Here’s The Scoop…5/26/09 LBTS Commission Meeting …#4……The Trouble With Training…
May 28, 2009 by Barbara
THE TRAINING “HAT”….
Dear Readers…
Vice Mayor/Deputy Chief McIntee as we all know is the de-facto Chief of the VFD as well as its “Chief Training Officer”…
We have been told repeatedly …( by him or his spouse)…that he is the most experienced FF in the VFD…( Yep, that’s scary!)…
We were told by him at the the May 12,2009 Commission meeting the ISO was inundated with calls from unions while they did the VFD report….That ISO would be coming back in 3 months…That the training rating was off due to the BSO not providing 5 years of data for the hydrants…That ISO did not have the right info for driving instruction etc…..and for good measure his BFF “Jimmy-boy” Silverstone …in his new “pit-bull” role made the assertion to Comm. Dodd that the ISO report was a summary and a “detailed report” was on its way…
This writer previously posted an unsuccessful attempt to verify these claims…but Comm. Dodd was able to follow through and secure the truthfulness of the “2-Hats” statements…which he brought forth in the 6.e Reports…
UNTRUE….is what came from the ISO….No unions called..not even one!
UNTRUE….ISO will not be returning in 3 months…they plan to return in 1 year!
UNTRUE…..the low training score is due to inferior training…and Comm. Dodd was provided a way to improve it..through the VFD training in neighboring towns…with available “tower training”…etc… (something that has been done in the past)…
UNTRUE….the ISO report was the only report we will receive!…..
BC- Interesting that after this was brought forward by Comm. Dodd at the 5/26/09 meeting…no comments came to from VFD Chief Perkins or the “2-Hats” to challenge the ISO Representative!
BC- Interesting note…..about the lack of driver training…we hear the certified driving instructor for the VFD was former Battalion Chief Pointu…
BC- We also hear there might be some VFD members with lapsed certification….and that the VFD is not following the LBTS-VFD contract requirement that all members must go on 20% of all calls each month …
4. Presentations…
A. Presentation recognizing the VFD for significant events…
BC- LOOK FOR BOLD PRINT…
Chief Perkins was dressed in his proper VFD attire this evening…and came to the podium to make comments while photos by Marc Furth were shown on the screen …
“A few minutes here for a synopsis of what went on this month. We had a pretty busy month as far as calls, and ah, we’re gonna take you through it briefly, maybe 5,10 minutes tops.”
He began with the hyperbaric chamber…as photos were shown..(by official VFD photog. Furth) This was a call that came in on May 1st. Front of the building was where we took the patients out and AMR was waiting for the patients right in front of the building. We had come through the front. Quick pictures of what happened that day of May 1st. AMR did a fantastic job, were out in front waiting for us as we brought the patients out they did a great job. Cross training with AMR helps knowing what we’re doing with each other. What each guy’s doing, really worked out really well that day.” He pointed out a triage photo set up …the pointed out the photos of various VFD …”Some of the guys coming out from upstairs, all the officers upstairs trying to vent the building at this time.” another photo..”Discussing what our next plan was and how to work the building. We just had vented the top floor, we got smoke going through the roof we had a hatch on top of the roof we had to open up for the smoke to clear.” ” AMR COULDN’T GO INTO THE BUILDING IN THE BEGINNING BECAUSE THERE WAS JUST TOO MUCH SMOKE’ ” Quick pics of our guys, all these guys did a great job out there, I’m really proud of them. Sorry to say we did lose the grandmother but as far as we know the son is till alive.” (photos of BSO helicopter at Fountainhead)…..” The helicopter was across the street. It had to land on the grass. We didn’t want to land in the middle of the street. This was a perfect landing zone for the copter. Boy, that Broward’s Sheriff’s Office , they do a great job bringing the FIRE BOATS (HUH?) and the helicopters in, do a great job.”…
BC- The Chief finished and was about to turn the next part of the presentation over to VM/ Dep. Chief McIntee sitting on the dais…as he spoke the camera was zoned in on the power presentation …
” IN A TEAM EFFORT, CAPT. HOPPING, CAPT. McGIRR AND UNDER DIRECTION DEPUTY CHIEF McINTEE A MALE AND FEMALE WERE DRAGGED OUT TO SEA BY RIP CURRENTS”…
BC- Under the Dep. Chief’s direction couple were dragged out to sea by rip currents!…OOPS!…
VM/Dep. Chief McIntee…”Before I take it any further , the man standing in front of you Chief Perkins WENT INTO THAT BUILDING WITH NO MASK ON to try and save the individuals and working with the deputy Sheriff they were able to remove both the child and the ah, the ah, lady, the grandmother. So what you’re looking at is a real hero standing here”…
BC- A few FFs have informed this writer that the Chief should have had his mask on…as he entered… The Chief himself said above AMR could not go into the building because of the heavy smoke…The BSO Deputy took a mask and put it on upon entering the building…
VM/Dep.Chief McIntee……” Next thing we should clarify for everybody we have a Firefighter photographer Marc Furth…(Anybody unaware of this?) …who provided all these photos and has been a tremendous asset because we can use these photos for training forever.”
