Dear Readers …. At the Budget Fire Workshop in June Commissioner Dodd asked about the VFD and their medical calls/ Beach Patrol being allowed to be paid for from the fire assessment (prev. posts)…While we watched the “2-Hats” adamantly state there was no conflict (per an insurance agent’s say-so per Comm. Silverstone) shortly afterward we heard they scrambled behind the scenes and decided to call it “training” when they responded to medical calls (Town Manager Colon even jumped on that bandwagon on the dais) with the “2-Hats” within the department “leading” the members in deciding the last 6 months of beach patrol/ medical calls would be compensated through the elusive and bottomless pit flush with monies VFD Booster Fund… At the next Fire Workshop in July, the topic was addressed again by Comm. Dodd with Mr. Burton of Burton and Associates….and he disagreed with the premise that the VFD could not go on the medical calls…saying they would fall under “first responders” and as long as they did no medical assistance beyond basic acts and no transporting they were okay…Mr Burton added that calling it “training” (cover)  was not the description he would use… After that meeting a response came from the Town Manager to Comm. Dodd who had inquired about the Beach Patrol funding for the VFD, which she said was separate, due to the non-allowance of it being paid for by the fire assessment …She told Comm. Dodd prior to this memo that the funds were in an account and she was waiting for a bill from the VFD (this was curious due to the fact that it was now July with only a few months left until the 1st year contract was done)…The memorandum on July 29, 2009 had a cover letter “Subject:”Fire Assessment Balance” stating “As requested, attached please find the balance in the Fire Assessment account as of today.”…On the second page was a copy of a Sun Trust transaction activity for an acct. ending in “7588″…with the “Current Balance of $35,000.00″…”Collected Balance $35,000.00″…”Available Balance $35,000.00″…”Pending Transactions Activity on 07/29/09′ showing nothing…”Posted Transactions between o7/14/09 and 07/29/09 Date 07/14/09/ Transaction Description Credit image DEPOSIT/ Transaction Number D/ Credit $35,000.00/ Balance $35,000.00″…

So did this mean $35,000.00 was deposited into an account on 07/14/09? If so why did the cover page say it was the “Balance of the Fire Assessment account?”….Was it taken from a larger Fire Assessment account?… Comm. Dodd asked for a list of accounts and received a non- answer of “Response; Monthly bank statements are received by bank and reconciled”…(prev. post…OOPS! Of course it is the Town that reconciles the bank statements)…thereby not providing an answer of accounts the Town has….

Comm. Dodd followed up with an e-mail on 8/15/09 and received some responses in a memo on 8/20/09 (the memos with Mayor Minuet etc…prev. post)…Here is the questions with the responses from the Town Manager ..

1) The account for $35,000.00 for the beach patrol- will it be a line item in the final budget document?

RESPONSE: NO

2) From what account was this new account started- General Funds? Presumably this will be in next year’s figures.

RESPONSE: FIRE ASSESSMENT REVENUE

3) Does the fire assessment money paid to the VFD as per the contract show a corresponding reduction of $35,000.00 now that the beach patrol is funded separately?

RESPONSE: NO

BC- The questions were due to discussion that the Beach Patrol could not be funded by the fire assessment funds…(prior to the exchange by Mr Burton dealing with medical calls at the July 28, 09 special meeting…and no discussion on his assertions including the Beach Patrol, as well as Comm. Dodd’s understanding from the Town Manager that the Beach Patrol was in a separate account awaiting a “bill” from the VFD”

It is all rather curious ….more “chasing tales”….zigging and zagging to accommodate whatever might be the correct determination of what is and is not allowed under the fire assessment fees…

A look at the VFD income and expense reports (3rd to be posted) from Oct. 2008- June 30, 2009 show that the VFD was in receipt of the full amount of their contract they receive quarterly…So unless the 4th report shows a deficit of $35,000.00 it would appear that something is askew…

The Beach patrol is included in the Sept 25,2008 agreement between the Town and the VFD…on page 2 “Article 2 General Operating Conditions”…

“2.2-Additional Services

2.2.5- The VFD shall provide a beach patrol division, operating on a part time basis to promote safety and fire prevention and provide surveillance of the public beaches of the Town.

2.2.5.1- The VFD shall patrol the beach and water front for emergency situations according to schedule approved by the Town, during special events, or upon the request of the Town Administration.

