Curmudgeon's Corner

So what you're saying is, the village board, in their infinite wisdom, contracted with an outside company, Tri-Data, to do a study on the fire department?  How much did this cost the village? I'll tell you, it's more than $20,000!!!  And what happened when the board recieved the study's results, and it wasn't what they wanted to hear?  These expensive study results were blatantly IGNORED!!!  Want to know why, as a resident, you weren't privy to that information, Mr Campbell?  BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!  And what is keeping secrets from the residents you're sworn to represent called?  Another form of corruption.  Go figure...  And once again, the residents of the village of Germantown's life safety was ignored and even put in jeopardy!!!  They respected Tri-Data enough to pay them A LOT of money, but not enough to follow through on their findings...  How can we allow this to continue?!?!?  

I'd like to address today's article, instead of going into another rant about recalling a corrupt village board.  The part that screams out to me is the fact that for $180 a year, I could have full-time fire and EMS protection here.  And the village board would not let the residents of the village decide this for themselves through referrendum?  Why NOT?  What did they have to gain from NOT having a full time fire departement?  Ask Mr Langer, a POC member of the fire department (at the time), who I'm sure felt threatened to lose his positon on the FD.  Ask Mr Vanderheiden, whose brother was in the same boat.  Ask the rest of them how they, in good conscience, could vote down increasing life saving measures for the residents of the village.

NOTE TO MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE BOARD: You are all getting up in years, and you are NOT in the best of physical shape! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday you will, I REPEAT, WILL be in the back of an ambulance here.  When you're having your heart attack, as your chest tightens, you feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest, and you can't catch your breath no matter how hard you try, I want you to look at the clock.  As your loved ones call 911, check what time it is.  Now think to yourself, if you remain conscious, are the full time guys still on duty, or do I have to wait for Paid On Calls to respond from home?  As the sweat is billowing out of every pore in your body while you lay on the floor unable to move, check the clock again in six minutes.  Has help arrived?  Are advanced life saving measures being utilized?  Has an AED been applied to your chest?  Or are people shovelling out their cars, driving through traffic, and just arriving at the station, as you lay dying on the floor?  Next think, and sadly, this may be your final thought, could I have done something to prevent this?  You know the answer, and now everyone else will as well.  As you read this, think about how many friends and family you may have lost over the years, and if YOUR DECISIONS cost them their chance at survival.  You have to live with your choices.  They, sadly, will not.

I have a number of observations and concerns based on recent comments made regarding Fire Dept. employees and the impressions left with the general public.  I base these observations and concerns on my life's experiences that include working for over thirty-five years with both labor and management, a history of political activism (not as an elected official) and time spent as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.  

In an earlier article, concerns were raised about the physical abilities of the firefighters and EMT's.  The impression left by these comments leads the public to believe that there are no minimum physical fitness standards that department employees must meet to be hired.  That is categorically false.  The question really is what level of fitness should be required for a volunteer fire department. One begs to ask, do we need a department of "supermen", or do we need a department that imposes a level of fitness that allows the employees to perform their essential job functions.  I believe the second option is more appropriate.  Firefighters are not all "supermen" that perform their duties as individuals.  In fact they are ordinary people who have a desire to serve the community.  Because of their commitment and training, these people work as a TEAM that results in ordinary people performing extraordinary deeds.  Teamwork is a cornerstone of being a member of the Fire Department.  I have always been a proponent of leading by example.  So if it is ultimately determined that a greater level of physical fitness is needed to be an employee of the department, let the Chief and the Deputy Chiefs be the first to take the new physical fitness test.  

Speaking of "superman" it seems that the department already has one in Capt. Karpinski.  I question the leadership of the department when they allow a part-time employee to work as many hours as Karpinski does. Another individual thought this was a good deal for the Village and that Capt. Karpinski got the short end of the deal because he didn't receive any fringe benefits.  Shouldn't those benefits be provided by Karpinski's full-time employer?  In thinking about it, it raised a number of concerns.  Based on working just 30 straight-time hours as a part-time employee and annualizing the 818 hours of overtime through November 8, 2007, Capt. Karpinski will work minimum of 2494 hours for the Department in 2007.  If Capt. Karpinski's full-time employer requires him to work 40 hours per week that is 2080 hours in a year provided there were no additional hours required.  Between the two jobs that is 4574 hours for the year.  Based on a five day workweek that is 17.6 hours per day, on a six day workweek it is 14.7 hours per day and on a seven day workweek that is 12.6 hours per day.  These numbers are averages and do not take into account the different schedules he works. Another option is that the Chief is providing Capt. Karpinski full-time employment without the approval of the Village Board of Trustees and that Capt. Karinski is not employeed on a full-time bases by another employer and is in reality a full-time employeeof the Fire Department.

It was good to see that someone looked at the independent study of the Fire Deopartment.  Unfortunately, it seems that they were selective in their quotes from the study.  I'd be curious to hear what the study concluded about the leadership of the department and the suggested recommendations they made had regarding the leadership.  Obviously there were no improvements in the behavior of the department leadership because the employees of the Department, subsequent to the report, chose to be represented by labor unions.  Contrary to popular opinion, employees seek the representation of labor unions because they feel that they are not being treated fairly, not because of their rate of pay.  Pay is the easiest thing to correct. Changing how you treat people is much more difficult and is the primary reason employees seek union representation.  Speaking of representation I am amazed that the previous Village administration did not seek a "Unit Clarification" from the government agency conducting the election, when the full time employees sought representation from a union.  The Village would have certainly prevailed in such a hearing and it would have prevented the problems some individuals believe exist as a result of having two unions representing the employees of the Fire Department.

Finally,. concerns were expressed about the lack of response by elected officials to comments made herein.  The last time I looked at the Village website, it listed the telephone numbers of the elected officials and they were readily available.  If these issues are of such a concern to residents of the Village, give your Trustee or Village President a call.  Better yet, attend a Village Board meeting or a committee meeting and talk to them in person.

