This so called mandatory training is not needed and a waste of the overtime budget. This is going to cost the city a lot of money with overtime especially if you have to deal with the suspensions and leave without pay. Hoppes and Gordy are some power hungry maniacs. How can they force people away from their families and part time jobs? This training can be done while on duty for the career firefighters and during the regular drill nights for the volunteers. It is nothing that is very important at all and most have already been done. The firefighters are already proficient in these areas. The paid staff is required to do training every day that they work so why can't this be part of the regular training done daily. This is nothing special and requires no special equipment or instructors. This is just a way for Hoppes and Gordy to own the firefighters.
Fire Department
City of Salisbury
To: All Personnel Date: 05 February 2009
From: DC Richard A. Hoppes
Subject: Annual Mandatory Training Policy, Procedure, & Plan
For many years the issue of determining what mandatory training to conduct, when it will be conducted, how it will be delivered, who must attend, why it must be done, and how it will be documented has caused the department and its members much concern and confusion. To this end the department Training Committee has met and discussed all of these questions in great detail. This document is to provide the information necessary for all personnel to be informed on the department’s position and method of execution for delivery of the annual mandatory training to all members. The following is a brief narrative answering the questions listed above. Attached is the formal training plan to deliver the 2009 Annual Mandatory Training.
Various agencies and authorities from outside our department mandate what training must be provided annually to employees and members. The department must be able to demonstrate that all personnel have received the proper training in CPR, AED, BBP, NAERG, Right to Know, Diversity, SCBA Fit Test, & P.P.E. inspection. It is important for all members to understand that the department is serious about its responsibilities to protect all of its members by providing this most important training. The delivery of this training will be completed through the department training section, with all topics being delivered by SFD instructors.
The training committee has agreed that the most efficient and effective method to deliver this training is through a “Training Rodeo” or all day training event designed for students to move through various stations and complete all of the required sections to receive full credit. All personnel shall be required to attend one of these Rodeo sessions annually. The total number of personnel that can attend one session will be held to a maximum of forty-eight (48). This is due to the limits on space of the facility and the manageability of the classes. All personnel must pre-register with the training section for one session to avoid having to turn members away due to class size limitations. The preferred method of pre-registration is through email so that all can have a written verification of signing up for a class.
Students will be divided into teams of four (4) and identified by an assigned color. Students will receive a task check-off sheet that is the color of their assigned team. The individual student is responsible to ensure that they receive a signature from the station instructor in each of the categories, and do so prior to leaving the station. Failure to get the signature prior to leaving the station will constitute a failure of the student in attending or completing the station and be considered to be an incomplete for the entire day. No make ups will be provided on the day of the rodeo. Each team will be assigned a team leader that is responsible for the actions of the team members as well as the movement of the team from station to station. Each team will move from station to station as a group and individuals are prohibited from leaving the assigned stations until the entire group has completed the work of the particular station. At no time will the individuals or groups move to the next station until the group before them has completed their work or assignment. A break area will be provided for groups finishing a station and waiting to move to the next.
The training committee has determined that the total number of sessions will be four (4) and that the annual mandatory training will be conducted in the month of March annually. For planning purposes the committee decided that the sessions will be held on the following days: the first, second, and third Saturdays in March and skipping two consecutive Saturdays and holding the final session on the following Sunday. If there is a need to hold a make-up session for personnel failing to attend one of the regular sessions, the date for the make-up will be the first Saturday in June of each year.
Failure to complete one of the March annual mandatory training sessions will be considered an act of insubordination and the offender shall be automatically suspended from operations for the following terms: career employees shall received a suspension without pay for a period of forty-two (42) working hours and volunteer members shall receive a suspension of ninety (90) consecutive calendar days. Disciplinary actions for subsequent offenses will be grounds for termination or separation from the department.
Any and all questions should be directed to your station training officers for volunteers and to your company officers for career members. I appreciate your efforts to ensure that you are trained and prepared for the rigors of this job and wish each of you luck and safety as you perform the assignments given to you.
Annual Mandatory Training Plan
2009 Mandatory Training
(CPR, AED, BBP, NAERG, Right to Know, Diversity, SCBA Fit Test, & P.P.E. Inspection)
Date Time Location Platoons / Stations Assigned Personnel 07 March 2009 08:00 Fire HQ A / 1E / Vol. ALL 14 March 2009 08:00 Fire HQ D / 2E / Vol. ALL 21 March 2009 08:00 Fire HQ C / Vol. ALL 05 April 2009 08:00 Fire HQ B / Vol. ALL
Note: All topics will be delivered by personnel from the SFD Training Section.
Note: All personnel are required to attend one of these sessions.
Note: All personnel are required to bring their P.P.E. (including SCBA Face Piece).
20 comments:
I just followed the new ladder truck through town and up North Division until it turned on Naylor. The driver had to wait for all turning traffic to clear before he could make the turn. Naylor is fairly wide at that point. How are they going to navigate that truck through town on the narrower streets?
Same way they do in other cities, very carefully. This is getting redundant. The city has the truck, for better or worse, richer or poorer. There are pros (obvious) to having it and cons (expense!!!) but the afct of the matter is it's here and not going anywhere. The readership are seeing it out ,most likely, so the drivers can get used to the truck as well as determining the most navigatable routes so when it is needed the drivers can get it to the scene in the swiftest and safest way possible.
Well, let's just hope ALL of the fires are close to the new Fire Palace instead, so you don't have to have that beast on the road everywhere.
