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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Mayor & Fire Chief Cancel Public Calls For Service

Over the past year, (or so) Salisbury News has been providing the daily calls for service, (just as we do for the Police Department, Sheriffs Department and State Police) for the Salisbury Fire Department. 

That is, up until May 1, 2014. You see, the Mayor and Fire Chief have decided not to make these daily logs available to the public any more, therefore Salisbury News can no longer publish it.

The way I see it is, the call logs were proving to the public that not only are fires very few and far between, (unless they are right behind the Fire House and they burn to the ground) but it also proves there is absolutely NO NEED for a paid fire service as large as Salisbury is. 

So how does Mayor Ireton handle it, DON'T LET THE PUBLIC SEE IT. God Forbid the TRUTH & REAL EVIDENCE get out there while the liberal agenda always calls for lies and deceit instead. Smoke and mirrors it what you get. Your last Mayor refused to allow you to know more than 5,000 animals had died over the years at the Salisbury Zoo. That Mayor claimed the City was 99.9% compliant with the MDE, remember?

Now you know why we haven't been publishing information from the Salisbury Fire Department. It was your election to lose.  

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

So much for transparency.

Anonymous said...

Don't complain on here. Call the mayor's office, email,send letters. Demand to know and have the daily calls for service provided to the taxpayers.

Lorraine Truitt said...

5,000 animals have died at the zoo!! They shouldn't have been there anyway. They need to be left in the wild; not confined for human entertainment!

Anonymous said...

98% of the calls were EMS. Let the fire department go to volunteer and raise their own money.

Anonymous said...

Public money demands public information.

Bad decision Mayor!

JoeAlbero said...

To The Mental Midget Who sent in this comment...

"We use the equipment so we can respond to an emergency. If we use our cars and there is an emergency then we have to drive back to the station to get equipped.

Jealous people"

Is the entire Fire Department Gay? I say that because I'm under the impression a whole bunch of men can't go anywhere without each other and maybe your afraid you might have a Brother meet someone else while they are away?

You see, IN THE STRAIGHT WORLD we would take an order from our co workers and have ONE person make the RUN.

Perhaps we've ALL been misunderstanding what the Fire Department is all about, NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH BEING GAY.

A word of advice... Jealousy is a horrible thing. If a dog really wants to jump the fence, believe me, he will.

Anonymous said...

What's Fake Day got to say about this -- he seems to be in the media about everything!

Anonymous said...

Joe I rode by the fire station on Naylor Street yesterday and say a Mr. Meticulous van out there all day long. You mean to tell me with all the free time they have and over 60 paid firemen they have to pay a cleaning crew to clean that station. I think they call that that fire station #2.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised they didn't take the calls for service down sooner. How stupid of them to post those calls when we knew they were mostly ambulance calls and fire trucks chasing the ambulances.

Since Jim Ireton hasn't fired Rick Hoppes yet then we need to fire Jim Ireton at the next upcoming election.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
98% of the calls were EMS. Let the fire department go to volunteer and raise their own money.

May 15, 2014 at 11:16 AM

I agree here with this comment. It should be a countywide paid Paramedic system. Let the volunteers handle the few fire calls that they have.

If people were smart they would realize the millions of dollars in taxes that could be saved annually.

Anonymous said...

Ahh, this explains why the Run Log at salisburyfd.com stopped on the 1st, I thought it was a fluke and just needed a software update. I used that routinely when I heard the alarm go off at station 2.

I will be making a call about this, guessing the Alarm Center at the salisburyfd.com website won't be updated anymore either.

Btw, Fire calls for 2013 = 3001
EMS calls = 8809

Anonymous said...

Joe, Re: Your 11:54 comment. Maybe they should be docked pay for their time at lunch. After all they are away from their place of work.

Anonymous said...

Guess that's why we haven't heard much about the guy who locked himself in his apartment on Light street and set fire to the place last night.

Anonymous said...

Call fire department headquarters at: 410-548-3120

This is a useful tool to me and should be provided free of charge not linked to political crap.

Guessing they are going to say due to staff cutbacks and money in general this has been eliminated.

