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Sunday, September 16, 2018

Salisbury Fire Department Awarded $1.5 Million SAFER Grant

Publishers Notes: This is the same program the city had once before and then after the grant dried up they had to terminate all but 2 of the ones they had hired.


The City of Salisbury Fire Department is pleased to announce that it has been named a recipient of a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant in the amount of $1,527,738 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the hiring of additional firefighters. The SAFER grant is intended to help municipalities and local fire departments improve their staffing and deployment capabilities in order for them to respond to emergencies more effectively.

The SAFER grant is awarded for a period of three years. The grant will pay for 75 percent of the salary and benefits for each of the additional firefighters in the first and second year of the grant; the third year of the grant funds 35 percent of salary and benefits.

"We are excited that we have been selected to receive this highly competitive grant and for the opportunity that it brings to the City and its citizens by placing these additional firefighters on duty," Fire Chief John Tull said.

The Fire Department will present this award notification to the City Council and seek their approval to accept the awarded grant funds. SFD previously secured the same grant in 2012, and was able to hire all of the grant-funded firefighters on to permanent positions with the department.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So wait, they needed a grant to hire more people and then claim they hired those people on as permanent. Then why take the grant at all and just hire people you need without it? They sure do have all the toys for the extra people to drive!

Anonymous said...

This should eliminate the City from their shake down of the County for charging for responding into the County.

Anonymous said...

NOT!! Jake Day has been waiting to get his hands on this money

Anonymous said...

How about a grant to obtain more volunteer firefighters? I am sure many are available. Also, how many firefighters will be hired?

Anonymous said...

This is absolutely ridiculous and more reason to Fire everyone you elected as mayor and city council.

Anonymous said...

Now do you see why Jake Day, Rick Hoppes, John Tull and the rest of the paid firemen were so quick to get rid of the volunteers?? This was part of their plan to get a fully paid fire department at the expense of the national taxpayers.

Shame on the Trump administration and Andy Harris for not canning this criminal grant program.

Anonymous said...

More reason not to support Jack Heath as the County Executive.

Vote Bob Culver!

Anonymous said...

And what did that fake Republican, Muir Boda, do to stop this travesty.

But then again he was in bed with Jake Day and Rick Hopper trying to eradicate the Station 1 or 13 Volunteers.

Anonymous said...

I was listening to my fire department radio and I kept hearing Command or Operations on the radio.
Command to Gator 1
Command to Gator 2
Command to Gator 3
Command to Marine 16
Command to Bike 1
Command to Fire Marshal 1
and
Command to Fire Marshal 2.

Can you believe as bad as this weather was and the lack of people attending that they set up a "Command Post?" Not only that but they had response checks every hour? Can you believe they wasted that much taxpayer money paying fire department employees to be at the National Folk Festival from Friday, Saturday and Sunday? I finally heard the "Command Post" tell everyone they can "close up" at around 8 pm tonight, Sunday night.

The funny thing is they kept calling and looking for the people who were supposed to be staffing the PRMC First Aid Tent. It sounds like the volunteers' staffing the PRMC First Aid Tent just upped and walked away at around 3:30 pm today or earlier. The paid firemen were calling on the radio for Gator 1 to look for the medical supplies and the radio from the abandoned First Aid Tent. It is funny as Hell thinking about those volunteers saying "F Jake Day and his Folk Festival, I'm going home." I can say without a doubt I don't blame them.

Where the Hell did the city get 3 gators from? I hope they were donated but I doubt that. Why the Hell did the city continue to pay for employees to staff those Gators knowing there were no people attending the Folk Festival?

Who the Hell are the 2 fire marshals? Everyone knows they aren't real fire marshals. The only real fire marshals are at the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The two so-called fire marshals in the Salisbury Fire Department are in name only. They are not qualified to pour piss out of a boot. As a matter of fact the one "fire marshal" was a paramedic on the ambulance with no fire or fire marshal experience. The second "fire marshal" came from the now-defunct Salisbury Neighborhood Housing and Code Compliance. He has no fire training, no fire inspections or fire experience. His only experience was doing drive-by citations for having grass in the cracks of city sidewalks.

Now to the Marine 16 issue? Why the Hell did Jake Day and that doofus John Tull think that the Fire Boat needed to be staffed by paid fire department employees? Yes, they were paid firemen because there are NO volunteers in the city. If you want to claim that Cherry Cheeks Townsend and Corn Waller are volunteers that can be debated. They are about the only ones at Station 16 but they only show up when there is controversy. Was there a floating theater or something floating down Poo River? The answer is NO so why did they think they needed to staff a fire boat? Trying to impress the 100,000 visitors of the Folk Festival. WTH were they thinking?