Germantown Taxpayer and others,

I am a friend of some of the part time and full time members.  I am not on the department, however I know more about this situation than the average person.  I am a firefighter in another community, I do not work or live in Germantown.  You might not know my name, but at least you know where I am coming from.  I too wondered why the Village of Germantown did not seek a unit clarification when the paid-on-call members organized with the International Association of EMT's and Paramedics.  I also wondered why they did not force the potential future members of this organization to hold an election to say that they wanted the union to represent them.  This is STANDARD in the state of Wisconsin.  The Village of Germantown management (Village administrator and Village Board) simply accepted the cards that were filled out and said, hey, they must want it let them have it.  This is as far as I know UNPRECEDENTED in the state of Wisconsin where a government agency is involved.  The full time and part time employees (IAFF, organized about 4 years ago) were required to have a vote through the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.  I then realized that a member of the Village Board and Public Safety Committee stood to gain from this new union (as well as the brother of a Village Board member) because he was going to be a member of it.  Straight out, this was ALLOWED to happen by Village government.

Furthermore, the Village did not to my knowledge acquire outside labor counsel for the negotiations between the Village and the IAEP.  The first contract between the Village and the IAEP sailed through in about 6 months.  This also is almost UNPRECEDENTED in the State of Wisconsin.  This is also to my knowledge the first time ANYWHERE that a fire department had two unions representing its employees.  The Village did not allow input from the Fire Chief in these negotiations; he was not allowed to be there, they did not even let him see the contract before they voted on it.  How is this?  Again, there was a member of the Village Board who stood to gain.  Is that the reason, I don’t know.  I wasn’t there.  But sometimes things are how they look.  How can Chief Pollpeter run the department if he is not allowed input on these bargaining meetings?  He can't.  I think it is another ploy for someone with a vendetta against the Chief.  You simply cannot exclude the Chief from having this type of input and then complain that he is not doing his job.

I have seen both the IAEP and IAFF contracts.  They have many conflicts.  The IAFF (full time and part time) contract was in effect long before the IAEP (paid on call) existed and the public didn’t hear about all of these issues until the new IAEP organized.  I believe that the safety of the Village could be affected by the language that the Village allowed in the IAEP (paid on call) contract.  I hope I am wrong, but by not doing any kind of comprehensive study (or hiring outside professional labor counsel, not the local Village attorney) in to how the two contracts effect the departments operation and by not allowing the Fire Chief to have any input could be setting a dangerous situation.  Side note, the Village has not received a signed copy of the IAEP contract from the IAEP representative, so it is not yet enforceable.  However, the Village has decided to put it into effect anyway or so I have been told.

I do know people on the fire department, and I find it curious you call someone out by name, but since you did lets discuss Captain Karpinski and the other part timers.  They work two days one week and three days the next rotating (Mon and Wed each week and every other Friday, or they work Tues and Thurs and every other Friday, 6am to 6pm).   I doubt there are many people who could have “full time” employment anywhere else and provide that service for the Village.  I also would point out that with the hours and income you provided in your post that Captain Karpinski would average about $17.50 per hour (total hours/total compensation), less than a member of the IAEP would earn to come in and fill in a shift.  He does this with no health insurance.  He does more than show up at the station and sit around, call him or the Chief and ask them.  Seems to me that if he can work for less than the alternative maybe he is a good deal.  You want to come in and do all that they do and potentially risk your life for $17.50 per hour?  The Fire Department is taking applications.

People organize with labor organizations for all sorts of reasons.  I can tell you that the full time and part time employees of the Germantown Fire Department are not overpaid, firefighters generally make around $24-$27 per hour.  Check the labor contracts of Waukesha, Brookfield, West Bend, North Shore and see for yourself.  When they organized the full time firefighters were paid over $15000 per year LESS than the listed examples.  The part timers made something like $11/hour.  Relationally, they are still paid less than the other communities and they work more days per year.  I don’t say they are “underpaid” because they do not say they are “underpaid”.  They love their job and want to serve the community.  They have expressed that to me.  I can tell you from my talks with them that yes, they organized for money years ago, not as you say “changing how you treat someone”.  The full time and part time members had gone to the Village and tried to express how underpaid thy were.  It didn’t work.  One doesn’t have to go far to see that the Village of Germantown evidently has a history of underpaying their employees: (from Germantownnow webpage dealing with income and raises in the Village)

Name Title 2008 salary Percentage of increase

Ann Kaczmarek Administrative Assistant/Human Resources $50,356 22.2

Janice Wick Public Works Administrative Secretary $43,194 17.7

LaDonna Kleiss Senior Center Director $32,052 10.9

Peter Hoell Police Chief $89,475 10.2

Lynn Schmidt Communication Supervisor $52,948 7.5

David Schornack Village Administrator $93,472 6.2

Kim Rath Finance Director $67,752 6.1

Jay Olszewski Highway Superintendent $61,280 5.9

James Driver Water Utility Superintendent $61,280 5.9

Tim Zimmerman Sewer Water Utility Superintendent $61,280 5.9

Daniel Naze Village Engineer $80,928 5.3

Brett Altergott Director of Parks & Recreation $58,540 5.1

Kenneth Voigt Building/Plumbing Inspector $61,280 4.8

Elizabeth Knaack Clerk $58,540 4.5

Julie Barth Police Administrative Secretary $44,166 4.2

Larry Heft Buildings & Grounds Superintendent $64,539 4.2

Jackie Schaefer Deputy Treasurer $46,290 4.1

Jeff Retzlaff Planning/Zoning Administrator $69,615 4

Michael Snow Police Captain $82,279 3.3

Craig Evans Police Captain $82,279 3.3

Bert Caverson Director of Public Works $87,080 3.2

Patti Heinen Recreation Supervisor $46,585 3

Dave Huesemann Police Lieutenant $78,655 3

Tom Schreihart Police Lieutenant $78,655 3

Brian Henning Police Lieutenant $78,655 3

Bruce Gardner Police Lieutenant $78,655 3

Todd Grenier Police Lieutenant $78,655 3

A police Captain makes $82000 per year plus overtime.  A police Lieutenant makes $78000 per year plus overtime and benefits.  That is based on 2080 hours.  I have seen numbers in this paper that state that Captain Karpinski made $48000 last year with no health insurance.  That is working per your numbers (818 hours overtime + 2080 straight time hours 2898 total).  Let me ask you, who is getting the better deal.  I agree, hire him full time, cut his hours, raise his pay and give him benefits.  Hallelujah.