Who did you talk to that told you this Joe?

Anonymous said...

There is no need to have paid fireman. Paying them to sleep, and sit on their butts, and wash their cars, and take the fire truck out for joy rides.

Anonymous said...

When you are ashamed of your actions, you tend to hide them from others. Surely these ambulance chasers know they engage in a theft scheme every time they go out on an ambulance call.

Anonymous said...

Joe, as much as I agree with you on most subjects, I think you need an update on the understanding of the fire service. I don't think you could totally do away with the career side just like we couldn't do without the volunteers. The history of the fire service has been taught to prepare for he potential, not the usual. It goes back to the old saying no-one thinks about the need for them until they need them. It is similar to putting a value on one persons life over another. Let one person in someone's family die because there were no fireman at the station and everyone will want more fireman on duty. I agree the fire service is a large budget and cuts could be made in areas. To accomplish that you need a mayor that understands the fire service and a mature chief that is willing to make the cuts and not treat the department like his/her toy box.

Anonymous said...

Joe you should run again. This time, work harder so you can beet Ireton.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
When you are ashamed of your actions, you tend to hide them from others. Surely these ambulance chasers know they engage in a theft scheme every time they go out on an ambulance call.

May 15, 2014 at 1:50 PM

You are correct. They charge insurance companies more money for extra personnel. This is also what is known as insurance fraud.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Joe, as much as I agree with you on most subjects, I think you need an update on the understanding of the fire service. I don't think you could totally do away with the career side just like we couldn't do without the volunteers. The history of the fire service has been taught to prepare for he potential, not the usual. It goes back to the old saying no-one thinks about the need for them until they need them. It is similar to putting a value on one persons life over another. Let one person in someone's family die because there were no fireman at the station and everyone will want more fireman on duty. I agree the fire service is a large budget and cuts could be made in areas. To accomplish that you need a mayor that understands the fire service and a mature chief that is willing to make the cuts and not treat the department like his/her toy box.

May 15, 2014 at 2:30 PM

If you think you need firefighters at the station recruit more volunteers and require them to be there. Kentland in PG County is 100% volunteer 100% 0f the time.

Anonymous said...

2:30 While somewhat agreeing with your point, having a bloated number of paid firefighters sitting around all day is ludricrous. 6 would suffice. And one could be sent out in their own vehicle to pick up lunch while the engine and four stay at the station on standby, with one to ready the house if a call comes through. Wasting our money on fuel and oil for the Big Red Taxi is the complaint here, and there are only 4 to an engine!

I guess your point is that for every 4 working the shift, another fire truck is needed to go get lunch.

See any difference in the thinking here?

You don't? Well, I guess that's why you don't have a real job.

Anonymous said...


Here is a question no one has asked. When that building burned to the ground right around the corner from the fire department where were the firemen?? Where they actually at the fire department or were they at lunch? Could it be they were away from the fire house which resulted in it taking longer to get to the fire and that is why the building burned down?

Anonymous said...

Outstanding move. Take away the ammunition and you cant fire the gun. Now you'll have to work to find out what the firefighters are responding to.

Anonymous said...


Or you can ask readers to send in the daily Lunch Bunch pic with when they arrived and when they left.

3 elements of these characters' actions are particularly offensive:

1) The equipment logs unnecessary hours on the engine; tires, brakes, etc. need service on an accelerated basis. Administrative malfeasance.

2) The new fire station was touted as having a very comprehensive kitchen set-up. Evidently rarely used.

3) Appear to be plenty of support vehicles in the landlocked part of the fleet. Think there would be much less concern over a pick-up or sedan running for the chow with one person on the errand.

The stifling of the duty logs, and the continued insensitivity to the daily waste of funds are indicative of a department and administration that don't get it.

Hope citizens 'bury them in complaints.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Here is a question no one has asked. When that building burned to the ground right around the corner from the fire department where were the firemen?? Where they actually at the fire department or were they at lunch? Could it be they were away from the fire house which resulted in it taking longer to get to the fire and that is why the building burned down?

