refer to him, is an F1 firefighter that does lawns on his days off. I have Francisco and Angel do my yard. They have been doing it for the last 25 yrs. and they do a very good job just like Crow I'm sure. My point in bringing this up is that I don't think that I would like Francisco and Angel negotiating my benefits package. But you are different than me and I have never been a fireman.
ReplyDeleteStan Flahaut
DeleteLieutenant (retired) AFD
Mr. Parker,
Your apparent lack of respect for human dignity knows no bounds. I would rather have a veteran firefighter that never promoted by my side with smoke to the floor than YOU as my wing man in air combat any time. I would be too worried about how you were going to use me to make yourself look good. Furthermore, I would trust Angel and Francisco with a million bucks before I would trust you with my pizza money.
Well Lt. Flahaut (retired) why do you think I would ever consider going flying with a union lover like you, in the first place. You would probably be on crew rest in your rack while others are in Indian country. The way you think and worship unionism Angel and Francisco wouldn't have anything to do with you anyway. Too bad Crow doesn't feel the same way. He just gave the City 1.9 million annually in benefits. He would rather do that than negotiate in good faith with the city. I'm afraid you'd have to fly into combat by yourself. Nobody in my squadron would fly with you.
DeleteHave you ever considered that the Firefighters are actually content with Counsil taking their benefits for the sake of a legitimate Civil Service System...It seems odd to us that management is willing to negotiate last minute.. Desperate much?
ReplyDeleteIt would seem to me that if Mr. Crow is very content with the current position of the Fire Department, then he wouldn't want to negotiate at all. When I went to lunch with Chris this is exactly what I had predicted. The City is content with administering Civil Service as written. What the City did yesterday is offer a path for the firemen to get back some of their benefits. That path is open today and then close. Your union has squandered an opportunity to be reasonable. That is fine with the City. But now it is clearly demonstrated that the quality of the rank and file representation rests in Mr. Crow's inability to be reasonable. I have told you before that, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." It is clear that there are good men in the fire department, but if you do nothing your benefits will go away, and you can thank Crow.
ReplyDeleteWe stand united against the machine. After meet and confer is gone the city can terminate any agreements. Bust us back, you may only do it once. Sir.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't consider that an option. The City doesn't mind operating under the conditions of Civil Service. It was the rank and file that was having problems coming to terms with operating without the current benefits package. That is why the City offered a road back to normalcy. I'm certain that road will stay open for the remainder of the day and then close. If nothing changes that is the way it will stay past the implementation date.
ReplyDeleteSince your last town hall meeting, I have been having a hard time understanding one of your comments. In relation to Six Flags Mall, you related the demise of it was due to Mexicans. Will you please elaborate.
ReplyDeleteJoe G.
I will elaborate. I didn't say that. I said that after 6 Flags Mall went away and individual bought the Mall and turned it into a Hispanic Shopping center. That shopping center failed and North Point Developers out of Kansas City bought the property. They were having a hard time acquiring Tinsel town movie theater but they finally came to a price and the logistic center will now be a reality.
ReplyDeleteThe last two days were a waste. Crow brings Tate, asks for a contract. Impasse. City sought three deals to have dialogue. Tate tells Crow what to say and think. FFs in the room are spell bound and to weak to speak up against Crow. Union hard liners on FML show up and smirk. union hard liners disciplend in the past smirk. Union hard liners will go back and celebrate that the road to "victim status" will lead to collective bargaining. Even Curtis Dunn was there.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry AFD but union hardliners are taking you down the road to Abilene.
The city can't let this go without some kind of pain on labor. They fear that the Police will join in. Which is a real threat, that's why the police union reps were present.
Pain will be felt. The AFD will suffer. The city will suffer. Why? Crow is a union wanna-be hack thug, the AFD won't replace him, Mr Parker is calling it to real for the guilty, and the self interested self righteous firefighters want it all.
I can't wait until the city releases the W-2s, the abhorrent sick leave use recently, the ridiculous PTSD workers comp claims, and other data showing how our precious firefighters are really self serving. This coming from the great Troy Brooks, what a bullie, the best captain we have just ask him.. But by calling him out he becomes a saint to the weak. He has never done anything that wasn't self serving. The Army went at him for insubordination, the city went at him for retaliation and scab lists. Just because he likes to train doesn't make him worth a flip.