The issue is what are the needs of the community.  I believe that the part time members work as many hours as they do because the paid on call and full time members simply CANNOT keep up with all of the demands placed on the department.  It seems that no matter your opinion of who works how many hours or who you like or who you don’t one this is for sure.  The staffing needs of the department need to be looked at and safety should be paramount.  This “looking in to” should be done by impartial people who do not have an agenda in any direction other than the best interests of the Village of Germantown.  

Dear Taxpayer,

I have read your opinions, and while I do not share them, I do appreciate them.  It does appear to me that, although the general public was not 'made privy' to the Tri-Data findings, you seem to have been, which I find quite interesting.  You can clarify that statement at your earliest convenience. As for your other comments, I'd like to address them one by one.

You state that someone said there were no minimum physical fitness standards in place atthe Germantown fire Dept.  I have no idea where you read that.  The truth is, the physical agility test has evolved over time from a handshake to an embarrassment to a joke.  Finally, the department has adopted a national standard of physical fitness.  A department of supermen is NOT needed?  I invite you to go to the FD and ask to take part in some of the physical duties of being a firefighter.  You speak from the ignorance of someone who has never been through the stressful brutality of fighting a fire, and it shows.  When you run to the top of a flight of stairs with 75 lbs of equipment on your back, in an oven of temperatures ranging from 600-2,000 degrees, you feel it. You're looking for a person trapped in a room at the end of the hall, only you can't see two inches in front of your face from the smoke, and when you finally do find him, he's 300 lbs and unconscious, dead weight, and only you and your partner can save him.  Would you want someone who can only pass a minimum standard test doing that job, especially if you or one of your loved ones was the person trapped?  Or would you want two of your so-called 'supermen', who do the job as a career, take it very seriously, train while on and off duty, both physically and mentally, maintain a healthy diet, and...  I hope you get the idea.

And the physical aspect of the job is not limited to firefighting alone.  Say an ambulance of EMT's gets to the scene of a man having a heart attack.  He suffered it while working in his basement.  They are not physically fit enough to lift him off the ground, let alone up a flight of stairs.  So they call for an engine company for a lift assist.  Add another 14 minutes onto your time.  While the Germantown Fire Department does offer some advanced cardiac interventions, they are not paramedics.  Advanced cardiac care for this patient needs to be given in a hospital setting, and his time is growing short.  Wish we had some supermen there to help him.

While I'm happy you refer to career firefighters as supermen, because they are, you do it in a mocking tense.  I am personally offended by this.  How dare you offend the millions of career 'supermen (and women, you mysoginist)' who do this job every day without fail?  These include many of my friends and family members, who work very hard to stay at the top of their game to keep people like you safe.  Make no mistake, I am not taking away from what the paid on call people do, just defending your mocking supermen term.  Ask the average person on the street which they would prefer to come to rescue them, supermen or a couple of 'ordinary people'?  Your words, not mine.  Oh, wait, GermantownNOW has asked the people via a poll on it's home page to actually make that decision.  Feel free to post the results as they come in.  So far, your so-called supermen are winning by a landslide.

As for your comment that the Chief and Deputy Chiefs should be the first to take the new physical agility test, I ask, why?  Do generals have to continuously go through basic training, drawing on your expertise in the US Army?  I think not.  They're there in a leadership capacity.  I find it interesting that you mention only those three officers, and not the captains or lieutenants?  Sounds like you have some personal vendetta against those three.  Once again, please feel free to clarify your words.

Your third paragraph, with all of it's numbers and stats intented to confuse the average joe, is just an embarrassment.  Seeing as you seem to know so much 'insider information' about the fire department, you must also know Karpinski is NOT a full time firefighter, and does not have another job.  You mention that his benfits should be provided by his fulltime employer.  The Village of Germantown is his employer, and yes, they are making out better by denying the part time employees benefits.  So all of your so-called 'options' at the end of that paragraph are all moot, and I think you know it.  And now the rest of us do, too.

Now I'm going to quote your fourth paragraph, as I feel you have provided some very valid points.  Yes, you read that right, taxpayer, I am agreeing with you.  Re-read what you wrote:

The employees of the Department, subsequent to the report, chose to be represented by labor unions.  Contrary to popular opinion, employees seek the representation of labor unions because they feel that they are not being treated fairly, not because of their rate of pay.  Pay is the easiest thing to correct. Changing how you treat people is much more difficult and is the primary reason employees seek union representation.

The employees of the fire department have unionised because of how they were being treated by their employer.  You seem to think that employer is the Chief.  That again is wrong.  They work for the Village of Germantown, and, seeing as 'the primary reason employees seek union representation' is to change how they were being treated by their employer, they must have been upset with how the Village was treating them.  Please feel free to ask ALL of the union members how they are liking their new contracts.  And then post your results here.  Happy hunting.

And for your final paragraph, supposedly 'inviting' people to ask the government questions, the writer of this very Blog page has done that repeatedly, and has publicly stated they have ignored his requests.  So what if they were readily available, if they refuse to speak?  As for giving my trustee a call, you have got to be kidding me.  The only call he deserves is a REcall.  Thank you for sharing your time and opinions.

