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Edwards Marine 9

Profile Information

Hometown:
Edwards
I Live: (City, State)
New York
Years in Fire/EMS:
21 years in April
Why I Joined the Fire/EMS:
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE TERRY FARRELL FUND FOR THEIR Donations and we will be looking forward to working with you in the future.
Relationship Status:
Married
Primary Fire/EMS Department:
Edwards
Department Type:
Fire/Rescue Department - Volunteer
Rank/Role There:
Fire Chief / Chief of Department, Training Officer, Other
Years With This Department/Agency
21 years
Dept. Web Site:
http://cms.firehouse.com/dept/EdwardsNY
Second Department (if appl.)
http://www.herd.org/edwards/firedept/
Web Site:
http://departments.firehouse.com/dept/EdwardsNY
Other Past or Current Departments:
Gouverneur Fire Dept
Gouverneur Rescue Squad
Seaway Valley Ambulance
My Training:
Organizing for Rural Fire Attack in 1991
Initial Fire Attack in 1992 (NYS certified course)
Firefighting Essential Course in 1992, 1996 (NYS certified course)
Pump Operations in 1992, 1998 (NYS certified course)
Firefighter Safety and Survival in 1993 (NYS certified course)
Preparing for Command in 1993 (NYS certified course)
Mask Confidence in 1993 (Lewis County Certificate)
Fire Reporting Workshop in 1993 (NYS certified course)
Cause and Origin Determination in 1993 (NYS certified course)
Emergency Medical Technician in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2007 (NYS certified course)
Hazard Materials First Responder Operations in 1995 (NYS certified course)
CPR, Farm-medic in 1996, 1998
Incident Command in 1997 (NYS certified course)
Structural Firefighting Seminar in 1997
Bus Rescue in 1998(NYS certified course)
Coaching The Emergency Vehicle Operator (CEVO) in 1999
Command School
Arson Awareness (fire investigations) (NYS certified course)
Flashover Survival Training in 1998
Fire Behavior and Arson Awareness in 1999 (NYS certified course)
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting in 2000 (NYS certified course)
Bio-Terrorism: Medical Fact or Media Fiction in 2001
Emergency Medical Services Seminar and Workshop, Montour Falls March 2002
Incident Command System Courses 100, 100 HC, 200, 215, 300, 400, 700, and 800
FEMA courses IS - 1, IS - 3, IS - 5, IS - 7, IS - 120.A, IS - 139
Hazardous Materials Operations and Decontamination Courses in 2008
HSEEP 4/09/09
First Receivers Decontamination Course (OFPC)
About Me:
I train personnel in operation of fire-fighting equipment, I used to be involved in the fire prevention at the Edwards-Knox School and was lead organizer of 3 Mass Casualty Incident drills at the Edwards-Knox School District with the last one being conducted in Sept. 08'.

I am the current fire chief for Edwards.
Day Job:
Director of Emergency Preparedness
Side Jobs or Other Organizations:
AHA CPR Instructor
PeeWee Baseball Coach
Sub-Teacher
Top Issues Facing Responders:
The Art of Making it Mandatory

By Jason J. Zigmont

October 2009

Anytime a volunteer department makes something 'mandatory' there is usually an outcry from the members along the lines of, "I joined the volunteer department, not the mandatory department." Unfortunately, with tough times and changing regulatory requirements, sometimes there is no choice to make certain drills, events, calls, or time mandatory. We have all gone through these battles before and many of us remember the nightmares of making people shave their beards due to OSHA mandates, and it is always painful but necessary. Mandating anything to a volunteer department is an art, but there are things you can do to make it easier.

It is easiest to mandate any requirements before a member joins. If a member knows in advance what is expected of them, they can then make an educated decision whether they have enough time to volunteer or not. While it is true that this may scare away some potential members, it is better that they know up front rather than have you springing the requirements on them after they have already committed a fixed amount of time to the department. One department I visited assigns each new member one Bingo night a month. The member then knows that they are responsible for the Bingo on the second Tuesday of the month and can plan accordingly. They also know that they are only responsible for the second Tuesday Bingo, and can choose to help on the other Bingos or not.