Wes Montgomery oh jeez , one of those battalion chiefs that is a hypocrit. He wants celebrity status and goes to union meetings acting like he is something. Just exactly what has he done for the organization? Ask him to share his accomplishments. One of Crowson's worst picks.
Jackie Parker, he was there. Mr Leadership. Another BC martyr. Then gets on social media and runs he head about the chief. Great leadership Chief Parker.
And what about Jayson Whittmayer? He was there, just won an arbitration for Gomez. Both still work here. The record will show that they were the worst crew ever. This was without civil service!
I'm sorry for the city now, the AFD will breed more workers like this. Thank Crow/Tate/Dunn later.
I could on and on....Mr Parker, Council, Mr Yelverton....they will always hate you and want it all. Take this moment and learn from the election and what it takes to beat a union agenda. This is a right to work state and city. Keep it that way.
the ridiculous PTSD workers comp claims, and other data showing how our precious firefighters are really self serving
DeleteBitter employees are free to seek employment elsewhere.
DeleteIt is extremely unprofessional and cowardly to anonymously slander members of our department on a public blog. These members will possibly face discipline if they respond to your post and try to tell their side of the story.
DeletePlease remove this post as it is very negative and reflects badly on our department, or sign your name to it and openly stand behind it.
As to your comment on members seeking help for PTSD. Shame on you Sir. We lost a retired member to PTSD last year who may be alive today had he sought help before retirement. Studies have shown that 90% of Firefighters across the United States are reluctant to seek help for PTSD due to the stigma attached to the disease.
Tim Fortner
DeleteWow Mr. Fortner the firefighters have been doing this to me forever. Is this your first time posting here or do you have some posts under Anonymous also. PTSD has been brought forward from the battlefield affecting those in combat previous know as battle fatigue. It was recognized in civilians because of the firefighters that suffered from the affects of experiences at the World Trade Center during 9-11. Today every firefighter in the country can claim that they have PTSD simply because they saw something during a shift that was disturbing. Just because you saw something at work doesn't mean that you will get PTSD. If those experiences bother an individual maybe they should consider another line of work. I am certain that at sometime during a career a firefighters will have a bad experience. But you are expected to compartmentalize that experience and move on in life. For those that can't do that, then a career change is an option.
This is exactly what I told Balough would happen if Crow was allowed to negotiate with the city. Crow's ego is enormous and he has solidified himself with a small cadre of union members that have not been receptive to logical offers from the City. Exactly what I predicted. Now those who want to go to Ft. Worth can go and those that want to retire can put in their papers, knowing full well that the city is not the culprit. This is all on Crow. He is the person that stood between you and your benefits. The blinders are officially off. No vote by the rank and file just Crow. You reap what you sow. Chris Balough knew what had to happen and couldn't get the job done. Although the firefighters will lose their benefits the big losers are the citizens of the city of Arlington, but they are also responsible because they believed in firefighters that lied to their faces. I sleep soundly knowing that the city offered a path to normalcy and the union didn't want any part of it. The Council took the right path.
ReplyDeleteSave our benefits you say. The city was wanting to strip the very core of 143, the reasons for us fighting for it. No where in ch. 143 does it state that a city should strip away current benefits down to minimum standards. It does however state that a municipality can add to hiring and promotional standards. The city and fire administration did not suggest nothing if the sort, they wanted to take away from 143 in exchange for a portion of sick leave hrs. The city obviously does not understand ch.143 or how it works. I suggest that the city see how it goes the first couple years before they gut us of our benefits. They're already taking 587,000.00 worth of benefits to pay for civil service, so why the other 12-15 million? Sounds like retaliation to many. No city in the state has ever gut any first responder employees due to winning civil service like Arlington wants to, its sad if you ask me. I've been a fireman for almost 17yrs here in Arlington and have been a model employee. I've never abused sick time and always have done as asked or directed, now I have to sit here and watch our city gut us because they're upset with the loss.
ReplyDeleteJuan H.
