GOD HELP THE SFFD NOW!!!!!!!

[truck12tillerman]

If you havent heard, the new chief of SAN FRAN is the current chief of LAS VEGAS(ISO class 1, blah blah blah)..
The entire conversation about aggressive firefighting is now pointless for me, as I can see we will never be allowed to enter a burning building ever again, let alone still wear our wool pants and leather helmets. How many people are going to die as a result of letting the types of structures we face on a regular basis burn!! Have you ever tried to fight a fire in a 100 year old victorian building on a steep slope of about 35-40 degrees from the OUTSIDE! PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE!!!!

FTM-PTB now more than ever!!

[This message has been edited by truck12tillerman (edited 05-03-2001).]

[Firediver]

What's with the hostility? Give the guy a chance. Have you ever worked with the guy? Or are you going by "I heard the new chief is going to do this or that"? I have spent a lot of time in SF, having grown up in Fresno, so I am familiar with the unique hazards the City has to offer, much different than flat Las Vegas. I am sure, if he is a good chief, that he will get input from those who have been working in the city before. He should anyway.

------------------
Craig Walker

stay low....stay safe....BUT GET YOU SOME!!!!

[mamaluke]

Detroit, DC, San Fran, among others. What's going on? What is with this sickening trend? Great depts destroyed. Great firemens' morale stripped away. When will it stop? This is a disgrace. The fire service is turning into a joke. Pajamas in DC? I feel terrible for you guys and I am disgusted. I was unaware of the new chief, but if he's really that bad, this is a huge, huge loss for the fire service, the SFFD, and everything that is good within the SFFD (tradition, experience, saving lives/property etc). If he's really that bad, you are right, people will die. I want to vomit.

Tillerman, what were the circumstances leading up to this change in your dept?

[truck12tillerman]

One Person : Mayor "Slick" Willie Brown.
I challange you to find a more corrupt politician on the face of the earth.
see this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...0/MN165362.DTL

They should have kept the current acting chief and promoted him. He is a FIREMAN, and has a vested interest in our department, while acting as chief for 7-8 months he institued RIT teams and other life saving items, without taking away from the rich tradition and history of our department. He also had a good relationship with the union (798). We needed someone who understands the unique hazards and Fire/EMS relationship problems that we currently face in SF. There couldn't have been a worse time to make this transition. This chief, according to his OWN EX-Department is only in it for himself and the publicity!
This is the FIRST Chief in SFFD HISTORY from outside the department.

FTM-PTB

[LHS*]

Chief Travino had nothing to do with Las Vegas being a Class 1.

Victorians, he used to be a chief in Seattle, so no biggie there.

Las Vegas oldest rig is a year 2000 and most are 2001, that couldn't help your FD?

It was just a few years ago 60% of your fierst alarm assignment was injuried at a fiere because they didn't wear their gear according to the USFA report. Things aren't too good now are they? Look how many rigs you guys crash each month.

//while acting as chief for 7-8 months he institued RIT teams

Wow, not bad 5 years after the rest of the world.

//We needed someone who understands the unique hazards and Fire/EMS relationship
problems that we currently face

Well, rthere is why you are getting an outside chief, you couldn't fix it in house. Gee just a few years ago you got out from under a consent decree. Geesh!

//This is the FIRST Chief in SFFD HISTORY from outside the department.

About time, eh????

Maybe one day other fire departments will be able o hook to yuor hydrants before you do an Oakland and burn the place down then change threads.

Hmmm, another progressive step 3 inch attack lines, that insures you'll always need lots of firefighters.

//I can see we will never be allowed to enter a burning building ever again,

Thanks for slapping your fellow union brothers in the face in Vegas So SF is the only real FD in the US?? Well at least you've got free sex change benefits being a city worker!

[SFD-129-3]

I must say, LHS*, you got my funny bone with the last comment!!

[truck12tillerman]

LHS*
I was not insulting you or your department, and I apologize for the inference. I actually read quite a few things that stated your union wasn't too happy with his administration. I am just worried that the change will bring an end to what I believe is the best department I can work for. All in the name of a career building, political aspiring sycophant. But I guess time will tell.

[FireLt1951]

Well tiller, at least you have someone with a background in firefighting. Here in Detroit they hired a cop to run the department. Go figure. I just hope he's not one of those fuzzy, feel good, politically correct individuals. Keep us posted so we know whats going on. Hopefully he won't take you the same route as DC.