May 15, 2014 at 9:59 PM

I know a fact they were in the building and one of the employees got on the overhead speaker system to advise the entire station. They were in the building and knew about the fire before it was even dispatched by 911. Proves that paid firemen don't save buildings.

And Richard A. Hoppes, BS was on the scene and the building still burnt to the ground. Also proves that Hoppes has no experience and his "education" is/was perfectly useless for his promotion.

None said...

I couldn't agree with you more.

None said...

I'm not a paid fireman but I am a volunteer fireman and I'll tell you that just about no matter what you do you can't save all buildings. Quite often it depends on their construction. I believe the building you are talking about was an old heavy timber constructed building which is the hardest to control. Not to mention it was a mechanic shop that was full of flammable liquids.

None said...

They use the kitchen at station 16 to cook dinner every single night.

Anonymous said...

It is not necessary for a fire truck with four people on it to go on a ambulance call. I see it all the time across the street at Wi Hi. How much does it cost just to start a fire truck. There should never be a cleaning company at a fire house. If there is maybe it should be deducted from there pay as a expense I don't like cleaning either, I would have to pay for it. How about one person going on a food run.

Anonymous said...

None said...
I'm not a paid fireman but I am a volunteer fireman and I'll tell you that just about no matter what you do you can't save all buildings. Quite often it depends on their construction. I believe the building you are talking about was an old heavy timber constructed building which is the hardest to control. Not to mention it was a mechanic shop that was full of flammable liquids.

May 16, 2014 at 7:27 AM

WRONG!!

Mostly all block. All houses are built of timber load with highly combustible fuels such as furniture and heating sources such as gas, propane and kerosene. These buildings don't always burn to the ground.

Anonymous said...


Blogger None said...
I couldn't agree with you more.

May 16, 2014 at 7:20 AM

You couldn't agree more about what?

Anonymous said...

None said...
I'm not a paid fireman but I am a volunteer fireman and I'll tell you that just about no matter what you do you can't save all buildings. Quite often it depends on their construction. I believe the building you are talking about was an old heavy timber constructed building which is the hardest to control. Not to mention it was a mechanic shop that was full of flammable liquids.

May 16, 2014 at 7:27 AM

If you don't know what the building was then how can you say it was full of flammable liquids?

What flammable liquids were in the building and how do you know?

Anonymous said...

Joe I rode by that fire station on Naylor Street on Wednesday and there was a Mr. Meticulous cleaning van parked at the station. If they don't respond on many calls and they have over 60 paid firemen sitting around doing nothing then why does the city have to pay for a professional cleaning company to clean the fire station?

Anonymous said...

Need more of this, sorry I don't live there anymore but I'd be calling everyone. Trying to push family in Salisbury to complain about all the issues.

Anonymous said...

As long as Rick Hoppes and John Tull and their merry band of little assistant chiefs are in charge the corruption will continue.

Anonymous said...

Of course they are going to hide the call volume. They are going to raise our taxes and ram an new fire station down our throats on Naylor Street. A new but slightly smaller version of Station 16 on Cypress Street. Yes that is a fact Joe. If you didn't know it you should look into it. It's already been approved and they are just waiting to break ground.

They want to spend another $10 million dollars in the ghetto again.

Anonymous said...

To 5:18 on 5/15 -Actually after some research you are only partially correct. Kentland in P.G. County has two stations and one of them has two career people 24/7 assigned to EMS. The second station has 6 or more career people assigned 24/7. I don't consider either of those to be 100% volunteer. Times have changed. Todays world makes it hard to volunteer during the day on weekdays. It takes two incomes to survive if you want a family, house and a few luxuries. Areas as populated as Salisbury needs career fireman just as much as they need volunteers.

Anonymous said...

Oh Boy I can't wait to spend more money on another fire palace. Just what we need another new fire station when the one in use is perfectly fine. It's a fire station, a garage to hold fire trucks.

Jim Ireton must have another supporter he wants to give the old fire station to.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me Mr. Know It All 12:49 on 5/18 the reference was about Kentland 33. See below. If those few volunteers can handle 13,000 fire calls a year then the volunteers can handle a few fire calls in Salisbury. The city doesn't need to pay over 60 paid firemen to be on duty 24/7 chasing ambulance calls to justify jobs. If those volunteers can do it at the busies volunteer station in the nation then I am quite confident the volunteers can handle the call volume in Salisbury. No need to re-invent the wheel just pattern Salisbury after Kentland and problem solved.