In response to some of your statements:

The paid-on-csll employees were not the first employees to seek representation by a union, the full-time employees were.

The Village required both of the unions to have  government supervised elections.  Neither group was voluntarily recognized by the Village.

The ratification of a collective bargaining agreement is the legally binding act, not the signatures on the collective bargaining ageement.

I never said that the employees of the fire Department were overpaid, nor do I believe they are.

Information about Capt. Karpinski came from an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

I never claimed that there no physical fitness standards to be hired by the Fire Department.  If you are going to quote me, please be accurate.

If anyone has questions about your government please feel free to make an Open Records Request, it can provide you with accurate information.

there are no minimum physical fitness standards that department employees must meet to be hired

That's a direct quote from your blog. Word for word.  I can't be anymore accurate.

As for the rest of your comments, you are sounding more and more like a village trustee, and not just a concerned taxpayer. Read what Hunter said about the IAEP contract and how it slid through in record time.  As for money never being a problem, why are the part time fire fighters, arguably the hardest working people on the entire department, the lowest paid on the department?  And if you want proof, I'll give it to you, taxpayer.  Care to take me up on my physical agility challenge?

As a taxpayer who has no involvement with all of this foolishness, I must say that the antics of all involved are an embarrassment to the village. I had no idea how bad this whole situation has become. I would like to share a couple of thoughts on what should happen next.

1) Fire Department: The village should hire a full time Fire Department. The fact that mutual aid was needed from 3 Menomonee Falls fireman to put out a garage fire at Ashbury Woods shows that the department is not ready to handle the needs of the village. The paid on call firefighters have served the village well but it seems clear that many are still stuck in a mindset of the "Good Ol Days" in Germantown when you could put out the barn fire and suck down some suds at Etzels. Those days are gone, unfortunately the mindset of some on the force hasn't changed. It is also concerning that many of the Fire Department are not in physical condition to meet the standards set forth by the Fire Chiefs and Fire Fighters. If you cant do the job step aside.

2) Village Board: Village Board president Tom Kempinski needs to show some leadership and clean out any board member who has a conflict with the Fire Department. It would appear that President Kempinski is part of the problem as he has not shown the leadership to stop this bad behavior of the board members who appear to be hell bent on getting rid of the chief. Let the chief do his job.

3)Village Administrator: If the department is in such bad condition, are we as taxpayers facing exposure with the villages insurance as the department appears to be lacking the needed staffing to adequately staff the department. You should review the department staffing to make sure the department is meeting the minimum standards required.

The bottom line here is that the village is no longer a rural community, it has homes that exceed million dollars in value and the taxpayers expect proper fire protection. From all that has been written about the department I have to question if it is prepared to properly protect the residents and businesses of the village.

Thank you, Mr Fletcher!

Runaway Bunny- When will the E.S.R. show up? Will they be able to provide adequate care? oh yea, you forgot to mention them. So it will not be 14 minutes before someone arrives. Maybe you can explain this better rather than scare people with out providing them the full truth!

One of the most interesting things to me about this whole question of having a full time department or having a volunteer department is that it does not have to be one or the other.  If the department hired enough firefighters to staff a fire truck and/or ambulance 24/7 that would NOT require the dissolution of the paid on call members.  There are lots of departments that have a similiar situation.  Even full time only departments do call backs.  The ability to staff 5 firefighters around the clock and staff an engine and ambulance to be supplemented by paid on call staff for a larger fire as well as multiple calls is a very reasonable way cost wise to reach desired staffing and response time levels.  

I just can't understand why that has not been brought up as an option.  The two do not have to be exclusive of each other and quite honestly can work together well if the needs of the Village residents are the first concern of those involved.

I will say this, the contracts that the Village Management have bargained would make doing this more difficult due to the language bargained in each.  This is one of the things I was talking about above in terms of conflicts between the two contracts.

And not to play tit for tat, Germantown Taxpayer, but I am also friends of members of Germantown who are paid on call (represented by the IAEP) who were never mailed a ballot from the WERC to cast their vote for representation by the IAEP.  If a state sponsored election was held as you claim (how would a normal taxpayer know this???) then why were all members of the potential new union not included?  Why were they included later?  Might it be that they didn't have the "right" opinion?  There would have had to be a unit clarification and election and surprisingly, I cannot find that on the WERC website which I just checked.  Since you know an election was held do you have the case number or decision number?  I don't know which would be worse if there was no election or if certain potential members were not allowed to vote.  Please, prove me wrong.  I don't believe that the WERC would allow there to be two unions to represent the same classification of employee (firefighter/EMT's).  I just would like to know that it was done correctly.  The IAEP holding a meeting where the votes are cast on Village property does not count here, I mean a petition for election should have been filed with the WERC per Wisconsin State Statutes 111.70 and a ballot should have been sent to EVERY Germantown Firefighter by mail not represented by IAFF Local 3879 (who went through this very procedure a few years ago).  This would have been done if outside counsel with specific labor knowledge had been retained.

Also, you are correct, the full time and regular part time (IAFF) firefighters organized first.  Why didn't this new union try to join the existing union and why did the Village not argue that they should have? I agree, it sounds like you are more than a taxpayer, although you would have to be a taxpayer to be a trustee, right?  And isn't it interesting that you registered for your account to post here yesterday?  I haven't been around forever, but I have been registered here much longer that this blog issue has been going around.

This whole issue seems to be going past what is best for the Village.  I think the Village should be allowed a referendum to decide after informational meetings where EVERYONE'S opinon can be heard.

Correction to M Johnson:  Please don't engage in selective quotes.

The entire thought is as follows:  "The impressions left by these comments leads the public to believe that there are no minimum physical fitness standards that employees must  meet to be hired.  That is categorically false."

That is completely accurrate quote, not one that is selective to attempt to further your point of view.  You can be more accurate.

In further respose to your comments all military personnal, REGARDLESS OF RANK, are required to maintain a level of physical fitness and are tested on a regular basis.  