2.2.5.2- THE VFD BEACH PATROL SHALL PROVIDE EMERGENCY FIRST AID SERVICE AS NEEDED.

2.2.5.3- The VFD beach patrol shall inform the public of dangerous swimming conditions.

2.2.5.4- The VFD beach patrol division shall operate and maintain two (2) all terrain vehicles (ATVs) FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF PROVIDING EMERGENCY SERVICES upon all beaches within the Service Area.”

BC- So, with the inclusion of the beach patrol in the agreement (contract) and the only funding for the VFD being from the fire assessment it should mean the $35,000.00 is from the contracted price of $844,022.00 in 2008-09/ and again in 2009-10 …$877,783.00a ($73,148.57 per month)…So what was the Town Manager talking about a “bill ” from the VFD?…It would not make sense as the Beach patrol is part of the contract and the Manager has often said from the dais the Town/VFD abide by the contract (we also heard that when the Town/VFD thought there was indeed a problem with including the Beach patrol on the fire assessment there was talk of changing the contract)…Is it the correct terminology within that 2008 agreement to state the VFD  “shall provide emergency first aid service” and the ATVs will be used “for the express purpose of providing emergency services upon all beaches within the Service Area”?…That should be another question that requires yet another definitive determination….

more to come………

BCbythesea…hears from a local resident….LBTS politicking is going on big time …on the VFD-ATV Beach patrols…by the VFD-Training Officer- Vice Mayor….McIntee…

We hear he rolls around on the VFD-ATV ….making stops in front of beach goers…asking them if they are enjoying the beach…and throwing them tootsie rolls… he then informs them he is Vice Mayor McIntee…(not VFD member McIntee)…and then gives them his version of the Oct. 25th rescue…he made…of the nearly drowned woman up the beach!…

Talk about “2 Hats”….

Talk about “grandiose” tales….

YIKES….

Yeah those ATVs were the best investment this town ever made for the Vice Mayor….WOW!…

more to come…

Mark Mitchell…..Citizen….

Major in the Air Force…..

a pilot for Jet Blue….

came to the podium last night to speak …

It was like an E.F. Hutton commercial….silence…..shock….and awe…….

This was the real hero…both for coming to the aid of the drowning victim in the ocean…and again to come to this Commission meeting to relate the truth of what occurred ……..

Major Mitchell …prefaced his account by acknowledging the bravery and courage of the VFD….BSO and the citizens…who showed their “willingness to assist a human in need”…saying to him there is “no greater good than that.”….

He said he was a citizen…”not here to play politics”….”not in the position to do that”…he wanted to “set the record straight”…”through the truth”… as he went on to tell the facts…how he alone had the lifesaving equipment…how he fought to bring the victim in…and as he got close to shore… he saw lights…off in the distance…feeling confident help was on the way…. many public safety providers “formed up on the beach”…but no response was coming in the water….he called out to call 911…hoping EMS would show up…yelling out what was needed to aid the victim……..from 30 feet away….he acknowledged the Vice Mayor coming into the water…up to his chest…but also acknowledged how incapacitated McIntee was arriving on shore…saying he was “gassed”…in need of medical attention himself……McIntee exited the water and laid out on the beach….

The dramatic account …continued with Mark Mitchell observing and calling for further help for the woman……observing condensation building up on her mask….she was not getting oxygen…it had not been turned on…then he walked over to McIntee…who was asking for a second oxygen cannister….as no VFD responded….no one was able to help the Vice Mayor….Mitchell continued to assist with McIntee…then returned to the victim…still struggling …grabbing at her mask…traumatized… water in her lungs…. he observed there were problems in the lines overlooked by the VFD as those lines were tangled up in the straps applied to her legs….

Major Mitchell put the Vice Mayor in his place when he addressed McIntee’s call to him that evening …when McIntee proudly told him they had 22 respondents to the incident..it elicited this straight forward response from Major Mitchell…without those “22 respondents having adequate training…equipment…and physical ability it is near criminal!”…OUCH!….

He emphatically told this town…”we cannot put a price tag on lives.”……”It’s time we pay the price for proper training,equipment and personnel.”….

Asked about the victim…he told all…she was expected to released today…after suffering not only a near drowning…but a mild heart attack…

BCbythesea…it seems that this very lucky lady…is going home today thanks to the real hero…Major Mark Mitchell….standing on the beach that day…and standing at the podium this evening in Jarvis Hall……

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/train-to-be-a-beach-lifeguard/3134870208

more to come….