Mr. Herrera your department was in a negotiation. You want benefits and the city was willing to give you those benefits in exchange for work rules. You gave no concessions and you received no benefits in return. As a matter of fact Mr. Crow wanted a written contract, which is above and beyond Part 143. Now I don't know where you came up with the 12-15 million number, but you should know that is not anywhere near accurate. After sitting in negotiations for two days, the city decided that Mr. Crow and the fire union didn't offer any counter to their offer and so now that part of the process is over and the city will implement civil service. Now, under civil service you have benefits that other city employees do not have. What you want is the generous benefits package that the city provides plus the advantages of civil service. In other words you want your cake and eat it to. The Council says no, that isn't going to happen, and here is why. We gave the fire department an extra 1.5% raise above and beyond the rest of the city employees. In order to find the money to do that we took a savings from everyone's spousal insurance. Then after receiving the money you threw it in our face. You lied about military coverage and used the American Flag to tell your lie. You lied at the polls to voters, and your actions were juvenile and unprofessional in nature. You want everything and are unwilling to give up nothing. Your benefits will leave you in a little over 30 days, and it is all because of the actions of your union and its President. So when you talk about "Your Benefits" those were the old benefits that aren't yours anymore. Your benefits package rests in Part 143 which you wanted. This is the first time in your career with the fire department that you have suffered a loss of anything. Sometimes that is what unions do, but this was a self inflicted wound. "Bon Appetito" (it's Italian for enjoy the meal)
ReplyDeleteI simply want you to know that this blog is intended to bring forward discussion and educate all people, even non-citizens of Arlington, as to what I do and what I see. I respond only with my opinions and you may take them as you wish. They are in no way the attitude of Council and I am only one vote of that body. You have utilized this blog as a forum. Yesterday there were 1,186 views. This month there were 11,895 and for the history of this blog there are 166,782 views. I hope it has been helpful. There is no other Council person that has a blog, nor has been more honest and transparent in their views. Thank you for your participation.
ReplyDeleteMakes me sick that CS will allow guys like Grey to have "relations" at City buildings and Stations and not be terminated. If he was to get disciplined he now has a avenue to get a reduced punishment.
ReplyDeleteD.C Gray stepped out of line... but he will never be subjected to scrutiny. He is the elite. Thanks to CS nothing will every happen to him.
ReplyDeleteI love this...this is proof that AFD is not a place where all firemen are all Crow lovers, civil service supporters, or pro city. They are calling each other out based on labor politics.... not civil service rules... just each other's personal vendettas. Look citizens they are feeding on themselves.
ReplyDeleteReason why we never give labor the paycheck or the rule book.
I guess AFD is like the Chicago Fire tv show. This is so stupid. Crow you are an idiot and I hope smarter firemen fire your ass.
City, get these self serving idiots in line. Arlington has finally grown up. We have real life union politics a foot.
Keep Arlington a right to work city!
Mr Parker you have a very big misconception about PTSD. I assume you're familiar with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. There are 2 ways to get it. Short exposure to very high levels of CO and also by prolonged exposure to elevated levels of CO. PTSD is the same. When our military service members get it from short exposures to stressors over relatively short periods (12-18 month deployments, handful of deployments). 1st responders are exposed to elevated stressors over a 20, 30, or 40 yr career. It doesn't happen from a single exposure.
ReplyDeleteSome have referred to the sponge theory. All 1st responders are like a sponge. Some can assort more than others. Every call we go on is a drop of water on the sponge. Eventually given enough time every sponge will become saturated. When this happens one more drop on the top of the sponge will cause a massive amount of water to fall out of the bottom. This is PTSD. Will everyone reach saturation? No because not everyone's career is equal. Most of us retire before this point, but it doesn't belittle those that suffer. 1st responders suicide is on the raise, but it's not talked about. If you're going to tell us to compartmentalize it then I expect you to say the same thing to our combat veterans.
Your BFF,
Stevie
I might have a misconception concerning PTSD. My wife worked at Parkland Hospital for 30 yrs. She worked the OR and the ER and seen many horrible things daily on her table. She does not have PTSD. I would imagine that her sponge has collected about 1,000 more drops of water than a career firefighter. But I might be mistaken. She has had the ability to compartmentalize her experiences and go to work the next day.
ReplyDeleteNot the same. While yes your wife experienced a lot, there is a HUGE difference in the experience in the field and in the hospital. Doing CPR on a dead child in an ER room is not the same as the child's bedroom with all of their toys around you and their parents screaming in the living room. While yes your wife saw people die she didn't see people dead that were beyond saving. Those with injuries so horrific they aren't taken to the hospital. My wife is a nurse and as a former flight paramedic I work with many nurses. Everyone of them said the field was so different and stressful than the hospital. They referred to it as nit being on their "turf".