Mandating anything for existing members is going to be difficult but does not have to divide your department if it is fair for everyone and agreed upon. I know how hard it is to get agreement in a volunteer department and I know we have all beaten our own proverbial dead horses but if someone in power arbitrarily makes something mandatory then there is guaranteed to be trouble. There will be members who think everything should be mandatory and those who think nothing should be mandatory, but compromise is key. Neither group will be 100 percent happy, but a compromise may be the best chance you have of keeping the department from fighting non-stop about what is mandatory and what is not.

Only mission critical operations should be mandatory, and even then members' time must to be taken into account. In the previous example, if Bingo events are the department's primary source of income and pay for the building and fire apparatus, then they are definitely mission critical in addition to core firefighting duties. OSHA and other State or Federal agencies will most likely decide for you which drills are mandatory but the total number may be up for discussion. Responding to calls is at the core of why volunteer fire departments exist but it is not reasonable to expect your members to respond to every call. An alternative is setting a minimum percentage of calls during time when members are available. For example, if they work days, they may have to respond to 35 percent of all calls from 1800 to 0600 hours.

Once your department has decided what is mandatory, the next task is to decide what the members receive for meeting the minimum and what they lose for not meeting their requirements. Members should have to meet all of the mandatory requirements to qualify for any LOSAP or other incentive programs. If a member does not meet the mandatory requirements, they may have to be placed on probation or administrative leave until they meet the minimums. The key there is that the member has to have a chance to improve rather than just being summarily excommunicated from the department whenever they miss a drill or other mandatory event.

In order to be fair, everyone has to be held to exactly the same standards, no matter who they are. That means if the Chief's daughter does not meet the minimums then she is put on probation the same as the guy no one likes. Favoritism has destroyed many departments and when mandatory requirements are involved the effects of favoritism are multiplied. Mandatory programs have to be designed for the entire department and every member, not just to make members quit or get rid of 'problem' members. The first time someone is treated differently the entire program is destroyed.

In the end modern volunteer fire departments may have no choice but to make components mandatory. The challenge is making them fair for everyone and only requiring the absolute minimum. With a bit of planning and negotiating the needs of your department can be balanced with those of your members for a better department overall.
I Love Being in Fire/EMS Because:
Of the community I get to serve and the brotherhood and the friends I have earned the respect of across the globe.

Bless those Who give their all

EMT's PRAYER
Lord,
Grant me the wisdom so that I may treat
those of your children that lay at my feet.
Let my hands be gentle, sure and swift
to impart to them your sacred gift.

Let me see only a patient's need
not their color, race or creed.
Help me to always be my best
even when it's on my hours rest.

Grant me the insight to understand why
patients of mine are going to die.
Let me remember that when they do
there is a wondeful life in Heaven with you.

Lord, if in the time of duty I should fall
help my family to hold their heads tall.
For it was you who decided that I should be
one of your chosen few, and EMT.


Dale's Photos

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Dale's Blog

Dale

What If?

Posted on November 2, 2009 at 7:54pm —

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"A Broken Heart"

Posted on July 20, 2009 at 7:03pm —

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Edwards Fire Dept.

Posted on May 14, 2009 at 3:00pm — 3 Comments

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Brothers and Sisters

Posted on February 19, 2009 at 7:48pm —

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OLD ROUTE 89

Posted on January 29, 2009 at 11:25pm —

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"What Am I" - Poetry

Posted on January 29, 2009 at 11:22pm —

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"Firefighters Are" this is no farther from the truth.

Posted on January 12, 2009 at 11:55am — 5 Comments

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Poetry

Posted on January 12, 2009 at 11:49am — 2 Comments

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At 1:19pm on October 21, 2009, Chief Mike France said…
Anytime
At 2:55pm on October 2, 2009, Chief Mike France said…
Nice Chief
 
 

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