Poor planning

[Robert Burkett]

April 7, 2008

Fire Stations:

Stations 14 & 6 are being rebuilt at a combined cost of over $5,000,000.00. The fire crews and equipment are operating out of trailers and there is no hurry to complete these projects before hurricane season.

The plan to build Station 10 near East Jefferson Hospital after working for the approval with neighborhood associations has not moved forward in two years and the property is being used as a storage yard for the drainage department.

Plans to rebuild Station 19 on Edwards Avenue call for all Fire Administrative offices to be incorporated into the new complex. The result will be a five story building costing in excess of $8,000,000.00. The site is not large enough to handle this building and lacks the space for code required parking.

The security issues of combining public administrative areas with an active fire station have not been addressed. The plan to house all on duty chiefs in one corner of the protection area is ill conceived and impractical. Our building committee, before being suddenly disbanded, was not in favor of this project. Fire administrators and architects are aware of these concerns and nonetheless, continue planning its construction.

Newly rebuilt Fire station 15 on I-10 Service Road is equipped with a vehicle exhaust ventilation system designed to reduce exposure to toxic exhaust fumes. Similar systems will be included in all future rebuilding projects. However, the system cannot be used because of a lack of an inexpensive adapter needed to connect the vehicles to the system. Once again administrators are aware of the problem, but refuse to purchase the necessary adapters.

The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) evaluates all fire departments to establish their insurance class ratings.

The East Bank Consolidated Fire Department is required by the PIAL to maintain a minimum of 1 spare ladder truck. The former spare ladder truck was purchased by the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department only 6 or 7 years ago at a cost of over $600,000.00. Several months ago, our spare ladder was placed in service in Terrytown, leaving the Eastbank Consolidated Department without a spare ladder. Fire administrators have purchased a new ladder truck that cost the Eastbank Consolidated Fire Department in excess of $1,000,000.00, making our oldest ladder truck; purchased in 2000, the spare ladder, replacing the one we unnecessarily sold ten months before it was replaced. The loss in PIAL points for this spare truck could lower our rating.

When one of our ladder trucks is out of service, it is replaced with a spare engine, instead of a ladder, because the ladder wasn't available and this comply with PIAL requirements for our community.

The Department purchased and installed on-board computers in all fire apparatus and chief’s vehicles. The computers are not operational. They lack the ability to communicate wirelessly. On-board computers are common in the fire service and can be beneficial, yet after incurring the expense for the equipment, Parish administrators refuse to make them operational.

Training:

The curriculum for rookie training classes is not consistent from class to class.

Firefighter’s hazardous materials certifications are not kept current.

EMT training mandated for the rookie class of 2005 was never completed resulting in 140 hours of unnecessary non fire related training.

For the first time, fire prevention personnel were not allowed to attend training required by the State Fire Marshal to maintain their certifications.
Interim Superintendent Saunders has also denied fire prevention personnel the opportunity to participate in incident command training.

Fire personnel have been trained in trench rescue, confined space rescue, structural collapse, and high angle rescue. Unfortunately, Fire administrators refuse to purchase the necessary tools and equipment to perform these types of rescues.

Poor planning places fire apparatus out of service for extended periods of time for training.

[firemanswife]

I would love to know what's going on with the Kartina bell money? I thought that money was to help the firemen? Is it true and who is in control of it?
Thanks