[LHS*]

If you precieve his increasing staffing 40% as a bad thing, then you are in real trouble.

[truck12tillerman]

Funny you say that. The city really did agree to start paying for city employee sex change operations!! Liberalism and political correctness is a part of california in general, and san francisco most of all. The fire department is a dinosaur in this city, with old fashioned views and ways of doing things, so a result, they F%%% with us as much as possible.
Thanks for the support.

[Nate Marshall]

Chief Trevino is a great Chief, Ive had the opportunity to meet and work with him on several issues such as structure protection etc. He is oriented towards safety, fleet replacement and standardization (he's a bog pierce guy, very solid proponent of Pierce apparatus and hell find a way to acquire a standard fleet in no time as he did in Las Vegas and Seattle), increase of benefits for firefighters.

The best qualities that Chief Trevino has include the fact that he doesnt sit in his office and administrate, he visits the guys in the field and seeks input from them. He wont make drastic changes until he gets inputs from all levels.

He is not anything like Ronnie Few or some of the other Chiefs and he is not a publicity hound. He gives credit to the guys who do the job.

This is a guy who will do nothing but help your department. Next to Alan Brunacini,only Bob Brown (west metro) and Ray Barnes (Aurora) are comapared to Trevino.

A good pick by your city administration.

[LHS*]

Hey, our grand parents and parents stormed the beaches on D-Day...and some dies r were injured... to give SF city employees the right toave sex changes paid for by the taxpayers!

Supervisor Tom Ammiano wants insurance companies to pay for city employees' sex change operations.

Readers, as usual, are all wrong. The vast majority of such operations involve changing men into women. And if there's one issue we can all agree upon, it's the crying need for more women in government.

I'm confident the National Organization for Women along with feminists everywhere will applaud Mr. Ammiano's crusade to ensure their gender is more adequately represented in our City Hall.

For all too long the corridors of that bureaucratic institution have been dominated by cigar smoking, poker playing, whiskey drinking, hard- hearted males. Simple justice demands that more women take their rightful place around the water coolers, on the telephones and in the restrooms of that edifice.

Simple justice may not have widespread appeal these days among taxpayers. After all, they're being asked to lay out $10,000 to $30,000 in higher insurance premiums for each sex change operation. Their question, of course, is, "What's in it for me?''

The answer is that women bureaucrats are a darned sight easier to deal with than their male counterparts.

Let's say you call the Health Department's Animal Bite Reporting Service (554-2850) to report being bitten by an animal. What do you want? Sympathy. Most people who call City Hall want sympathy, either before or after they hang up the phone.

And who are more compassionate, men or women? In a major 1987 study of laboratory rats by Barnes and Frolich of Rutgers University, the researchers placed a feverish baby rat in a cage containing six female and six male adult rats. They found that five of the six female rats licked and cuddled the baby rat while the six male rats headed straight for the cheese and the sixth female rat.

From this, they were able to conclude that females of the species are 2.6 times more compassionate than males, which was something all of us knew already anyway.

Not only are women more compassionate but they attune more readily to the emotional needs of those in distress, which, of course, would include taxpayers. Should you ring up Potholes (695-2100) or the Sewer Odor Hotline (557-6833) -- which are among the more than 1,800 city government numbers listed in the phone book -- how lucky you are if a woman answers.

"A smell like what?'' she'll say, all concerned. Or, `"Your car disappeared at which intersection?'' And you'll feel in your bones that she really cares. On the other hand, no male bureaucrat in all recorded history has ever told a taxpayer, "Poor baby.''

So if you want to be licked and cuddled when you call up City Hall, support Supervisor Ammiano's brilliant plan to increase the number of women in city government without increasing the number of city employees one iota.

Indeed, there's no reason this bold policy couldn't be carried all the way to the top. And if our mayor will only olunteer for this surgical procedure, I can think of a dozen fired city employees who'd be glad to groom him for his new role.


(04-30) 20:48 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Board of Supervisors voted Monday to pay for sex changes for city employees.

The measure would provide up to $50,000 in lifetime benefits to city workers who want to switch their gender. Approved 9-2, the measure awaits the signature of Mayor Willie Brown, who has said he supports it.

