Bandy, Jonas Ltr Fire Dept. re~'age i ox z
Jeanne Schneider
From:
To:
"Jonas Bandy'' <jojomb1313@yahoo.com>
"Roy Buol" <Rbuoll@mchsi.com>; "Pat Cline" <Patriciacline@mchsi.com>; "Joyce Connors"
<Jconnors63@mchsi.com>; '~rerry Duggan" <dugganrealty@mcleodusa. net>; "John Markham"
<jmarkham@comerenergy.com>; "Ann Michalski" <aeml0@mchsi.com>; "Dan Nicholson"
<danielenicholson@mchsi.com>; "Jeanne Schneider" <jschneid@cityofdubuque.org>; "Mike Van
Milligan" <ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org>
Cc: <jonasfire353@yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 1:18 PM
Subject: Misinformation
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBJECT: Safety of the Public Misinformation
Please enter this email in the pUblic Record
Dear Council Members,
I feel the need to respond to the facts you were presented with at the July 7th meeting. On one hand, the
City Manager said that NFPA 1710 is a guideline, and that neither the City or the State have adopted it.
This is tree. While the City has adopted many of NFPA's guidelines, including such things as sprinklers,
training, etc., they have not adopted 1710. But when the City Manager stated that we meet the standard
by using NFPA's definition of "company'' by using 3.3.8 it is a flat out lie. If you would please refer to
1710, section 3.3.8, and read the following:
3.3.8* Company. A group of members: (Parts 1; 2 & 3 apply) (4) Operating with one piece of fire
apparatus (engine, ladder truck, elevating platform, quint, rescue, squad ambulance) except where
mu~'ple apparatus are assigned that are dispatched and arrived together, continuously operate
together, and are managed by a single company officer; (Part 5 applies).
Part 4 does not apply to our department as we do not always arrive together, very rarely always operate
together, and we are never managed by one single company officer. Please go to the asterisked section
of 3.3.8' which is A.3.3.8 Company and read the following ending sentence:
A.3.3.8 Company. The intent of this definition and the requirements in the standard are to ensure that
these two (or more) pieces of apparatus wouM always be dispatched and respond together as a single
company.
Anyone who is involved with our department or knows anything about it knows that we do not meet
1710 minimum staffing by using 3.3.8. We do not have any two apparatus that are always dispatched
together. Further more, we do not, or ever have, practiced this in truing or drilling. And no where in our
SOP's or Rules and Regulations is this practice ever suggested or even mentioned. Our definition of
"company" is totally different from what the City Manager is using to try to make us look like we are
spreading misinformation. To have him say to you that we meet t 710 minimum staffing by using
section 3.3.8 is in itself not only misleading but a lie. One of three things must have happened for him to
do this:
Either (1) the Fire Chief doesn't't understand NFPA and his own SOP's and Rules &Regs, or (2) the Fire
Chief intentionally misled the City Manager, or (3) the Fire Chief and the City Manager intentionally
7/8/2003
misled the City Council.
You can take your pick from the above options, but I would bet on #3. You can ask anyone on our
department and they will tell you that we do not meet 1710 minimum staff'mg, whether using section
3.3.8 or not. Better yet, have the City Manager and Fire Chief come to the public hearing, look you and
us in the eye, and explain how we meet it. They won't because it's not tree.
So why does this matter? Because this bas been what the City has been doing all along. Taking what we
say and then twisting it before presenting it to you. One side is spreading misinformation here, and it's
the City. It matters because in the process of meeting with some of you individually and watching the
past 3 Council meetings, it's painfully obvious that some of you haven't the slightest clue of what we do
for a living and how we work. Either some of you have taken everything the City says as the Gospel,
haven't taken the time to read all the information we have given you, haven't talked to people who
understand our job (ER doctors, nurses, firefighters, etc.) or just don't care. It's very clear that most of
you have your minds made up. For the sake of the citizens and for the sake of us, the cities employees,
you need to re-examine the facts surrounding this. For once, please quit worrying about re-election or
raising taxes. Don't worry, the real-estate business will still thrive even with higher property taxes. Just
do the right thing and support public safety.
PS Since this year the City is short money and the employees are being asked (or told) to make up the
difference, when the City has a large budget surplus, will the City come back to us and share it with the
employees? Thought not.
Jonas Bandy
950 Glen Oak, Dubuque IA 52001
(563)585-1097
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7/8/2003