Presidents Message April 2012
“The Fire-ground of Make Believe”
On April 25th 2012 Assemblyman Charles Mainor, Chairman of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee has graciously agreed to host an open public hearing at the New Jersey City University at 11am. The hearing held at the request of the NJFMBA will focus on public safety in general and specifically on the lack of resources in the fire service resulting in unprecedented multiple alarm fires and abuse and misuse of mutual aid agreements.
Mutual aid agreements originally adopted for the rare emergency where by unique events stretched local firefighting capacities beyond there limit, are now being used as emergency band-aids on an everyday basis.
The inability of local governments to safely staff their respective fire departments has driven fire ground commanders and county fire co-ordinators to almost immediately rely on neighboring communities as well as not so neighboring communities for assistance.
From bad to worse and worse to insane, mutual aid now consist of the movement of fire equipment and personnel two and sometimes three counties away from their local jurisdictions, leaving the assistance providing communities unprotected.
It is our hope that at this hearing and subsequent discussions we can underscore the “Russian roulette” approach to firefighting as reckless and dangerous to the lives of citizens and even more dangerous to the safety of our brother and sister firefighters who are expected to continue to do more with less.
Few if any local communities are adequately staffed and prepared for a large-scale incident. Sadly far too many fire departments are even less prepared for the “routine” structure fire. Lack of staffing and the reduction of supervisory personnel prevent us from early intervention at the scene of a fire, turning room and content fires into fully involved structure fires into multiple exposure fires into city block fires.
The frequency of multiple alarm fires and the ever increasing loss of lives and property has got to set off alarm with even the most casual of observers. Far too many requests for assistance from departments 15 and 20 miles away have been made. Clearly those calls for help from such great distances are made not to save lives but rather extinguish or contain a conflagration that has already destroyed a significant section of the community.
Within the fire service debate rages on, we have few resources so we must move them often and bring as many to a scene for the safety of our men. True enough and well intended as that is, at what point do we as managers of the fire service do more with less and even more with even less until we become enablers to government who are hell bent on providing the absolute minimum of safety to save money at the expense of our own safety.
Elizabeth firefighters do not belong in Hoboken anymore than Hoboken belongs in Elizabeth. Montclair doesn’t belong in Union City anymore than Union City belongs in Montclair. The disruption of the safety net in those communities and every community in between is a failure of government either way you debate it.
It is time for Directors and Chiefs and coordinators of fire departments to have the courage to state the obvious. If you cannot provide NFPA standards of firefighting suppression in your own community what business do you have reducing your resources further by sending them out of town?
If our respective Fire Chiefs continue to pretend all is well and the cuts made by local administrations are not dangerous we will soon reduce our abilities to keep people safe to pretense and make believe.
Safety has a cost but so does the absence of safety. The absence of fire protection is just that, unprotected citizens and property. The cost of property loss is high enough to justify adequate resources. The cost of lives lost can never be measured or repaid. It is high time that the leaders of our local fire departments remember what they read in the Fire Chiefs Handbook and any other books they read to get promoted. Clearly the lack of supervision, accountability, communication and stripping of departments is no where written in these texts.
Frustration and fear of demotion should not out weigh the frustration and fear of losing lives because we kept silent.
“To whom much is given, much is expected” _____JFK
Presidents Message March 2012
".0025%"
Financial planners and money managers across the United States often discuss investing in your future. Securing financial independence for retirement, making arrangements to have affordable healthcare controlling costs and managing investments for the golden years.
If some outside agency, bad investment, or external financial force was threatening the future of of your retirement investments, any financial advisor worth their salt would clearly advise significant steps be taken and financial planning be made to address these problems.
State and municipal employees without question are having their pensions, their health benefits, their salaries and their future cost-of-living adjustments undermined almost daily by an organized and well funded political agenda initiated by the Christie Administration and timidly objected to by the democratic majority.
With past, present and future significant reductions of income and future income, members of the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association Have been asked to invest on average .0025% of their annual salary to attempt to protect against unprecedented attacks. An additional .001% was requested to support brothers and sisters in their time of greatest need. Those numbers reflect the cost of State FMBA dues per member as well as the emergency relief assessment.
That relatively minuscule investment often generates, among a small minority of members, conversation as to what the NJFMBA is doing for its members and how they are using this "considerable" investment.
For the record, the following is only a snapshot as to what the NJFMBA is doing to hold the line against the countless millions of dollars invested by right wing conservative "shadow PACS", in the name of tax reform. Not to mention the unlimited use of the media by our Governor to attack, mislead and misinform the voting public with regard to the compensation and value of your service.
NJFMBA Is currently financing three lawsuits on behalf of its members, one in federal court and two in State Court challenging the right of the legislature to unilaterally alter collective bargaining agreements, eliminate COLA and impose health benefit premium co- pays. Legal expenses will surpass the $250,000 .00 mark before years end.
NJFMBA invested $140,000.00 in political action this past fiscal years in support of our friends and in opposition of our enemies.
NJFMBA distributed 261,000.00 in emergency relief funds to date to layed off members. The NJFMBA is proud to be the only labor union in the State and perhaps the country to provide emergency relief benefits for their members.