You folks are ridiculous.

1) Who cares who unionized first!

2) Yes all members of the Fire Department must be able to pass the requirements to be a firefighter.

3) The village took over the Fire Dept years ago. If you have hard feelings about it. TO BAD,GET OVER IT!

4) Everyone who posts here seems to be "in the know". Let me give you a blinding flash of the obvious, "YOUR POSTS LOOK FOOLISH". Last evening I was at a Christmas Party with a retired chief of police from a neighboring community who has been following this story and he laughed when we discussed it. He said the department looks like a bunch of keystone cops and two year olds. So your antics are making the village look stupid to the outside world.

In conclusion, I respect your rights to speak your mind but it is far past the time to stop this ridiculous behavior and put the needs of the taxpayers first.

Merry Christmas

Concerned Citizen, or should I say Concerned IAEP member,

I have no idea what an E.S.R. is.  So I would not be able to address your scare tactics accusation.  Is it a truck that will magically appear and put a fire out in under the 14 minutes previously posted as FACT?  Is it a police vehicle, since they as staffed 24 hours a day?  Will it transport a heart attack victims to an advanced care facility?  All I know for sure is, it is NOT an ambulance.  Or am I wrong?

Germantown Trustee (or Taxpayer, whatever who want to call yourself),

I have read all of your accusitory blogs, and your responses to being called upon in most of them.  I find it interesting that you don't challenge the meat and potatoes of what M Johnson and Hunter are saying to you.  Is it because you know they are both correct?  Especially about your comment about money...  you said pay is the easiest thing to correct (please check my spelling and context over, I don't want you to accuse me of misquoting you).  The village board and the village administrator have shown this to be true.  Look at that! Another person agreeing with you!  Let's look at just HOW easy it has been for them:  They voted raises for themselves and the village administrator, who earns a whopping $92,000+!!!  And his administrative assistant?!?!?!? She got a 22% raise to earn over $50,000!!!!!!!!  What exactly does she do, anyway?  Does she have to account for everyminutes of HER day, like the Fire Chief does?

And on the topic of the Fire Chief, why is he STILL parking outside?  Why are these people allowed to put people's safety second, and their own petty agendas first?

Mr Fletcher,

I was wondering when you would get involved in this! I have been reading your various posts for months now and, while I sometimes do not agree with your opinions, I always enjoys your frankness.  The people are voting in an informal poll on this website, and it appears they want a full time fire department (by a landslide).  So when do we go to the village board and demand it go to referrendum?  Anyone who has read ANY of my posts know how I feel about the current village board, but there isn't any other way.  I'd like to address what Hunter pointed out as well.  The two sides of this debate are not truly two separate sides.  Adding a full time staffed engine company and ambulance in no way gets rid of the paid on call element of the fire department.  It ENHANCES it!!!  Now, instead of a family's home burning down on Christmas, water could be applied and search and rescue performed as the paid on call forces arrive to perform ventilation and secure a water supply.  Those of us with fire experience know that even we 'supermen' need adequate rehab after the initial fire attack has been peformed.  So the paid on call firefighters will still be fighting fires...  

I have one final observation.  I'm not as familiar with the background of the fire department here as most of you it seems.  I'm curious...  Was there ALWAYS such a rift between the full time and paid on call firefighters?  Or has all this come to light since this second union has come to town?

Half of the Trustees are up for re-election.  

Which of you is willing to get into the game rather than just sit on the sideline and criticize the play-calling?  

(Oh, and by the way, I support Chief Pollpeter and empathize with the turmoil, backstabbing, and micro-micro-management that he endures.)  (and I also support recalling many of the elected officials who aren't up for re-election, especially those who voted to illegally hike their pay and jack up Germantown taxes without regard for community direction.)  (and I find the bulk of them to be oligarchs.)

I find that it is easier to get to the point than ramble on about alot of useless giberash.

Lets look at the poll questions that are on the website.

1) Full time Fire Dept

2) New School

3) New Pool

With the limited resources that the taxpayers,which of these three should we move forward on? In my opinion the answer is simple.The Fire Department. The new school is not a need but a want, as is the swimming pool. Both are things that, while nice, we can live without. The Fire Department truly needs the attention of the taxpayers and should move forward with a referendum. Why the department has been allowed to get this bad is beyond me. So I am voting for a full time force with paid on call backups but only if we can get this mess straightened out. If it continues to be such a mess then a full time force is what we should have.

Here is a follow up thought. Considering that the Washington County board is flush with cash, so much so that they can give large sums of money to a museum, the village should go to the board and seek our fair share of the excess and use these funds for one of the three poll questions.

I would like to start by saying that I am a member of the Germantown Fire Department.  I have been a member for a couple years now and have noticed some major changes since I joined.  Some of these changes include: People's attitudes, people not having respect for their officers, people not following the chain of command... ect.  I agree with what some of these entries have been saying and having ALL of these things are vital for a well working fire department.

When I joined the department there was no talk about forming a union, but in such a short period of time everything has changed for the worse.  I am a member of the IAEP Local R7-052 (not by choice).  While this union was forming we had two meetings that I recall.  One was a meeting where the "hot topic" was stand-by pay.  People that are paid on call wanted to get an hourly rate while they are on stand-by.  Funny how that doesn't seem to be what people are getting now.  I am not in this for the money, however I am looking for enough to pay the bills.  I guess this contract has been in effect for a little bit now and I have yet to get a copy of it.  I feel that it is important for the members of the union to get a copy before anyone else, yet there are a couple of copies floating around that I have heard of, but have not seen.  Why would they be keeping this from us?  I guess I can't say too much about the contract that's out because not only have I not seen it, but I don't know whats in in.  The one that's floating around is not the one that we voted on (the second meeting that we had was for us to not ask questions, but just vote on the contract which was already written and thrown at us).  The contract that was changed is the one that people are looking at and not the one that we voted on.  I have no clue what was changed in the new contract.  The only way for me to find out how much I make an hour is for me to call Village Hall and ask.  No one at the fire department knew how much I make because the contract was so poorly written.

