Jack,
Just noticed a few things with the document you left for me… something that we’ve found to be critical with volunteer personnel is to make sure we don’t over burden them with their pagers going off all the time for unnecessary assignments. A typical method to ensure the volunteer force is destroyed is to overwhelm them with meaningless dispatches. In the first sentence, the chief states that “when the BLS unit is dispatched for a call, the volunteers will be dispatched to stand by at fire headquarters with the career crew to augment staffing… if you want to make sure the volunteers turn their pagers off and never come back again, keep “banging” them to come in and stand by at HQ while the ambulance is out… that is strategically insane…
A few things that I don’t know about your department is what the available volunteer force is during various times of day… and I don’t know the variables in your union contracts… those 2 things are critical and I suspect that somewhere along the line, many, many concessions were given to the union in the formulation of the current contract…
The more I think about it, the more perplexed I am that you guys were ever able to support that number of full time paid firefighters… ever… even doing EMS… for a town of 11,400… that is unbelievable to me… and it sounds like both the career staff and the volunteer staff have ruined each other’s reputations instead of working together for a common mission…
Just let me know what I can do to help you… like I’ve also said, bad fire service is reflective of all of us… if I can help you guys get better in some way and without eating up every last dime of the taxpayer’s money, I will do it…
Perhaps asking a panel of reputable fire chiefs to come in an evaluate what you have and where you need to be could help and it wouldn’t pin it all on Gorgio, Quinn, or me… only difference is that Quinn now commands a fully paid department as does Gorgio… the combination thing is unique and it is very, very delicate…
JohnFrom: John Hoffman <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Report
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 2:16 PM
From me to Jack Lipsett
-----Original Message-----
From: John Hoffman [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 10:46 AM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: RE: Report
Jack,
Did you not get the attachment in the email I sent or the file I sent via
mail???
John
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 8:20 AM
To: John Hoffman
Subject: Report
Chief:
Any luck with sending me report on you department. We have sent out Layoff
notices things are getting fun.
Thanks for your help.
Jack
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerryFrom: John Hoffman <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Reports:
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 2:15 PM
Sent by me to Jack Lipsett
-----Original Message-----
From: John Hoffman [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 9:19 PM
To: 'Jack Lipsett'
Subject: RE: Reports:
Jack,
It was likewise talking with you. Here is a copy of the monthly report
submitted to both the Board of Fire Commissioners and the Mayor for April.
I'm also attaching the annual narrative report. In addition to these
documents I submit a detailed statistical report that is in a printed copy.
I've made a hard copy of that report and the report done for the work
assigned as part of the LEA which is inclusive in our fire department. I'm
not sure who has the LEA in your jurisdiction but this is a report that is
easily generated from any of the state authorized software companies for
inspections and other fire prevention work. We also submit monthly a
detailed training report and a detailed maintenance report of all apparatus
and equipment. Each of the paid crews (3 of them) must submit their daily
duty log for the entire month to the BOFC as well. The daily duty log
includes who is on duty each day, the activities the crew performs like lawn
maintenance, fire inspections, training and emergency responses.....
I hate to say it, but if your department is not giving this kind of
information on a regular basis, something is terribly wrong. I submitted a
report like this monthly to the Mayor and governing body in Millville when I
was the volunteer/part time fire chief there. You have 5 career battalion
chiefs and a chief of the department... someone should be giving you a
regular report of ALL activities.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: Jack Lipsett [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 2:56 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Reports:
Chief:
It was great talking to you. When you get a minute can you forward me
your reports.
Thanks
Jack
--
Jack Lipsett, City Administrator
512 Monmouth St
Gloucester City, NJ 08030
856-456-0190 Phone
856-603-9029 Fax
email: [email protected]
website: www.cityofgloucester.orgFrom: John Hoffman <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Gloucester City
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 2:11 PM
1 of 1 sent to Jack Lipsett
-----Original Message-----
From: John Hoffman [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 3:33 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: RE: Gloucester City
Hey Jack,
How the heck are you... doing good on this end just busy as hell but that's
nothing new... I haven't heard from Chief Hagan yet, but I'd be happy to
chat with him... make sure he has my cell number in case I'm not at my
desk... voice mail in the office has been on the blink... ...
One always needs to eat lunch, so call it some day and we'll do it... just
can't be in a drinking establishment... LOL
John
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 9:44 AM
To: John Hoffman
Subject: Gloucester City
Chief:
Hope you are doing well. Chief Hagan will be reaching out to you. He has
some questions that he would like to pick your brain about. Let's have
lunch soon.
Jack
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerryFrom: John Hoffman <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: How you doing?
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 2:03 PM
4 of 4 emails... There are no others between Jack Lipsett and I...
-----Original Message-----
From: Jack Lipsett [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 9:41 AM
To: John Hoffman
Subject: Re: How you doing?
Chief:
Doing well given the circumstances. I have met Sue a few times. Have a
nice holiday.
Jack
John Hoffman wrote:
> Hey Jack,
>
> I should be asking you how you're doing... I'm doing fine, been away for
> most of the summer doing trips with the boy scouts... had some interface
> with Sue Miller, the BA in Clayton recently to see about helping her with
> some PEOSH violations they were facing... not sure if you know her...
>
> John
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 8:36 PM
> To: John Hoffman
> Subject: How you doing?
>
> Chief:
>
> How you doing? I wanted to thank you for the help you provided to me.
Keep
> in touch.
>
>
> Jack Lipsett
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
>
>
>
--
Jack Lipsett, City Administrator
512 Monmouth St
Gloucester City, NJ 08030
856-456-0190 Phone
856-603-9029 Fax
email: [email protected]
website: www.cityofgloucester.org