Maxwell Fire Department Craziness

[bugs4cy]

I view this as the perfect recipe for killing a small town, volunteer Fire Department -

Des Moines Register - Conflict Over Firefighter Physicals Raises Questions About Requirement Safety

Yah, it looks like there is some old school Hatfield-McCoy retribution in there, but what the heck! What small town department can afford to toss seven people off the crew? You don't have to be in Olympic athlete physical shape to play an important role in the department. Anyone have the Paul Harvey Rest Of The Story on this?

Im on the city council of a small town in Story County and I have nightmares about the day we run short of volunteers.

 

[jaretac]

pretty standard practice for all fire departments to require physicals. It has to do with insurance. Normally all that is required is to get a note from a doc saying that the person is in good enough condition to participate.

 

[3TrueFans]

So are they refusing to get physicals or they just forgot somehow?

 

[TykeClone]

So are they refusing to get physicals or they just forgot somehow?

In reading the article, the physical form was changed to target one of the guys and the others are relatives.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

From what it looked like in the comment section, the guys went to their own Drs for the physicals, not the one required by the chief. They also did not turn in the "proper" form.

It really reads like a railroading from Maxwell's chief.

 

[TXCyclones]

This is typical of all small town VFD's, otherwise known as drinking clubs. I used to be on the VFD to a neighboring town to Maxwell and was a first responder as well. But the priorities shifted to being more about water-fights on weekends than about citizen safety IMHO. These little VFD's are cliques wrapped around who you'd rather drink-with or party-with than anything else. I'm shocked that there hasn't been a lawsuit thus far, but would bet that there's enough butt-hurt with this one that there will be.

 

[Senolcyc]

I have nightmares about the day we run short of volunteers.

Most popular social club there is for small town menfolk. You'll never run short of volunteers as long as the fire station refrigerator is full of free beers.

 

[bufante]

Makes sense to have physicals. Can't save others when your own fire department has to save you...

 

[crash_zone]

I was on a small department for 3 years....not much drinking went on (from what I understand, it used to be that way, the the current chief put a stop to that when he took over). There were several guys that couldn't put on bunker gear and run into a structure, but they were great support outside - directing, shuttling water, helping where they could. Getting rid of the older volunteers is a mistake, IMO. If you want to make them take a physical and then limit what they are allowed to do based on that (something they are probably already aware of their ablilities and don't try to do something they can't), that's fine. Straight-up kicking them off? Good luck filling those spots. Not sure I'd want to join a small department that just got smaller because of something like this. A 3AM page to a fire with only a few other people........good luck.

 

[SoapyCy]

VFDs need to be uniformly regulated by the state. A huge problem going forward is that many full-time fire fighters in larger cities (who live in smaller nearby cities) are prohibited by their employers insurance to volunteer for smaller cities. This means the professional and truly knowledgeable people can not help their small towns. The idea that the VFD needs to meet physical standards is absolutely true in terms of applying for and receiving grant money. I am aprt of a group that grants out about 100k per year and if the applicant can't show professional competentcy there is no way they are getting any money.

 

[CapnCy]

That photo with the story is just calling for a reality show to pick up this family and follow them for a year and have a show.

 

[NickTheGreat]

This is typical of all small town VFD's, otherwise known as drinking clubs. I used to be on the VFD to a neighboring town to Maxwell and was a first responder as well. But the priorities shifted to being more about water-fights on weekends than about citizen safety IMHO. These little VFD's are cliques wrapped around who you'd rather drink-with or party-with than anything else. I'm shocked that there hasn't been a lawsuit thus far, but would bet that there's enough butt-hurt with this one that there will be.

Growing up, if your house was on fire it was useless to call the VFD. Just go down the bar and find the guys there. :twitcy:

Seriously, my parents always instructed us to call a neighboring town if our house caught on fire.

 

[LindenCy]

Growing up, if your house was on fire it was useless to call the VFD. Just go down the bar and find the guys there. :twitcy:

Seriously, my parents always instructed us to call a neighboring town if our house caught on fire.

LOL, and wow, scary.

 

[Clark]

Growing up, if your house was on fire it was useless to call the VFD. Just go down the bar and find the guys there. :twitcy:

Seriously, my parents always instructed us to call a neighboring town if our house caught on fire.

LOL, and wow, scary.

It's a good joke but aren't most fire departments dispatched by county, not town?

 

[VTXCyRyD]

VFDs - There is no basement they can't save.


That's the joke I always heard.

 

[CYlent Bob]

From the comments section of the DSMR article, it appears that the firefighters all got physicals. They just didn't use the "right" doctor and fill in the "correct" form while they were doing it.

My guess? The City Council will ask the Chief "WTF are you doing?" Even if she's right here, she's still the Chief during a period where the strength of her force went down by damn near 50% (17 to 10). Right or wrong, she's not much of a leader based on this controversy.

 

[BKLYNCyclone]

It's a good joke but aren't most fire departments dispatched by county, not town?

Before 911 was in my hometown, there were direct numbers to the police and firestation... I remember it to this day, ###-3434.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Before 911 was in my hometown, there were direct numbers to the police and firestation... I remember it to this day, ###-3434.

Yep. We didn't get 911 until I was in Jr High maybe?

 

[kingcy]

The current way we have VFDs is crazy. Yes it is nice to have one in every town, but it costs a lot of money to have firetrucks sitting around for 4 fires a year. We have a great group of guy on our dept, the problem is none of them work in town, so a fire during the day and you are screwed. Neighboring dept does a good job if picking up the slack and helping out. At some point they need to go to area depts, but that is a hard sell.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

The current way we have VFDs is crazy. Yes it is nice to have one in every town, but it costs a lot of money to have firetrucks sitting around for 4 fires a year. We have a great group of guy on our dept, the problem is none of them work in town, so a fire during the day and you are screwed. Neighboring dept does a good job if picking up the slack and helping out. At some point they need to go to area depts, but that is a hard sell.

I think that is how it works now. Most VFDs cover rural areas as well, not just the town.