I also find the contract to be one-sided since it helps the EMT's more than the Firefighters.  There are pay increases for EMT-Paramedics (a level of service that we don't even provide), but firefighters have no increase in pay and there are 10 times the classes on the fire side.  This all means that a firefightrer/EMT-IV (someone that has taken 3 semesters of classes) will be making 85 cents more per hour than a firefighter/EMT-Basic that has Firefighter I, Firefighter II, MPO, Aerial Opperation, EMT-Basic, HazMat Technician, Rope Rescue Technician(7 semesters of classes).  It just doesn't add up.  

As for the full time question, I feel that we should go full time.  It doesn't have to be all full time, but like Hunter said, "If the department hired enough firefighters to staff a fire truck and/or ambulance 24/7 that would NOT require the dissolution of the paid on call members."  I think everyone in the village would be happier knowing that there is an ambulance less than 6 minutes away.  I think the full time vote is a great idea not because I am looking for a career in the fire service, but because this village is doing nothing but growing.  This village is going to take off faster than you can imagine and when it does you are going to say, "Man, we should have gone full time before we got this big."  Also, I don't think people realize that when the presentation was made in front of the Village board for all the full time people to be hired to staff an Engine and Ambulance at all times, that was not to get rid of the paid on call members.  That was just to get more people to the scene faster.  When you have 4 people on an engine and 2 on an ambulance that can respond to a scene first and start things or get most of it done in a timely manner and not have to wait for 14 minutes for the first fire unit to show up, everyone wins!  The Paid on call people would still respond, but when they show up firefighters would already be working and they could join in.  With senior living homes in the area, calls will just become higher and higher.  Plus with the new Dialysis Center, we will have more calls than ever.  

There was some talk about the ESR truck earlier that caught my attention.  I can see how a first responder can help, but it only helps in some situations.  I have run on a first responder for 4.5 years now and I can't tell you how many times I had to tell the family that there was nothing else I could do until the ambulance gets there.  I have also had patients around 300 pounds in the tub when their heart stopped and I was breaking my back trying to pull them out so I can start CPR.  Thank God the patient's brother was there to help because I could not have gotten them out by myself.  Now what if I was by myself and couldn't get him out.  I would have to wait for the ambulance to show up for help which would take 10 to 15 minutes.  If I was the patient's family, I WOULD BE OUTRAGED!!!  Sure the ESR is great at getting vitals and history for the ambulance crew prior to their arrival, but when you have a "load and go" patient, a truck with one person on it WILL NOT cut it.

In closing, I think things need to change in Germantown and we need to start to adapt and prepare for the future.  We are only going to get bigger and the longer we wait, the harder it is going to be to change.  Lets get the ball rolling and be PROactive and not REactive!!!!

GFD Local,

Thank you clarifying what an ESR is.  Am I correct in assuming there is only 1 (one) person on this ESR truck at all times?  Perhaps if this one person is one of the aforementioned 'supermen', they could pull that poor man out of the tub.  Probably not.  That's why there should be an ambulance ready to go 24/7 with at least 2 firefighters cross trained as EMT's.  Then they could get that guy out and get him the care he needs.

So, 'concerned paid on call EMT', my answer to what your said about this ESR is, I don't want it.  Give me a fully staffed ambulance any day.  And I want it here within 6 minutes or less.  ONLY A DEPARTMENT STAFFEDFULL TIME CAN PROVIDE THAT.  Thank you.

I came upon this article in firehouse Online; tell me that this does not have to happen in my community for the incompetent village leaders (i.e. village board) to realize that the Fire dept needs more people.

How would you feel if this was your family?

How would you feel if you stood there and watch your house burn for 14min?

What’s it going to take for something to change?

Something has to happen!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Staffing = Deadly Outcomes?

Our "stand" on staffing has been real clear for several decades. It takes well- led, well-trained firefighters to fight fires based upon the pre-required tasks. How many do you need? Figure out the tasks and apply that number. If you have a small, single-family dwelling (1,000-square-foot, wood-frame dwelling in a hydrated area) fire that requires three handlines, use the guide to fire flow, it is here.

But let's look at that small house fire. What tasks do you want to perform and how many firefighters do you need minimally on the first alarm?

Water supply (1 firefighter on the hydrant)

Pump operator (1 firefighter)

3 handlines (3, 1 3/4-inch lines w/3 firefighters each= 9 firefighters)

Force Entry, Search (2 firefighters)

Vent (2 firefighters)

Command (1 incident in front and one rear sector supervisor to allow for a 360 of the building) (2 firefighters)

RIT (3 firefighters)

You need at least 20 firefighters at the very minimum for your first alarm assignment. And that's just on the initial dispatch. If there are multiple calls or any indications of a working fire, double or triple that staffing number. And while those numbers are a good start, they are for a small single-family dwelling. We are not even including an aide at the command post, safety officers, rehab, EMS and other tasks. Now do the staffing math for an occupied four-story ordinary construction multi-family dwelling.

The Globe in Boston as well as Firehouse.com is reporting that staffing is again being pointed at as a possible reason why a civilian died in a fire. In Gloucester, MA, a 70-year-old man was killed Saturday after his four-story apartment building burned right near the Gloucester Fire Department (GFD) headquarters on a night when the GFD acknowledges that they were understaffed by at least two firefighters.

As it should have been, the truck company responded to rescue the man at about 1230 hours yesterday but as it shouldn't have -it had only a single firefighter assigned to it because the other two crew members had been sent to unrelated emergencies. The driver, firefighter James Capillo, had to recruit two police officers to help him set up a 35-foot ground ladder below the victim's window.