They will not have to navigate that beast thru the smaller streets. There are 2 new quints(combination ladder truck/engines) similar to Truck 2 that will be arriving soon.
Will the volunteers staff the new tower 24 / 7 365 or will they hire a paid driver? Will the duty crew at Station 16 become the "truck company" by day and the crew at station 2 become an " engine" company?
Thanks Larry!
if the driver had to wait for traffic to clear before turning, what would happen if it had been going to a fire, traffic does happen during fires!
I was at the stop light at Rt. 50 and Beaglin Park Drive at around 2:55 this afternoon and heard a siren. Soon enough, I saw the source. It was the huge monster truck! The lights stayed green for them as they headed East on 50. That thing can move! I wonder if they had their first real use for it today. I have seen it before while they were training on it but with the sirens today, I can't imagine it being another test.
Lets not be so quick to place blame on the SFD leaders. Most of this training is mandated by government agencies and laws. Its not something the Chiefs dreamed up for fun. The training committee was tasked with formulating a solution to achieve this mandated training. The members were volunteer and career officers from each station who developed this plan. They felt it was better to have it all in one day and get it done. No dragging it out for months and begging people to get it done. This leaves all the other drill nights open for real hands on training. Which by the way, the members asked for.
I took mine today and was done by 3 pm. There are fifty-one Saturdays left this year that I dont have to use to get this training. As far as your belief that you need no special instructors, I beg to differ with you. Can you teach CPR, ERG or Diversity and sexual harassment ? How about running the machine to do an SCBA fit test ? To some firefighters this is new and painful. The fear and apprehension is worse than the reallity of it. I'm as old school as they come. I found it painless and I'm done with it for 2009. Dont knock it until you've tried it.
Real Nice lets put all the fire department memos on the website.
This is the kind of order that will get SFD in a Pickle. No flexability for maternity, special trips sick leave, and extenuating circumstances...... What a way to treat volunteers. Hell what a way to treat any one and I've been a police officer and firefighter for over thirty years........MAybe there's more to it, but day gone! give someone a break, please. Mhoward
Anonymous said...
Same way they do in other cities, very carefully. This is getting redundant. The city has the truck, for better or worse, richer or poorer. There are pros (obvious) to having it and cons (expense!!!) but the afct of the matter is it's here and not going anywhere. The readership are seeing it out ,most likely, so the drivers can get used to the truck as well as determining the most navigatable routes so when it is needed the drivers can get it to the scene in the swiftest and safest way possible.
11:24 AM
So which non tax paying member or the Salisbury Fire Department are you?
Does any paid firemen live in the city limits and contribute to its tax base?
"Same way they do in other cities, very carefully."
By the way what other cities are you referring to? Prove it!
I wasted my entire weekend by spending the nicest Saturday of the year in that h3ll hole. I will be glad when those NAZI leaders are history.
Joe,
Now you're micromanaging the SFD? Do you think Jim Ireton might let you run it? I count 8 different training requirements that are mandated by the feds/OSHA that they say must be completed every year, and they have decided to have everybody do them all in one day, rather than piecemeal. Is it cheaper to hold dozens of training sessions and hope everyone gets all 8 done, risking federal fines when an incident occurs and the proper training cannot be documented for those involved? The punishment for firefighters not participating seems harsh, but they have scheduled 4 separate WEEKEND days for this, and seem especially to be trying to accomodate the volunteers. What are you supposed to do you do with someone who does not comply with a work requirement, especially one based on federal requirements? Really, Joe, why don't you try to come up with real stories, like the feds having all of these unfunded mandates in the form of required refresher training classes, rather than posting internal memos as if they are some kind of smoking gun, or trashing the Daily Times for having a low stock price. Move on.
I hear the fire department had depleted the overtime budget a long time ago so where are they getting the money to pay their paid staff?
Anon 5:06
The new ladder was in quarters at Station 16 this afternoon at 2:55. Lt Rathel was mounting equipment on the piece. At 3:30 Lt Rathel,FF McCrorey and myself took the truck to Salisbury University for training. The route of travel was Carroll St to Rt 13 and on campus. I dont know what you saw, but it was not Tower 16.
I have said it many times, how did mankind survive all these years until this day and time WITHOUT all these required mandatory training requirements? Most, if not all fires,rescues and all related incidents got resolved. Now, I am not against training at all and yes you probably need some incentive to attend, but when you THREATEN people with negative outcomes, it kind of turns them sour to trying to do the right thing. The people who thought up all these requirements, from the Feds on down to the local Joe's, including deep pocket sh$thead lawyers wanted this. It is just amazing mankind survived all these years until this surfaced.
don't worry salisbury.HELP IS ON THE WAY...
I would rather give up 1 day in March for this mandatory training than have to come back on Saturdays throughout the year interrupting my days off. If you dont like it complain to your Officers instead of belly aching on here.
I was a kid at the time but remember a lot of the older firemen's names. Some firemen today may now be their children. If so, their Dad's were my family's best friends as I grew up. I remember Mr. Records, Dick Lynch, Tommy Lewis, Louise Fields who used to work dispatch I think?
I remember a lot more faces but can't remember all of the names. Like I said, I was a kid at the time and I could get a Coke for 10 cents in the soda machine there and they even had a pool table upstairs! This was at the main station across from the library.
I entered the Little Miss Fire Prevention contest and it was held in Parsonsburg at a Curch. I did not win but I remember the Salisbury Firemen telling me it was ok. They were the best!
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