ReplyDeleteMr. Parker,
ReplyDeleteHave you ever put yourself in a firefighter's shoes? Have you walked through one day? I suggest you do this before you speak on their behalf or judge others. I pray that you will find compassion for others, especially in the district you serve. You have no idea the additional stressors a firefighter endures and how much they sacrifice for their families.
Your role is to provide support for ALL citizens and bridge divide. Instead, you're creating more divide. As a public servant it seems you need to serve more and judge less. The firefighters in your district work HARD! They deserve respect. You may not agree with them, but it is your responsibility to listen respectfully and HELP them perform their jobs to their best ability, rather than criticize them.
Concerned Citizen
No I have not put myself in the shoes of a firefighter nor a policeman for that matter. And I know exactly what my job is and it is not to give firefighters everything that THEY want. It is my job to contend with the issues before me and that is exactly what I am doing as per the City Charter. There is nothing in that Charter that tells me that I represent labor. Therefore, when I cast my vote it is for the protection of the citizens of Arlington. I am to use their tax dollars wisely and giving in to the labor union isn't doing that. The fire union has chosen state protection rules under part 143 (civil service) and in doing so THEY have removed the city protections under part 142 of the same code. What they want are all the good things under both and that is not what the people gave them at the ballot box.
ReplyDeleteThe city tried to negotiate a package of benefits with the union last week and it was not met with understanding on the other end. So we have reached out to the firefighters and their union president has told us that he is fine with the package under part 143, no vote of the rank and file required. Negotiations are now over and the firemen are whining about their benefits package going forward. I am not besmirching firemen nor the job that they do. I'm simply telling the fire union and the men contained in that union what they are going to get and why. I can deal with it and I strongly suggest that they do also. Stop the PTSD argument and move on.
I understand that the field is different than the ER or OR. No problem, but you used the water drop analogy and I simply applied it in a different forum utilizing your logic in a different occupation. Parkland is commonly known as the Dallas knife and gun club for a reason. Most of the worst cases in Dallas County filter through there on a daily basis. My wife dealt with it and doesn't have PTSD. This string is about a firefighter's view of his union. He talked about PTSD in different terms than you. I strongly suggest that you deal with his comments not mine. PTSD isn't the issue here, but even you have to admit that it is an avenue for someone to get paid to stay at home.
When did you get to decide what firefighters deserve? You are suppose to give public servants everything you possibly can. The budget has been approved with all current benefits and civil service included. You are taking benefits for spit at this point. This will all come to light in front of a judge who will certainly side with the association on this matter. You still have time to make things the way they are suppose to be.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about. Where in the City Charter does it say that, "You are supposed to give public servants everything you possibly can." I think I might have missed that paragraph.
DeleteI think that this is part of the problem. Again I don't represent organized labor. The city over time has been very good to its employees. That might give you a false sense of what we are responsible for. You asked, "When did you get to decide what firefighters deserve/" First off I don't. That would be a collective vote of the City Council. We have the purse strings. The reason you will not have your current benefits package in 35 days is because you wanted civil service instead. Then we offered you a benefits package three times and the union turned the city down. So the real reason that you don't have any benefits is the union wanted what is contained in Part 143 more. It is my dearest hope and desire that this goes in front of a judge. I want you to sue us a lot. Your union has already threatened 3 lawsuits and this would be the 4th, and civil service hasn't even started yet. So keep those lawsuits coming. I'm certain that they will all go your way. NOT!
This isn't the first time that serious allegations of misconduct have surfaced within the AFD.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first time those allegations have been overlooked.
D.C. Grey likes to throw rocks while living in a Glass House....
Someone should handle this situation... But. No one will.
The union did not turn it down. The Firefighters turned it down. Quit trying to divide the firefighters. We all know that is your goal. We are firmly united against you!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about one thing. The Union didn't turn it down, Crow did. If you are firmly united against me then you are misguided. I am only one vote. Mr. Crow had an opportunity to get your benefits back. It wasn't me that said no. If the firefighters didn't want their benefits then maybe they should have been able to vote on it. Then let's see if the firefighters in fact turned it down. Not Crow!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charlie, for the fantastic job you have done educating the citizens of Arlington to what's going on. The national and state awards our city has recently been awarded are a testament to how well our city in governed. You have been a big part of it.