Witnesses saw Taylor waving his arms through the smoke, but by the time the ladder was set up, he had disappeared. Firefighter Marc Nicastro went inside as other firefighters below urged him to stay out. The young firefighter reached Taylor's side, but the disabled man was too heavy to move. Firefighter Nicastro had to retreat as the room was about to flash. His efforts were clearly heroic in spite of a local government and community that continues to vote down the needed funding to provide the staffing needed.

The GFD, that has had staffing shortages since voters rejected a tax increase in 2004, confirmed that there were only 15 firefighters working Friday night. Minimum staffing levels in the union contract call for at least 17. Initially, the chief said only a handful of the on-duty firefighters went to the scene because the caller had only reported a smoke alarm going off. The chief acknowledged that the shortage of firefighters could have made the fast-moving fire more difficult to contain at first. Other firefighters from 17 towns and government agencies eventually came to assist.

Mayor John Bell said, "We have suffered from the same pain as most of the other cities and towns in Massachusetts, which have been cut back in local aid over the past six or seven years." Things are not great relative to funding levels," he said. "Cutbacks have been made against increased levels of health insurance, energy costs, contractual agreements." He expressed his support of the fire department's response to the fire. "My hats are off to the entire fire department," he said. Hmmmm.

It is difficult to think that most departments these days can expect to provide all the needed staffing to handle all the emergencies. But when it comes to fire response, planning ahead and a true automatic mutual aid system (where your neighbors are dispatched at the same time you are to provide the minimally needed staffing) between departments can help solve the problem potentially saving civilian as well as firefighters' lives.

How much staffing do we need? Well-that depends on what is reported to be on fire. Do the fire flow and task math (and do it well before the fire!). The above example we provided for a 1,000-square foot dwelling has a very significantly different first alarm requirement than the first alarm assignment in an occupied multi-family dwelling. For the multi-family dwelling, you may need 40 or more firefighters on the first alarm...if you want to have a shot at performing the needed tasks simultaneously. After all, you can perform all the tasks with just 10 firefighters, eventually and at the risk of lives including your firefighters...and often you will simply run out of building as it burns down while you try and do the work of 40-50 firefighters with a half dozen.

Folks who do not support this concept of "full" first alarm assignments often want to "wait until we get there and see what we really need" Why? Isn't the person on the phone saying their house is on fire isn't good enough?!

Or, "we don't want to risk all that equipment on the road." Why? Just slow down, drive sanely, stop at red lights (stop on red or someone is dead) and stop signs" That's a training and supervision issue. Not a "too much equipment on the road" issue.

Or, "we don't want to bother or neighboring fire department" Why? What else were they doing besides listening to your fire and wishing they could come help as you try and do the work of many with few?

When taxpayers say no, sometimes we need to do what they ask, provide the level they asked for and make it clear what we can do with what they provide us with-and what we cannot do. Firefighter Nicastro went above and beyond attempting to save that man. He went above and beyond even though the majority of taxpayers told him not to. The voters and elected officials decided a level of staffing and that's the level of service they should get. No emotions. It's simple math.

Fortunately, for most communities, there are other "Marc Nicastros," firefighters who are willing to do what it takes in spite of it all...even though that firefighter shouldn't have had to be predictably placed in that position.

Fortunately the poor staffing issue didn't cost Marc his life this time - but it may have cost Mr. Taylor his. Some say you just can't say that, that you just really never know if the correct staffing would have mattered in saving a life.

The simple response to that is to ask the naysayers what they want when their loved ones are inside the house? That's the real answer. Ask them what they want responding when their kid, their wife, their husband, their Mom or Dad, whoever they say "I love you" to...when they are trapped in a dwelling fire. No dramatics. No nonsense. Just answer the question. What do you want responding, how many do you want and how long do you want them to take to get there? And when they, the firefighters, arrive, what tasks do you want them performing for those who you love?

Simple questions on the issues of staffing, costs of staffing, what the taxpayers expect and the potentially deadly outcomes.

That's really the issue and the questions that have to be asked-and answered. Unless we want to start discussing mandatory retroactive fire sprinkler systems...and that's a completely different.

Mr Fletcher,

You have wisdom beyond your years....  I, too, am voting for a full time department with paid on call backups.  And if this animosity doesn't improve them, remove those who are causing the problems.  I'm sure they are VERY easy to find!

HUNTER FYI

I don't have the case numbers for either of the elections.

The mail ballot is not the only acceptable method of conducting a representation election.  The employer and the union can agree to a secret abllot election, other than mail ballot by mutually agreeing to a place, date and time of the election.  Those conditions must reasonably allow all employees concerned the opportunity to vote.  The vote is supervised by a representative of the WERC.  At the conclusion of the voting period the representative of the WERC will open the ballot box and count the ballots.

As to the information available on the WERC website I have no idea why or if the information is available through their website.  I do know that the WERC has had ongoing reductions in staffing as a result of the state budget problems.  Like other websites updating the information on thier website might not be their highest priority.

Again, I can't speak for the Village as I am not an employee or elected official of the Village of Germantown.  I am only a taxpayer.

Runaway Bunny, or should I say- relation of a part time employee-

Do you really feel this way or is your personal gain( or your relations gain) influencing your opinions, thoughts, and ideas? Just curious!

Wow, I'm seeing a lot of fuel being put on a small fire and watching it grow into a raging inferno.  Does the Village need a full time fire department?  Yes.  A traditional full time schedule (24 on 48 off)? No.  Did anyone on the Village board read the study done a few years ago that taxpayers (including me) paid for?????? I do believe they addressed this topic.  Someone tell me why we paid for a study to make the fire department better, and more effective, and not do the things they suggested?  Concerned Citizen, so what if Runaway Bunny is related to a part time employee, I am a part time employee, and if the Village does start hiring full timers, I'll be the first in line to apply, that still doesn't negate the fact that the Village needs more full time fire staffing, it helps the village respond better to emergencies, as well as helps me financially.  It's a win, win situation for both parties.  As for the IAEP, after speaking to several friends of mine who are, or were Business Agents (BA's) for a LEGITIMATE union, and telling them of the things the union is trying to do to us (here's a short list):

1) did not allow absentee ballots for members unable to attend the meeting

2) Not letting members provide input into the negotiations, and

3) Not informing members of what was being negotiated.