NJFMBA invested over $50,000.00 to fund the public safety demonstration and rallies with State workers. The Fire Service end of the March 4 th record breaking rally in Trenton was financed in total by the NJFMBA.
On April 9 th the NJFMBA will launch the P.R.I.D.E. public relations campaign , encompassing all mediums, included but not limited to TV, radio, billboard, buses, electronic and print media to the tune of $25,000.00 per month for as long as our members help sustain it.
NJFMBA invests over$ 100,000.00 per year in lobbying the State Legislature for and against newly drafted bills.
More than a considerable amount of time, money and effort was put into advocating for the members of the New Jersey State Firefighetrs Mutual Benevolent Association. Considerable yes, but I'm sure you would agree, not nearly enough. And certainly as compared to the millions of dollars spent by the Christie administration and by right wing conservative "shadow pacs" , our financial efforts pale in comparison.
All members are certainly entitled to know where their membership dollars are being spent. We as an organization have a responsibility to decide if and how much we are going to challenge those who would attack our very existence.
The choice becomes very simple. We can either support legislators and organizations who support us and lend volume to our voices, or we can capitulate and allow our message to be drowned out by the millions of dollars hell-bent on undermining our working conditions, salaries and benefits. The choice is obvious we must find the means to support ourselves while we are at war. Any thoughts to the contrary would be the equivalent of raising the white flag.
The State FMBA can always use more ideas and more resources. Any member, in any capacity, in any local who has the interest, the wherewithal, and the ability to move our agenda forward, your talents are welcome and encouraged.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding in the most difficult of circumstances. The initial enthusiasm with regard to the NJFMBA P.R.I.D.E. public relations program is certainly encouraging and desperately needed. We look forward to developing the most informative and progressive public education program in the history of the fire service, as we use every resource at our disposal to protect our members and their families.
" The Football of Politics" - January 2012
The ever blurring lines between Republican and Democratic politics in New Jersey on the issues that most directly impact firefighters continue to frustrate even the most cynical of political observers.
Who our members are most disenfranchised with these days varies with the political affiliation and sophistication. While we still have loyal supporters in the legislature and believe it or not their does exist men and women with solid character in politics, the reality is that they are becoming fewer and more and more difficult to find and even less reliable.
A recent visit to Metlife Stadium to watch the Jets get beat by the Giants provided a pretty good comparison and analogy of almost exactly how politics has taken shape in New Jersey.
As players on both sides represent their teams and play to fans who wear their respective colors and uniform jerseys, the fans scream and yell for their team and against their perceived opponent. Sometimes the rooting and applause for ones team turns to insulting and abusing the opposition fans sadly sometimes results in physical violence. Remarkably the players after the game, win or lose, hug one another, shake hands, smile, laugh and joke with opponents as they recognize that they all belong to a fraternity of elite athletes who happen to be mostly millionaires.
God bless these talented athletes who are fortunate enough to be blessed with the rare physical ability to entertain the masses and earn incredible salaries. In a free market society who can blame them and as long as fans will pay considerably to be entertained their salaries will continue to rise.
Consider the similarities of New Jersey politics to the above. Republican legislators and Democratic legislators who play to their declared and registered constituents and promise to defend the "core values" of their parties. Taxpayers (voters) cheer for their candidates, raise money on their behalf, defend their positions, insult their opponents and sadly sometimes violently attack supporters of their opposition. Meanwhile, after the election, or debate, or the passing of legislation, politicians shake hands, meet behind close doors, and negotiate deals that are mutually beneficial to both sides.
The deals negotiated behind closed doors and in secret restaurant locations produce multiple-million dollar deals that enrich and elevate members of both parties to varying degrees based upon the perceived political strength of the office holders involved. If you get a lot of votes, ( or have a lot of fans) you get proportionately more and are able to benefit accordingly.
The similarities are striking. Fans/ voters passionately support and argue for there team/party or player/candidate. The fans/voters become divided and argumentative to the point of frustration and violence. The players/ candidates or teams/ political parties play the game, shake hands and continue to rake in millions.
So what's the problem.?
Sports is what it is and what we recognize it to be. It is for the most part a game and an an entertainment business where winners and losers either succeed and thrive or fail and retire.
Politics is supposed to be about principle. It is supposed to be about serving the people, about doing what is right for the right reasons. Politics is supposed to be about producing fair government and honest debate and dialogue to defend or support the principles we believe and that of the constituency that is proclaimed to represent.
Unfortunately, we must recognize politics for what it is, a game. Until we stop blindly choosing sides, beating one another up and allowing the teams/parties to divide and conquer us as voters, working families, union or non-union, private or public we will continue to be played by the teams/parties empower and enrich the players/politicians and be ever relegated to fanatical, violent, and frustrating behavior that insures the continued reduction of rights and benefits.
The NJFMBA and Fox & Fox, LLC will discuss and present contract awards at the February Convention in Atlantic City!
Here are your Interest Arbitrators for 2012:
Robert C. Gifford - Monmouth County
Joseph A. Harris - Bergen County
Frank A. Mason - Mercer County
Susan Wood Osborn - Mercer County
Michael J. Pecjlers - Hudson County
J.J. Pierson - Essex County
Patrick R. Westerkamp - Monmouth County