San Francisco apparently would be the nation's only governmental body to extend the benefit. The state of Minnesota offered such benefits, but the program was phased out in 1998. The issue was discussed in Oregon, but a commission decided against it in 1999.

An audience filled with transgenders and supporters wearing green-and-pink stickers that read ``Transgender Equality'' cheered Monday's vote.

``It is landmark legislation,'' said Supervisor Mark Leno, who has worked about two years in support of the measure. ``This is not like losing one's hair. It's not like displeasure with the size and shape of one's nose.''

``This is just one step against discrimination,'' added Theresa Sparks, a transgender commissioner at the city Human Rights Commission. ``And it's an important step.''

Supervisor Tony Hall voted no, arguing the city's benefits are meant to cover procedures that are medically necessary, and that he considers gender reconstruction surgery elective.

``All of us were born with problems,'' Hall said. ``Once again, the city and county of San Francisco is paying for something that is not necessary. I suspect there will be hidden costs that were not revealed in today's debate.''

Leno stressed the insurance would not cover cosmetic procedures, and that benefits would be paid only to patients who first underwent counseling and consulted a doctor before deciding on a sex change.

The city has 14 identified transgender employees among its 37,000 workers. The benefit, available starting July 1, would cover male-to-female surgery, which costs about $37,000, as well as female-to-male surgery, about $77,000.

Employees would have to work for the city at least a year before they would be eligible.

People wanting sex-change surgery would have to pay 15 percent out-of-pocket if they use a doctor in the city's health network. If an out-of-network doctor is used, the employee's cost rises to 50 percent.

The term transgender covers a range of categories including cross-dressers, transvestites, transsexuals and those born with characteristics of both sexes.

[mamaluke]

I hear you loud and clear, tillerman. You have my support. I hope things work out better than you are anticipating.

[truck12tillerman]

I am now REALLY REALLY afraid if Nate recommends him!!!!!!!!!
This place is going to turn into another "safe" department. Just watch how much our annual fire losses are going to go up.
BTW Nate, how do you know everybody and everything? You must be a hit around the firehouse.

Originally posted by Nate Marshall:
Chief Trevino is a great Chief, Ive had the opportunity to meet and work with him on several issues such as structure protection etc. He is oriented towards safety, fleet replacement and standardization (he's a bog pierce guy, very solid proponent of Pierce apparatus and hell find a way to acquire a standard fleet in no time as he did in Las Vegas and Seattle), increase of benefits for firefighters.
his is a guy who will do nothing but help your department. Next to Alan Brunacini,only
Bob Brown (west metro) and Ray Barnes (Aurora) are comapared to Trevino.


A good pick by your city administration.

[LHS*]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

S.F.'s new fire chief is first hired from outside
Brown goes with commission's pick

Edward Epstein, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, May 3, 2001


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




San Francisco -- San Francisco got its first fire chief from outside the storied 135-year- old department's ranks yesterday.

Mario H. Trevino, Mayor Willie Brown's choice to head the department, has been chief of the 492-employee Las Vegas Fire Department since 1997. Before that, he was deputy chief in Seattle, where he first went to work as a firefighter while a 20-year-old student at Seattle University.

In appointing Trevino, who will succeed the department's first African American chief, Bob Demmons, Brown said, "He is the first outside chief, but he is as credentialed as any person who's ever headed the department."

Trevino, 48, was the first choice of the Fire Commission, which conducted a nationwide search after Demmons retired last summer. Demmons, named chief by Brown the day the mayor was sworn into office in January 1996, had played a key role earlier in his career in the federal lawsuit that forced the department to hire more minorities and women.

The other two finalists were San Diego Chief Robert Osby and San Francisco's interim chief, Paul Tabacco, who ranked third on the commission's list presented to Brown.

Tabacco will remain in place until Trevino takes office July 1, Brown said.

"The process was arduous," said Trevino, who worked his way up to deputy chief in Seattle before leaving for the Las Vegas chief's job five years ago. "I'm happy to be standing here. San Francisco is a premier city not just in the nation, but in the world."

Trevino, who Brown aides said would be paid about $165,000 a year, said he understood some would question choosing an outsider to head an 1,800-person department known for its insular ways.

"It's a serious responsibility when you get brought in," he said at a City Hall press conference. "There are always serious questions about an outsider."