Get rid of the paid fire staff and maintain the paid paramedics and again problem solved.

Home | Operations

Operations

Who?

The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department is comprised of two firehouses, Company 33 and Company 46. It is two of 47 volunteer fire stations that comprise the Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD). Company 33, arguably the busiest volunteer engine, rescue and tower company in the Nation, is the department featured on this website. It is staffed solely by a dedicated group of volunteers 100% of the time, a surprising accomplishment in today’s society of decreased volunteerism.

Where?

Station 33 is located in Landover, Maryland, just outside of the District of Columbia, approximately 5 miles from the Capital in the county of Prince George’s. Our response area includes FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskin’s and Six Flags Amusement Park*. Major roadways such as the Capital Beltway (I-495) and MD Route 50 bring commuters to and from an area of industrial complexes, garden style apartments and single-family and duplex homes ranging from new construction to over 75 years in age.

What?

Company 33 operates one class ‘A’ engine, a mini-pumper, a combination class ‘A’ engine / heavy rescue and a 75 foot Baker-AerialScope Tower Ladder. Volunteers respond to over 7,200 emergency incidents making it quite possibly the busiest one-hundred percent volunteer fire department in the world with combined apparatus responses of almost 13,000 per year. Kentland Company 33 has also held the title of the busiest engine company in Maryland, busiest Ladder company in PG, as well as the busiest volunteer engine company in the nation as seen in Firehouse Magazine’s Annual Run Survey.

The volunteers of Kentland are made up of over 50 individuals, with 15 to 20 living at the fire house. The average experience of the department is 12 years and many of the members are paid firefighters with departments in the metropolitan area such as the DCFD, Fairfax County FD and Montgomery County FD. Kentland prides itself in providing superior service to it’s community including aggressive interior attack firefighting.

*Six Flags Amusement Park is located outside of Co. 33 primary response area (first due) in Co. 43’s first due, both Engine Co. 33 and Tower 33 are primary response services (special service).

The Station

Kentland 33 is located at 7701 Landover Road in Landover, Maryland. The station has three double bays and two single bays where all fire apparatus is stored. Living accommodations include room for 25 live-in members, 17 of which are single person rooms. The firehouse also has all the normal necessities found in a home such as a TV room, two kitchens and 4 bathrooms. In addition there is a game/workout room and offices for both operational and administrative officers. On average 15 to 20 members live at the firehouse, something unique to metropolitan DC volunteer departments. Members living at the station trade off having no living expenses (Rent, phone, electric, etc.) for staffing during their free time.


Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
To 5:18 on 5/15 -Actually after some research you are only partially correct. Kentland in P.G. County has two stations and one of them has two career people 24/7 assigned to EMS. The second station has 6 or more career people assigned 24/7. I don't consider either of those to be 100% volunteer. Times have changed. Todays world makes it hard to volunteer during the day on weekdays. It takes two incomes to survive if you want a family, house and a few luxuries. Areas as populated as Salisbury needs career fireman just as much as they need volunteers.

May 18, 2014 at 12:49 PM

Looks like you were OWNED on that comment. Another paid fireman trying to justify their job.

Kentland 33 has 15 volunteers running 13,000 calls and Salisbury tax payers pay SIXTY(60) paid firemen to sleep most of the time. No Bozo Salisbury isn't big enough to have that many paid firemen and doesn't need them.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't say the OP was owned. He/she stated that they have paid people at both of their stations. That would make one believe the volunteers need assistance with their calls. Which takes us back to are they or aren't they 100% volunteer, meaning they have no paid fireman at their stations. Interesting the respondent neither confirmed nor denied this fact. He/she just deflected from the original question/topic. The original OP actually made a point that there is areas to be cut in the SFD but not with personnel. Sounds like a Salisbury tax payer with some sense. Don't cut jobs when you can make cuts in other areas and save jobs.