BC- We hear that Marc Furth has a VFD pager (Is this Hipaa violation …as it was stated to Comm. Dodd?) and is on all calls without being trained as a FF1…A look at the photos while nice looking should also provide the VFD for what NOT to do…and present some glaring problems that certified trainers would want addressed immediately…
VM/Dep. Chief McIntee continued as photos were shown for the rip current rescues saying it was a “concerted effort to rescue 2 people TRAPPED (HUH?) on the beach”…He went on to say “at 12:55 pm on Sunday a call came out for a drowning”. That there was “one of our ATVs was on the beach under the command of Capt. Conn and he was there within 30-40 seconds…THE VICTIM WAS ALREADY SECURED TO THE BEACH …and he transferred the waiting AMR ambulance which was there in about a minute and a half.”…..”Part of the protocol we activated a jet ski and the crew…1st piece equipment out of here now is the jet ski. The jet ski then transported to the beach behind Minto property and launched and responds to the scene of a drowning call. IN THIS SITUATION THERE WAS NO NEED TO USE THE JET SKI., WE THOUGHT. He said there was no radio communication on the jet ski for obvious reasons with waves and going 30 miles per hour. “After Conn got victim onto AMR ambulance, I was on location and walked back down the beach to hand signal the jet ski I knew was coming they could go back”..He said the ocean waves were” 8s and 10s…terrible rip currents”….”Two people from Holland, middle aged couple grabbed by the rip tide and gone. JET SKI COULDN’T GET TO THEM NEAR THE SHORE because of the intense wave activity WOULD HAVE FLIPPED THEM so the jet ski was highlighted to the beach.” ” Now we’ll go through the process of how this went down”…
VM/ Dep. Chief McIntee describing photos…” Actually, Jet ski coming on initial call”…/ photo of Capt. McGirr on front and Capt. Hopping on back…NO SLED ATTACHED…
“At this time got signal come to the beach”…” They’re just about to come to the beach and obviously getting prepared because he knows something is going on, he doesn’t know what.” /photos show they came on shore……
VM/ Dep. Chief McIntee…” NOBODY IN OUR DEPARTMENT IS ORDERED IN THE WATER, THEY HAVE TO VOLUNTEER.” “Jet ski is beached.” / photo shows empty jet ski…
“Look to your right there. I said we need a volunteer to go get that guy and that’s Hopping going after the first victim, a gentleman from Holland with a female.”/ photo show Capt. Hopping swimming out…
” Now he’s got him and fighting the surf and that’s me to the right and Capt. McGirr left. I’m saying uh, oh we got another one out there . We saw the female about 100 feet east of here and I asked for a volunteer and Capt. McGirr went in and STARTED SWIMMING TOWARDS HER. Meantime Capt. Hopping is bringing the gentleman to shore. He is whipped”../ photos shows Capt. McGirr aand McInee on beach with Capt. Hopping and tourist approaching shore in water up to waist…next photo show Capt.Hopping and tourist up to the waist still in water (McIntee says he sent Capt. McGirr after female when these are shown)…
“Capt. Hopping after he got the gentleman went right back into the water to go to this female, she’s a lot further out”/ photos show Capt. Hopping approaching beach knee deep in water and McIntee on the beach alone / Capt. Hopping reaches woman… NO McGIRR…
In the next photo it show Capt. McGirr with Capt.Hopping and the female…”Now there’s Capt McGirr coming in to aid in the recovery of the female…(He was sent in before Capt.Hopping)…
The next photo shows only Capt.Hopping and the victim…as McIntee says ” They’re securing her and taking her to shore…
In the next one she is still only with Capt. Hopping as McIntee says “She’s got a hold of the float…/ Capt. Conn has surf board holding it and is knee deep in water ..NO McGIRR…
The next photo shows Capt. McGirr on the left side by himself as McIntee/ Capt. Conn approach Capt. Hopping and female who are waist deep in water …heading to shore…
The next photo shows McIntee alone with the surf board waist deep approaching shore…( don’t see a gash yet)…
BC- So what happened with Capt. McGirr after he “volunteered” to swim to the female?…Looks like Capt. Hopping did all the rescues solo..from the Furth photos..
VM/Dep Chief McIntee went on to say the woman was “successfully ” brought to shore…she was “spent” and “grateful”…she thanked them…
The next photos shown were of the AMR personnel…the couple sitting down with AMR -EMT Pollack…then a photo of the 2 VFD- ATVs …another photo of the couple the woman standing the man sitting with McIntee saying they were being “stabilized and refused medical treatment”…They looked fine…
VM/Dep. Chief McIntee proceeds to talk about another call and a photo of the jet ski is shown with Capt. Hopping/ Capt. McGirr trying to put it in the water…
The next photo showed AMR heading off the beach to another call…
The jet ski is shown in the water to go to the next call….. CAPT. HOPPING IS ALONE ON BOARD…NO SLED…as VM/Dep. Chief McIntee says…” THAT VICTIM WAS PULLED TO SHORE AHEAD OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE JET SKI EMERGENCY PERSONNEL”…
After that the photos were shown of post # 7 with the life rings and the Dep. Chief spoke of the “civilian” that used it to save a drowning person…with more photos following of the young man saved with the ring…and phot0s of the Captains / Dep Chief / VFD members and a young man who was saved by the ring…standing by pole #7…
VM/Dep. Chief McIntee said “That sequence of pictures made national news on CNN and the weather channel and were tremendous publicity for Lauderdale-By-The-Sea community and all the citizens who supported this development of safety procedures for the beach. Everything came into play. They were the luckiest people in the world that we were on the beach on the other drowning call. They should have bought a lottery ticket because that was a lucky day for them.”
Captain Hopping was brought to the podium…with the lights off…no Capt. McGirr or Capt. Conn…(The VFD was not in attendance)…and commended for saving 2 people…
VM McIntee said that within 3 days the posts on the beach with the life rings set every 500 feet…saved people and were a good investment…
Tomorrow expect another round of LBTS-VFD P.R. (as previously posted) when Congressman Klein arrives…in town…
BC- While the VFD did assist these 2 people…questions still need to be asked about the program being run by Dep. Chief McIntee …especially after viewing these Furth “training” photos…
more to come…