John Hanley, president of the San Francisco Firefighters Union Local 798, said he didn't think Trevino's outsider status would make much difference to the rank and file, whose two-year contract with the city expires June 30.




Chief Demmons has retired. In what was called a “stealth retirement” by the San Francisco Examiner, the Chief notified the Fire Commission a day before his retirement, and left the Department without a new leader.
In Demmons’ place we now have “Acting Chief” Paul Tabacco and nothing but speculation over who will become CD1 … The newspapers are kicking around different names, City Hall insiders are floating an entirely different set of names, and others say it will be someone from outside San Francisco. One thing is certain…only Mayor Brown knows at this point.


In other news, Commissioner Ted Soulis resigned after a rowdy Fire Commission meeting in which nearly 150 firefighters protested the derogatory comments he made to the Chronicle. After listening to just a few public comments, Soulis stormed out of the meeting and then requested that the Commission Secretary draft him a letter of resignation the next day.
Soulis’ comments had inspired the Commission to propose a resolution condemning his “demeaning” comments to the Chronicle. His resignation then inspired the removal of his artwork from the halls of headquarters in what the Chronicle called “ a footnote to the episode.”

A special thanks to all those Union members who contributed to our “Special Edition Main Line”, spoke at the Commission meeting, attended the Commission meeting, wrote letters in to the local papers, or signed the letter of protest passed around by the ‘Uniformed Members of the SFFD’. It was nice to see how effective we can be as a Union when we work together.

And speaking of effective, let’s hope the next Chief is because there is a lot of work to do. The first task that needs to be addressed is the exact configuration of the Fire/EMS merger. We need a definitive plan that firefighters can follow for their career. As it stands right now, the current “draft” for the ALS engines shows the first ones being 19,40,44, and 48, followed by 16, 31, 33, and 17. What all of this is predicated on though is the possible hiring of an additional 75 laterals, when we have nearly 100 firefighters waiting to take paramedic training at the Presidio!

What’s even more galling is the fact that the next class for paramedic training isn’t scheduled until January of 2001, and the current class of trainees is nearly half civilian students. If there is such a pressing need for paramedics why can’t the department start a class in September, and fill it with just firefighters? I just can’t figure out why the department needs to reach outside for employees when its own firefighters are chomping at the bit for these jobs? And if these paramedic spots need to be filled so soon, why is the current class of paramedic trainees half filled with civilian students? Didn’t the EMS division foresee this paramedic shortfall, or is there a new operational plan implemented every other week?

This whole merger just gets worse and worse…harder on the firefighter and harder on the medics. I would like to see the EMS brass start working one watch a month with the medics at one of the busier companies…just one watch.

Just one watch…is that what our bilingual firefighters have left on their current rigs? According to some reports, only 7 out of 40 firefighters passed the Spanish exam and 7 out of 22 passed the Cantonese exam. Not exactly a stunning success rate for a two-year-old program! Now the bilingual employees are being told they have to vacate their spots without another opportunity to take the test, as they were promised, and without the Department reevaluating the test. Most of these firefighters were raised speaking the second language they were tested in…perhaps the test results were just a little bit skewed.

Watch for a mass exodus in the upcoming vacancy list away from engines and on to trucks…with the current EMS configuration in limbo, no one wants to be detailed out every day if they’re not a medic or bilingual or an EMT or a driver…or an Officer. Just how many people are on engines these days anyway? What is so troubling about these moves is that our most senior firefighters are going to leave the engines, just when they are needed the most as a slew of firefighters retire. I hope the next Chief will find someway to keep senior firefighters on engines.

So far, so good with the new administration…or rather, transition team. The wellness program checks were sent out without a hitch. Our last raise, while initially calculated incorrectly, was then immediately corrected on the next check. A far cry from last years six-month wait for a simple retro check!

What’s left to complain about? How about our fellow firefighters at radio who still are working without a contract, without any premium pay and now, are unable to work any overtime! Instead of allowing the “inductees” at radio the opportunity to work a WDO, they detail a firefighter in for the day and then backfill his/her position in the field…but they won’t allow the radio firefighters to work in the field! Just how much worse can they make that assignment? Maybe I shouldn’t ask…

Let’s see what happens with the next Chief.

Tom O'Connor, Director SFFD union 798