The end of my term as Chief is here...Just One More Day. Thank Heavens.
Finding out that one was duped... in any forum is disheartening to say the least... But the realization that it happened in an organization of which I've been a member for 18 years, really stinks.
But for the few members that have some real intellegence, I can quite frankly live without at least 27 members of my corps. The fact that they (the 27) re-elected the past Chief, the one that tampered with ballots after last years elections, boggles the mind. (but then again... the country elected Tricky Dick twice... so.....)
None the less, the days have dwindled down and soon I'll turn over the responsibilities of being Chief to her. It's almost a relief for me. My entire first year was spent putting out fires... not real fires, but the petty squabbles, intentional sabotage and in-fighting that are the clearest indicators of a split corps.
It's funny how some people can join an organization like ours, one that is dedicated to saving lives, helping the sick and injured in their time of need, helping to bring new life into this world and keeping the grim reeper at his distance because of our skills, and then could even think of not responding, staying away from, emergency calls for help, because I was Chief. To make me look bad? To raise our mutual aid numbers, which in reality makes the entire corps look bad?? Unthinkable, really sad... but true...
I knew this was the case early on in my one year as Chief. But there was little I could do to change it. I tried to be the good guy... to always do the right thing, the ethical thing, whether it made people happy or not. The right thing. When one is attempting to pull 50-60 people together against a tide of 20-30 people pulling it apart at every turn, is very hard. And remember, it is difficult to remember the original task was to empty the swamp, when you are up to your ass in alligators...
Prime example of what these people would do, the under handed tricks... Example, how about a past female Chief (older one, not the one just re-elected) currently Chairperson of the Board of Directors, offered to help me out by calling membership to try and get more people to come out on calls and instead attempted to destroy me in the same breath... What was I to expect? The fact that she would even have the nerve, the balls, the unmitigated gaul to say to many other members, "Larry is a burnt out, crispy critter" This should not really be all that surprising. Smiles in your face and stabs you in the back... Luckily, I have learned to take a lot of what happens with a grain of salt.
So tonight at 11:59:59 I will take my leave as Chief of the ambulance company. April 1st will mark the reign of a returning April Fool... At least this year, that's not me.
For the next year, I'll go back to being a first responder EMT, and serve on a shift like any other member... I'll have time for doing some things for myself, for my family. Will I run again?? Maybe, just to keep them honest... Well....as honest as possible anyway. Remember.... "HE ONLY WANTED THE CAR"... later...
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
What was lost... comes home...
DISCLAIMER: The images and writing contained in this blog are the thoughts and opinions of the blogger. Obviously, all names have been left out to protect both the innocent and the guilty. Thank heavens for the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution which allows presentation of my own feelings and opinions. There are those that feel I have violated privacy or confidences, however, with no names mentioned, attachment can only be made by inference. If by chance you don't agree with what is written here, or, feel you don't like what you have read, stop reading and don't bother coming back.
OK this is gonna sound convaluted...(sp?) but it really is...You be the judge. My daughter Rachel answers several ambulance calls one day... During one, she places her cell phone on the bench seat in the ambulance. When another alarm comes in, instead of getting in the original ambulance (where her phone was left) but into another waiting rig. While going to the next alarm, she realizes she left her cell phone, (a Nextel i860) in the other rig. She contacts them on the radio and requests the other crew look for her phone.
The other crew reports no can find... no phone anywhere. Hmmmmm... So after all calls are complete, a further search of all rigs, the various scenes and the hospital emergency room (including garbage pails), no phone.
Rachel posts a note at the ambulance HQ. Lost phone... if found please contact. Now, Rachel had only gotten this phone a week or so earlier. Luckily, she purchased insurance on the phone and for $100 deductible... got a replacement phone.
Her sign at HQ yielded no phone...
Now, two weeks or so after her phone is "lost?" another member comes up to her and "accuses" her of "accusing him" of stealing her phone. Rachel says...."no way..." Then he proceeds to show her HIS new cell phone... a Nextel i860 that he says he got, coincidentally, 2 days after she "lost" hers. Hmmmmmm... and there is a scratch on the phone just like the one on her original i860. Hmmmmmm..,
But, Rachel is cool... She does not want to jump to conclusions... But it bothers her...and with good reason.
Waiting until the time is right... Rachel finally gets the chance to confront the member who might have her phone. Using a ruse... she is able to check the Motorola serial number inside the phone. Boink... her original phone is in her hands.
Quietly, in private she confronts this individual, (I'm there watching) who becomes quite agitated over the situation. He complains that he is being "accused" of stealing Rachels phone. Rachel says she has no beef with him, she just wants her cell phone back. The suspect says he bought the phone from a neighbor for $150.00. (this was a brand new phone, selling at the best discounter for about $400)...
After much debate... the phone is returned to Rachel. Matter closed. She has her phone back... no further actions needed... (or so she thought)
The individual who had and gave up Rachels cell phone, then speaks out... to about 25 other members of the corps... that he is being accused of stealing Rachels cell phone... that she had tricked him (which she did) into seeing his phone... (stealing it was nothing... the fact that he was tricked bothers him) OK... Now everyone is hearing the story... but it all makes Rachel look like the bad guy... She's the victim here... LOL ... What to do... what to do... I think a police report might be in order... then what? ... This is where the story ends for now... as we know not yet where it will lead. More later.