4) Union officials strong arming, and intimidating members into voting yes on the contract.

5) Not allowing Fire Dept. management (Fire Chief) to be in on negotiations

6) Changing the contract, but not bring a new, changed contract back  to the members for another vote.

7) And finally my favorite, the Executive Board making under the table deals with the Village Board to pay a member less than the negotiated minimum so that employee can continue to receive Federal benefits.

After speaking with my friends in a legitimate union, they told me most of what's going on is at best unethical, at worst illegal.  Now why are we concerned with hiring 5 full time firefighter/EMT's, when we should be doing something about the unethical and illegal union for the part timers.

"Does Germantown Need A Full-Time Fire Department?"  I suppose the question should have been "In your personal opinion, will the traditional type of fire-department-response needs of the village be better met if the recommendations of a single consultant are followed and three workshifts of eight hours each, seven days every week, are each staffed with full-time employees at an additional cost to the taxpayers of two million dollars in the first year, with salary and benefit costs to be established by a contract with a union without limitation on all future salary/benefit adjustments and subject to annual/biannual renegotiation between the union's non-village-resident business managers and elected village officials who have a severe tax-and-spend-lavishly and engage in a systemic practice of cronyism when appointing members to the Police and Fire Commission, without first conducting a thorough overhaul of the personnel hiring/ongoing qualifications/evaluation processes and significant evidence from the village board that they can be trusted with taxpayer funds, to be forthright in character, and not meddle in personnel matters?"

If that's indeed the question, and I believe it is... then count me as a resounding NO vote.

But I sure would appreciate it if my neighbors and I were given the opportunity to cast a vote to that effect.  And therein lies the most significant problem with Germantown's village board.  I'm reminded of the words of then-Trustee Kempinski who was heard to say (at a Village Board meeting 5 or so years ago), "Who cares what the voters want?  They only matter every 3 years when we're up for re-election."

It seems to me that the last time the voters were asked to weigh in on a matter of significant spending, there was a question of whether or not to spend millions of dollars on a new village hall and library - the overwhelming answer from the voters was "no", but the village board went ahead anyhow.  They've spent millions of taxpayer dollars on an addition to the senior citizen's clubhouse (and I use that term because not all seniors are welcomed there, it truly is a "club" atmosphere), frivolous renovations to Main Street, hoisted substantial payraises unto themselves and those staffers who do their bidding (while denying raises to he who does not), and assume debts for businesses who are so financially unstable that they are unable to secure themselves.  Add to that the tens and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars they invested in a poorly-located industrial park which - after almost 15 years - is less than 33% developed and is currently diverting over $1.5 million dollars in tax dollars from the other industrial park in order to cover the interest payment (not the principal, mind you!) for that project.

Reinforce that with so many of the opinions offered by others, here, and I just cannot support the idea until there is an irrevokable framework of taxpayer protection in place, first.  By denying the voters the right to decide this issue, perhaps the board is unintentionally saving us from them.

Village spending, and therefore property taxes to support it, has gotten out of hand.  According to the village's own website, their spending has increased 49% since 2000 - and spending on the fire department (exclusive of major capital expenditures for new equipment) has increased 52%.  I wouldn't have a problem with that, I suppose, if the village portion of my real estate tax hadn't increased by the same amount, and totally relied on new construction to provide any new dollars.

There's certainly no denying that Germantown is blessed to have so many community members who make the sacrifices from their own personal lives and livelihoods and serve as our firefighters and EMTs.  A sincere, heart-felt thank you to all of you; please don't let your neighbor's silence be misinterpreted as a lack of appreciation.  There may have been times, over the years, when lives have been lost due to non-instantaneous response by EMTs, and that's obviously sad and unfortunate.  Those cases may or may not have been reversed if there were full-time EMTs, we'll never know.

I just can't see authorizing the extra two million dollars and simultaneously trusting the guys who control how it gets spent.  Something tells me that they'll just shuffle it off to fund some other project.

Hopefully there will be challengers to Trustees Sorce and Steitz in the upcoming election.

Concerned Citizen,

You have alluded that Runaway Bunny is related to a part-time firefighter on this department.  I'd like to know who you were implying...  One's father is a pipefitter, not a retired career fire fighter.  One is currently a career fire fighter, but does not live in Germantown nor is he retired due to a heart condition.  One currently lives in Neenah, and has never been a firefighter.  And my father passed away 2 years ago.  While I would LOVE to think he is writing in from beyond the grave to berate and chastise the people who are trying so hard to ruin this fire department, I doubt this is so.  So please stop your false allegations of nepotism.  And, Runaway Bunny, whoever you are, please feel free to continue to voice your concerns and educate is with your years of fire and emergency experience.  Thank you.

And by the way, how come I haven't seen anyone posting anything about how they LIKE the new IAEP contract, or how their union is representing them well, or ANYTHING positive about it at all?  I keep hearing IAEP union members using words like ILLEGAL, STRONGARM, INTIMIDATION, and the like.  I have stated before, and I'll repeat it, I was all for the POC's unionizing.  I wished them the best of luck in getting a better deal for themselves.  But I was shocked to learn of how their contract was negotiated, how the negotiators had a gag order on what they were negotiating, how the union members have been repeatedly lied to (PLEASE challenge me on this one, Concerned Citizen, so we can open up THAT can of worms to the public! PLEASE!!!!) and how many conflicts of interest there were involved in the union to begin with.  A contract to better yourselves, NOT at the expense of others, would have been MUCH better and more appropriate.

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