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From the Treasurer’s Desk
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By Tom O'Connor, Treasurer | |||||
| As we ease into the second month under our new Chief, one thing has become more than apparent…he definitely is willing to listen, and does so before he makes any moves. Chief Trevino has made sure to hit most firehouses for a meal, or a conversation, and get input from all members. Trevino has met with firefighters, officers, paramedics, operators…he has met with everyone in every facet of this job, so when it comes time for him to make some hard decisions, at least we can be assured that he has tried to weigh all the evidence prior to committing to any action.
Case in point, the Rapid Paramedic Response System (RPRS) that was put together by the senior command staff of the EMS division. While in meetings with the Chief, he listened to the Union’s issues, listened to the needs of suppression, listened to the needs of paramedics, and in all likelihood will come |
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| up with a plan that will initially please no one.…but at least he is attempting to balance the needs and wants of the whole department before implementing his new plan. Trevino has also shown that he is a pro-labor Chief by addressing our concerns on a routine and regular basis…on the whole, that is all we can ask for.
As of our deadline for this issue of the Small Line, the new RPRS plan was still being hammered out with the new administration. Again, the plan will probably please no one initially, but perhaps it will work over time. What is most important though, is that the new plan seeks to correct the failures of the past administrations. Training for medics will be improved, a solid long term plan will be put in place that shows everyone that ALS engines can work if done correctly, and the number of probies allowed in our system at any one time will be minimized. The original RPRS plan had nearly two probies on every rig in the city…the new plan maintains our one probie per rig maximum, thereby ensuring everyone’s safety and training. The new ALS engine program might also include a few “one and one” ambulances to try out in a pilot program…but no where near the number previously dreamed up in the old RPRS plan. These “one and one” ambulances will, hopefully, be on a volunteer basis, with some excellent opportunities for overtime and a chance for junior members to get themselves a good “five-day” (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). If any firefighters are interested in becoming paramedics, want overtime money, or are looking for good shifts, this could be your opportunity. On the fire front, we have been knocking them dead. Currently, the Department has hit a ten-year high for the number of working fires, as well as the number of greater alarms. This is very fortunate, especially with the auditor’s report coming out very soon. Let’s see someone try and cut the Department as the City starts having an incredible high fire count. A politician would be hard pressed to cut a station in their district once we point out the number of fires there just over the past year, let alone five years. If we stand united as a department, and don’t pit EMS versus Suppression, we should be able to survive the audit relatively unscathed. If certain factions turn on each other, than we are certainly doomed to fail… Lastly, the MOU is moving along very slowly, but progress is being made… Look for some results very soon… Once we do reach the end of negotiations, we are going to need every Union body we can find to pack the Board of Supervisors meetings and make sure that our MOU sails through again. This is where all of our political work pays off, and sets the tone for the Union in the days and years ahead. If we pack City Hall for the contract and make a big, BIG presence…we just may escape this audit and set ourselves up for a possible ballot measure next year. Stay tuned. |
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