ReplyDeleteIt floors me how some malcontents can allow the wool to be pulled so far down over their eyes. Your prognostications of reduced benefits for firefighters if they switched from 142 to 143 are coming to pass. They must have thought you were lying to them. As far as I can ascertain, the only untruths were being broadcast by union leadership. I just wish some of the sheep in Mr. Crow's flock had found the intestinal fortitude to speak up and call for another shepherd. Who would have thought that so many would cower in fear while Crow and his handful of cronies had their way with them? What a sorry state of affairs.
I look forward to the push to add more SUV's with two man crews to assist Arlington's contracted ambulance on medical emergency calls when major thoroughfare traffic redirection is not required. I have recently noticed our large firetrucks with full crews onboard sitting around in the vehicle while one or two of them determine if the ambulance EMT's need assistance. This seems like a waste of fuel, equipment and personnel. It reminds of passing a road crew and finding most leaning on shovels.
It seems that this time for many of them, based on recent comments I have read, would be better spent in a psychologist's office determining if they had the right stuff to handle the rigors of the job.
Where have all the old time fire fighters gone? It seems we now have many who (1) either don't know what the job entails when they hire on, and (2) want to change the work and pay guidelines after they are hired that they agreed to when they signed on. I just don't get it. Call me "old school". The whining wears me out.
Thanks, Charlie for speaking to truth. You told everyone prior to vote that passage of 143 would result in lost benefits. Can't figure out why they are now whining.
ReplyDeleteWish some of the sheep being herded around by Crow the shepherd had grown a pair and spoken out under a name and not anonymous. Were the fearful for their lives, or just worried about someone not liking them anymore? Macho men? I think not.
For those pounding our city governance, I guess they missed all the national and state awards Arlington has received recently in varied areas.
Funny how you posted as John Johnson minutes after I sent you a message. Funny how his url address and your url address are the same , you Charlie and John Johnson are the best, seriously the best.
ReplyDeleteMr.Johnson US FORREST SERVICE RETIRED
MISSOULA SMOKE JUMPERS
Mr. Johnson is a real person and he wrote a comment to me and I posted it. That means that your url is the same also because I posted you comment. When Mr. Johnson sees this post I'm certain he will have something to say for himself. But I will be the one to post it.
ReplyDeleteJeeez, instead of offering retorts these guys post anonymously and come up nothing but whines.
ReplyDeleteI posted the initial post using Google, but it did not show up for hours. In the interim, I switched to Live Journal. That's why you see two posts basically stating the same thing....that Arlington fire fighters heard the pre-vote pronouncements about what they could expect if 143 passed and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Want a do-over?
Mr. Parker, I want to address the comments you made about firefighters and PTSD. I am a 32 year vet of the Dallas Fire Dept. I have seen and experienced some of the most vilest, horrendous events that a firefighter can experience. I have lost two very close co-workers/friends in fire related incidents and have endured losing 4 more co-workers in separate fire related incidents. One co-worker/friend, fell thru a roof and became entrapped until I could free him by cutting him out of the attic. Seeing his lifeless body being removed from that hole is forever burned into my memory. One of my best friends had a wall collapse on him at a multi alarm fire. I endured the task of escorting his family thru the emergency room hallways down to the exam room to view his remains. Just in the past 2 years my dept has had two suicides, (one as recent as last month) and 4 or 5 suicide related attempts. Right now, I don’t suffer from PTSD but I’m very emotional when I talk my personal events. I serve on the board of directors for a foundation that was created to assist our firefighters in their time of need. I’m currently working with a couple of national organizations and several local organizations to bring more awareness to an epidemic that you apparently do not realize exist within the fire and police service. One currently in the Arlington/Mansfield area. I’m very sadden by your open opinion being that you’re a public figure with a strong influence on the community that you serve. As insensitive as your above remarks are, I am encouraged and even more motivated to dispelled your myth of PTSD as it relates to the fire service and I welcome you to join my efforts in helping your local fire and police officers in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteM. Williams
ReplyDeleteI have been reading this blog with some fascination. It is like a book that you can't put down because you want to see how it ends. Would you like me to tell you how it ends?
