Editorials praised
Frank J. Bohrman
Captain
Engine 17 and Truck 11 Firefighters Group D
Jersey City (NJ) Fire Department
I compliment Fire Engineering as a breath of fresh air in a time when hot air is blowing across the fire service of this country (Editor`s Opinion, “Fighting Fires with Words,” January 1997, and “The More Things Change …,” February 1997). I am also finding the message being pushed down our throats by the “clipboard generals” and their politician friends hard to swallow. The comments about fire officials jumping through hoops to get EMS in the fire service was right on the mark.
It seems that both the leaders on the job and my own union leaders are preaching the same old story. Those magical words “productivity and diversity” appear, accompanied by the big threat “If you don`t fall in line, we will have to cut manpower and apparatus!” Who are they trying to kid? They have put us on a steady decline in manpower and apparatus for years, trying to please city hall. If EMS is broken (which it is not), let EMS fix it and stop pushing it over to the fire service. I get sick to my stomach when I hear my national and local union leaders buy into this. They say, “This is the future.” and “Eighty percent of the fire departments have fallen into line, and you had better get with the program.” It`s great to hear national union leaders tell us to take someone else`s job! Hang your heads in shame! Do you need members that badly?
Why do the EMS people sit by and watch this unfold? Are they trying to become part of the fire service through the back door, without taking the test, but receiving all the benefits? Remember, I don`t want your job, and I don`t think you want mine!
Fellow firefighters who are on the front line fighting fires, stop the clipboard generals and politicians from telling you that you are not productive and that only they know what`s best for us! The next time you`re crawling down the hall at 3:00 a.m., taking a beating, look around. You won`t find any clipboard generals or politicians on the line with you! They`ll be home in bed, dreaming up the next plan to unleash on us!
I`m sure you will receive a lot of letters ripping us apart for wanting to be firefighters. But that can be expected, because some people are best suited for writing letters and papers. Thanks again for standing up for what we are: firefighters, not medics!