Anonymous said...

We've been down this road before, like seven years ago. The hires were put on and then the city paid through the nose after the grant $$ ran out.
The SFD is not understaffed, so why do they say that they are?

Anonymous said...

6:29 It's easy to say they are understaffed so they can get that Federal money.

Anonymous said...

So this means that the first two years the city taxpayers will have to cough up an additional $400,000 each.

So the first 2 years it will cost the taxpayers nearly $1 million dollars more to the budget.

Year 3 it will cost the taxpayers almost another $1 million dollars.

And what John Tull and Jake Day are not telling you is that the City CAN NOT let these new firefighters go after 3 years. They have to guarantee that they will keep these new paid firefighters until they quit or retire. Yes, that is a fact.

So year 4 will cost the taxpayers an additional $1,527,738 per year plus cost of living and potential pay raises.

Jake Day, Jack Heath and John Tull just Folked the city taxpayers again.

It was your election to lose!

Anonymous said...

I was am a city police officer and I was at our FOP meeting last night and we had the candidates for county executive and county council there. When it was Jack Heath's time to speak we were talking about the police departments being short staffed and he said that the Salisbury Fire Department was short staffed because they only have 3 paid firemen and 1 volunteer on the engine. Then he went on to say that he was going to do an amendment to accept this SAFER Grant. He said he was going to do the amendment for the 30% which is required. I don't think he knew what he was talking about because the Grant requires the city to pony up 35%. He didn't talk about numbers because he didn't talk about the 3rd year the city having to pony up the 65% required.

That idiot doesn't get it. We were talking about the sheriff's department and the Salisbury Police Department being short staffed and he was proudly talking about the Salisbury Fire Department being short staffed and funding more paid firemen. Jack Heath does not get my vote. I am voting for Bob Culver and the Republican candidates in my district.

Anonymous said...

Part I

I'm sitting here off duty listening to my portable radion and Wicomico Central dispatches Stations 1, 2, 16 and Salisbury EMS to South Division Street and West Market Street for a reported Water Rescue at approximately 1238 hours.

E-16-1
PM - 1
PM 2
PM 16
Truck 1
Dive 1
AC 1
DC 1
DC 2

Central advised units responding they have a "Body in the water." "Nothing out of Station 2."

No response out of Station 2, Frampton advises Central to disregard. Of course there are no volunteers, Hoppes, Tull, Gladwell, Frampton, Records, Cherry Cheeks, David Black, Jake Day and Muir Boda

Assistant Chief 1(Frampton) arrived on scene and said "1 in the water."

Deputy Chief 2(Gladwell) arrived on scene and established "Command."

Two additional EMS Calls are being dispatched to "Salisbury EMS", 1 at the Civic Center for a Stroke and 1 at MAC Incorporated for a Subject Fallen.

Paramedic 16 took the EMS call at the Civic Center.

"Command"(Frampton) told Central to go to next due for the next EMS call. Fruitland Station 3 dispatched to MAC Incorporated. Wait I thought Jimmy Gladwell just established Command? Those 2 idiots are fighting over who is going to be "Command."

"Command to Engine 16-1 can you go get the fireboat?" That would be the small boat which is Marine 16.

Engine 16-1 is responding to get Marine 16.

Someone gets on the radio and asks Command if the boat can get underneath the bridge. Frampton says "I think so, it looks like the tide is low."

"Utility 16-1 to command do you want us to go get the boat?" "Utility 16-1 to AC-1 do you want us to get the fireboat?"

Station 1 dispatched for a delayed ambulance response to MAC Inc. to assist Fruitland ambulance. Um... There are NO Volunteers at Station 1 and Truck 1 is at the water rescue so who is going to assist Fruitland's ambulance on the delayed ambulance response?? No one.

Command(Frampton) told Central to disregard the Fire Engine delayed ambulance response to assist on the ambulance calls. So, if you can disregard the two fire engine medical assists on these two ambulance calls then why does Central have to dispatch for all medical assists for delayed ambulance responses?

Fruitland Paramedic A-3 responded to MAC Inc.

Central advised Command that Station 1 with the second EMS call at 124 South Blvd, Crazy Louies Pawn Shop for a Sick Subject. That makes 3 ambulance calls in the Salisbury Fire District while most of Salisbury's paid firemen on duty are at the "Water Rescue" which is actually a body recovery.

Central told PM A3 to divert to Crazy Louies

Station 3 dispatched to Salisbury for a subject fallen at MAC. Inc. Why dispatch them when they scratch all the time. Isn't Station 6 closer or just as close? Fruitland barely got out for the first call and hardly ever get out for the second calls.

