Over the life of this blog, through the Maurice Wiseman Project, Local 1132′s website, submitting pictures to Firehouse.com and VAFireNews.com, assisting journalists with the Roanoke Times, “Firefighting in Roanoke”, and future exploits I have enjoyed giving Roanoke Fire-EMS and the Roanoke Fire Fighters Association a face among departments across the Nation and reaching around the Globe. To get hits from Countries I have never heard of is really neat. It has been journey learning about the tools which help propel a website to a well read website. There are so many interesting products which can help get readership. The Blog has served as a medium for so many to learn what the Roanoke Firefighters are all about; the good and the bad. The publicity that the book alone has given us has been overwhelming. In the next month I will be at another book signing and Blue Ridge Public Television wants to do an interview on the book and the Maurice Wiseman Project. However, the response from my brothers of the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department has been the best. I really appreciate all the thanks I have received for putting the book together. Many of you would like to see a “sequel”. I can say that the possibility of doing a “Firefighting in Roanoke- the last 50 years” is pretty good. Just give me time to get some other things out of the way first. All you have to do is keep getting me photographs to copy and get back to you.

Today, a guy stopped by who you all might know. Battalion Chief Billy Obenchain stopped by to say hello to the guys at Station 13 and dropped off some interesting reading. Apparently he and another guy by the name of Shelor (sp?) put together a book on all the apparatus from the 1880′s to around 1980 as well as another book detailing key points in history from 1882-1982 about the Roanoke Fire Department. Much of the information I had already done the research for at the Library; looking through the microfiche of old newspapers. However, this was put together in chronological order and binded. It will be a great asset when I begin the complete history of the Department. Thanks Billy, it will be put to use. Of course, as with all the stuff I receive, it is property of the RFFA.

The thing that gets me is that we have so many great instructors, gurus of various fire/ems disciplines, and specialists who do not reach out to get their name recognized for the work they do and know in order to assist other firefighters. VentEnterSearch.com has contributing editors; you might be able to submit information to them. Firehouse.com has the nationally recognized firefighters who are common firehouse names. But there are other publications/websites that would be glad to publish your columns. WiththeCommand.com is a great site which looks for original content. VAFireNews.com has room for contributing editors, yes I know I have a personal stake in the site but the site has plenty of room for feature writers on training and the like. Just look at the previous post for more opportunities. All most of them are looking for is regular submissions.

Recently, the Roanoke Times had an article about seeking columnists for writing regular columns in the paper. I saw the article and thought about it for a minute. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a regular column in the paper which highlights the Roanoke Fire Department? The likeliness of them accepting that column is probably slim. However, what if the writer wrote about firefighting in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas. That is a concept which might work. Then I got a phone call from a Captain, he said I might do a good job with it. I explained that I might be a little to busy for a regular column. It would be neat. The idea is still up in the air.

It has also been told to me that the blog is probably pretty decent recruitment tool. I can say this; I get several emails a month about the department, when we are hiring, what the department is like, and what our department is all about. It is fun talking about the department with the prospective candidates. Some of them try to get hired, others I never hear from again. After all, it is just as hard to get this job as many other FD’s around.

Either way, the Blog will keep on ticking.

I have always enjoyed the discussions held at the various firehouses. The discussions vary depending on the personalities in the room. We have some great personalities. We also have some great discussions. One of the hottest topics everywhere I go is the state of affairs within the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. Whether it is scrutinizing of ideas, tactics, or policies that affect our daily work environment or talking about the way things should have been done. After all it is very easy to arm chair quarterback.

Let us look at all the big changes we have witnesses recently like the Consolidation Plan, the study and it’s 35 recommendations, the new ambulance at #3, and all the other things which aren’t on the tip of my tongue.

The Consolidation Plan talks of closing stations 1, 3, 5, and 9 and building two new stations. It also incorporates moving the suppression companies out of #10 into a new fire station and selling #10 to the Airport which houses the ARFF crew.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that the closing of #12 was brought up in the plan as well and occurred shortly after the plan emerged. This entailed getting rid of an engine company, replacing it with an ambulance at #4, and giving two personnel to the County to run mutual aid into the City.

The new study and recommendations (in my understanding) detailed a Quint concept which would get rid of at least two more engine companies. After all, a fully staffed Quint can only really perform the functions of a Ladder OR and Engine at one time. Our apparatus is staffed with 3 personnel, with the occasional day in mid March where we have 4 on an engine.

Then you have another Medic unit at #3 (medic #7). Was this planned for? Not in the long term. I do not know of many who will say we don’t need the additional medic truck. But do we have the manpower for it. Maybe we should have hired some more Medics to staff the truck before actually putting it into service. Basically the additional truck was put in service to replace the ill-fated Medic 1 at REMS. But this isn’t something that happened over night. Ever since I have been here REMS has had a hard time staffing the truck with volunteers. This is a national trend, fewer people have less time to volunteer.

Maybe we should recruit more Paramedics. But that is another story all together.

If you sit down with firefighters you will hear many great ideas. There are plenty of ideas on ways to correct some of the plans that the firefighters don’t agree with.

I know from experience that it is more common to hear what you did wrong rather than what you did right.

Do you know why most firefighters point out who made most of these decisions, because it was not them. Nobody ever asked what the firefighters wanted. I don’t they expect every idea to be presented to them. However, some of these decisions which will effect the workplace environment of our firefighters need to have the firefighters input to give them a sense of OWNERSHIP. There is a big difference between compromise and having something shoved down your throat. If you want the firefighters to be proud of what they do, who they work for, and where they work they have to have a stake in it.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Well it depends which tunnel you are looking down. The study recommended a committee that to my understanding would address this lack of communication. The idea behind the committee is to allow firefighters and administration to meet and discuss changes, plans, and ideas. The success of the committee depends on which firefighters, and which types of firefighters are involved.