First, some background info on myself...I am not from Arlington, I was a proud member of a Firefighter Union for 20 years and now I am a Fire Chief. I was an active soldier for 8 years with combat experience...after my 20 years of Fire Service oddly enough and now I am back in the Fire Service. Enough about me, let's get back to the nail-bitter of an ending!
Charlie Parker will never change his position and no one...not even the good lord himself will change his mind. Actually, he is correct on many points that deal with the politics of the situation. I will not presume to understand the inner workings of this situation, because I am an outsider looking in. One of the main reasons that he won't change, aside from the fact that he is mostly correct, is that his pride or sense of self won't allow him to fully see another's perspective. He won't be a City Leader forever and he will move on to show others the errors of their ways.
Fire Union members will continue to suffer under tyrannical rule of the union president and his "inner circle". This cancer MUST be cut out by the membership. In order to fully grow as a department the administration and union must have a relationship. It is obvious from an outside perspective that this does not exist. BTW firefighters.....where is your Chief during this process. He is missing a golden opportunity to unite the department, union and city leaders. Mr. Parker is incorrect in previous posts...you actually can have your cake and eat it too.. many cities and unions have done it, you just have to be willing to work for it.
Now that the curtain has been pulled back and the ending is revealed, feelings are mended and we are sitting by the fire singing Kumbaya, a wonderful idea has just washed over me in this moment of clarity....Get back to work, the only people that you are hurting are the citizens that you are sworn to serve. This statement applies to ALL parties involved in this. Where is the voice of reason in this situation?
P.S.
Mr. Parker, it is obvious that you have no definitive understanding of PTSD. You are correct that it is becoming an over used diagnosis, but before passing judgment stop and think of your words carefully before playing into the hands of uneducated bloggers. I was at the OKC Bombing the day it happened, I was at the May 3,1999 tornado event in Oklahoma City and I was deployed to Iraq as a combat medic during the Iraq War in 2009. Even though I thankfully do not suffer from this dreaded condition, I worry each day if this is the day the chickens will come home to roost (an analogy for those that didn't get it...I actually did not loose any chickens)
P.P.S. Feel free to comment as much as you want to this post and say mean and degrading things about what I said or who I am. It actually will make no difference in my life and I will sleep just fine, because I know who I am and what I have accomplished. I wish you all luck in the future and like all things in life...this too shall pass!
Chief Dillon
I want to thank Chief Dillon and Mr. Williams for posting in such a manner that I am willing to post their comments. I would like to personally thank Chief Dillon for his insight to the problems associated with the Fire Department and PTSD. I think that we have all seen things that we don't want to in life. 5 men lost their lives on the USS Enterprise one night when I was on the LSO platform. An aircraft hit the ramp and slid up the flight deck killing them instantly. I have seen an associate get a cold cat shot off the coast of Korea. I saw him eject and never separate from the seat, killing him instantly. So we all see things and I am in no way belittling the experiences of our first responders. As I have stated in the past battle fatigue and the environment of 9-11 and terrorist attacks like in Oklahoma do make an impression. Some people react differently, and I respect the imprint that it makes. But we don't have these issues with our Police Officers. APD is very satisfied with the benefits package that is provided to them. Why is it only the firefighters that are so heroic. That is a question that you have to ask yourselves. I am in the open and state my words honestly. I don't have a PHD is psychoanalysis. But I know how the things I've seen affect me. That is why I wrote that those that cannot compartmentalize might want to seek other employment. I realize that our firefighters do a good job for the community when they want to come to work. That isn't the issue. The issue is that they want all the previous benefits that they had and all the benefits contained in part 143 and that isn't going to happen. And if they want to burn money in court then it will come out of their department and their benefits. Hey that is the truth and the reality of the situation. I understand this issue very well, and that is the way it is going to shake out.
ReplyDeletePS: For those of you that didn't get your posts published, you might want to try posting in a civilized manner. All the childish, vulgar posts that I delete simply confirm that there are a bunch of illiterate, childish, spoiled firefighters that are following Crow. And that you can't formulate a cogent thought without calling me names. So keep those posts coming, because it fuels my fire and strengthens my resolve against your position.