Paramedic A-3 on scene at Crazy Louies.

Engine 16 is responding to Progress Circle for the delayed Ambulance Response without being dispatched.

Anonymous said...

Part II

Command asked Central if DNR has been notified. Central advised they were notified but weren't going to respond unless requested. Any body of water is the DNR's jurisdiction so why wouldn't they respond to investigate??

Station 3 and Station 6 EMS dispatched for the subject fallen at MAC Inc.

"Engine 16 on scene FF Waller(Volunteer Wannabe) is Progress Circle Command." Sad when Corn Waller is the only one available to "Command" an incident. They were not dispatched and Assistant Chief Frampton had already told Central to disregard dispatching anymore for a delayed ambulance response. Engine 16 should have been returned to service.

EMS 7(Pittsville) is responding to Station 6 to pick up the amb.

B-6(Parsonsburg) advises the call is covered upon the arrival of EMS. On the arrival of EMS 7? Parsonsburg can't even staff their own ambulance and they have to wait for the county paid paramedic coming from Pittsville. It wasn't even a call that a parmaedic was needed. Pathetic!

Station 3 Fruitland scratched again on their second call for them to MAC Inc. And these are the same people that are fighting to keep the Station 13 Volunteers from going into service. It's obvious with this incident and many others that the help from Station 13 is much needed. Salisbury, Fruitland, Pittsville and Parsonsburg scrathes the most and they are fighting very hard to stop the county executive from putting the Station 13 volunteers in service.

"Progress Circle Command(Fireman Wannabe Waller) to Central patient contact."

"Progress Circle Command(Not FF Waller) to Central which ems unit is responding?" Central advised "B-6 upon arrival of EMS 7 coming from Pittsville.

EMS 7 arriving at Station 6 at 12:58

Paramedic B-6 is responding with 2 with a 15 minute ETA at 12:59 hours

Paramedic A-3 arrived at PRMC with the sick subject from Crazy Louies. WTH is a sick subject?? Why is a "Sick Subject" more important than a subject fallen?

"Engine 16-1 is available at 1303 hours"

"Progress Circle Command to B-6 we have a patient refusal here if you want to continue you can." Central acknowledged at 1304 hours.

"Deputy Chief 1(Darrin Scott) to Central can you transfer that ambulance to Station 1 for a standby?" LOL, No one at Station 1 so they are going to have to just sit in the parking lot until they are released or dispatched again.

"Progress Circle Command to central under control, Engine 16-1 is available." Acknowledged at 1305. Waller said "Correction Uh Engine 16." Good move Corn Waller!

Anonymous said...

Part III

"Paramedic B-6 is out at Box 1." WTF is Box 1? Acknowledged at 1314. Idiot, it's Station 1 not Box 1.

Rob Frampton and Jimmy Gladwell, two newly promoted clowns to Assistant Chief and Deputy Cheif. WTH is going on with that insanity?? These are 2 of the biggest a$$ kissers in the history of the Salisbury Fire Department. And guess who promoted them? John Tull, another big a$$ kisser who got where he is now by kissing more a$$ than all three of them. Even after he stabbed Hoppes in the back, Hoppes still kept him on and promoted him to Deputy Chief.

"Division Street Command under control." Finally, over an hour later.

Now look at all that apparatus that responded to a body floating in the water?(Speaking of that, what happened to those safety rails that Jake Day took down." Eleven pieces of apparatus and over 20 paid fireman. That's not including Engine 16-1 that Corn Waller took out.

Now tell me again how many paid firemen do they need to hire? By the sound of things, it looks like they need to hire and staff more ambulances.

Salisbury took two ambulances and a Paramedic Chase Unit out of service from county volunteer stations because they made a body recovery into a major incident. It's a good thing that those ambulances weren't needed in their own territory. Now is Salisbury going to reimburse the county for those 3 units that had to respond to Salisbury's fire district? They should. Hope that's part of the Fire Service Agreement. FSA if you are SFD Cool!

I am so glad that I am not a paid fireman in Salisbury.


Anonymous said...

They are hiring 12 additional firefighters. Say goodbye to any remaining volunteers there are because station 2 will get staffed 24/7 when this happens. It's just another part of the plan to get rid of the volunteers. What they don't realize is they are screwed if they get rid of the volunteers completely because then it is no longer a "combination" department and that changes quite a few things. no wonder they can not get or keep volunteers, they claim there is no difference in the paid crews and volunteers, however the standards are much different, the paid staff gets training and opportunities that are not offered to volunteers, a paid person can get cleared to do things in weeks but it takes a volunteer months upon months, It's sad.