OK this is gonna sound convaluted...(sp?) but it really is...You be the judge. My daughter Rachel answers several ambulance calls one day... During one, she places her cell phone on the bench seat in the ambulance. When another alarm comes in, instead of getting in the original ambulance (where her phone was left) but into another waiting rig. While going to the next alarm, she realizes she left her cell phone, (a Nextel i860) in the other rig. She contacts them on the radio and requests the other crew look for her phone.
The other crew reports no can find... no phone anywhere. Hmmmmm... So after all calls are complete, a further search of all rigs, the various scenes and the hospital emergency room (including garbage pails), no phone.
Rachel posts a note at the ambulance HQ. Lost phone... if found please contact. Now, Rachel had only gotten this phone a week or so earlier. Luckily, she purchased insurance on the phone and for $100 deductible... got a replacement phone.
Her sign at HQ yielded no phone...
Now, two weeks or so after her phone is "lost?" another member comes up to her and "accuses" her of "accusing him" of stealing her phone. Rachel says...."no way..." Then he proceeds to show her HIS new cell phone... a Nextel i860 that he says he got, coincidentally, 2 days after she "lost" hers. Hmmmmmm... and there is a scratch on the phone just like the one on her original i860. Hmmmmmm..,
But, Rachel is cool... She does not want to jump to conclusions... But it bothers her...and with good reason.
Waiting until the time is right... Rachel finally gets the chance to confront the member who might have her phone. Using a ruse... she is able to check the Motorola serial number inside the phone. Boink... her original phone is in her hands.
Quietly, in private she confronts this individual, (I'm there watching) who becomes quite agitated over the situation. He complains that he is being "accused" of stealing Rachels phone. Rachel says she has no beef with him, she just wants her cell phone back. The suspect says he bought the phone from a neighbor for $150.00. (this was a brand new phone, selling at the best discounter for about $400)...
After much debate... the phone is returned to Rachel. Matter closed. She has her phone back... no further actions needed... (or so she thought)
The individual who had and gave up Rachels cell phone, then speaks out... to about 25 other members of the corps... that he is being accused of stealing Rachels cell phone... that she had tricked him (which she did) into seeing his phone... (stealing it was nothing... the fact that he was tricked bothers him) OK... Now everyone is hearing the story... but it all makes Rachel look like the bad guy... She's the victim here... LOL ... What to do... what to do... I think a police report might be in order... then what? ... This is where the story ends for now... as we know not yet where it will lead. More later.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Post Election News
DISCLAIMER: The images and writing contained in this blog are the thoughts and opinions of the blogger. Obviously, all names have been left out to protect both the innocent and the guilty. Thank heavens for the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution which allows presentation of my own feelings and opinions. There are those that feel I have violated privacy or confidences, however, with no names mentioned, attachment can only be made by inference. If by chance you don't agree with what is written here, or, feel you don't like what you have read, stop reading and don't bother coming back.
Well... the feeling of exhilaration is simply amazing. I never thought losing an election could feel so good. Now I'll get the proper amount of sleep, something I've missed over the past year being Chief.
With all the petty childishness that went on, I'm surprised we survived. Between having one member tell others I was a "burnt out, crispy critter" and others actually believing it...I gotta tell ya...I'm very surprised and disappointed. I would have thought a greater majority of members could have seen though the bullshit. But alas, I was wrong. Promises win elections... And I made no promises. So...we'll see how this coming year goes. While I would have preferred being Chief another year, and was more than willing to devote the time and energy to do the job, the rest will do me good.
In the meantime, our annual "installation dinner" (where we feast and "install" [swear in] new officers, is now a dual celebration. Since we're still a split corps, one half will be celebrating my farewell party while the other half... well... watch as the new officers get installed.
All this would not bother me at all if there was some logical reasoning behind what has happened. I would have never thought that members with many years in the corps, many years of helping people in their time of need would stoop to such lows. To not come out and answer calls (which means a call is given to neighboring department) because I was Chief certainly must tell ya something. Patient care is not their goal. I asked, many times, "you wanna make me look bad... fine I can live with that, but don't let it affect our patient care." But alas, again I was wrong and that's exactly what many members did...Sad isn't it? Just one look at the stats and one can see what I'm talking about. Some members did not even do half of the calls they did the year before. Shameful. They short changed themselves and more importantly... our public. The residents we're suppossedly here to help.
Well... Enough of that. Now I'll stand my weekly duty shift and answer as many other alarms as possible. Will I answer 580 this year as the one just past? Who knows, but I'll not be riding for the "new-old" chief, I'll be responding for the residents of my community, my patients, not the chief. Somehow I don't think members got that idea, that you don't ride for the Chief... you ride for the public. That's what it's all about...
And another thing... (reply to this post if you will...) Maybe I'm confused... If I was a burnt out, crispy critter would I be more or less interested in patient care? I would think if I was burnt out I wouldn't give a damn. What do you think?
Now I think tomorrow I'll paint the new shed door. That's just one "around the house" job I've put off too long.
Till the next post...
Well... the feeling of exhilaration is simply amazing. I never thought losing an election could feel so good. Now I'll get the proper amount of sleep, something I've missed over the past year being Chief.
With all the petty childishness that went on, I'm surprised we survived. Between having one member tell others I was a "burnt out, crispy critter" and others actually believing it...I gotta tell ya...I'm very surprised and disappointed. I would have thought a greater majority of members could have seen though the bullshit. But alas, I was wrong. Promises win elections... And I made no promises. So...we'll see how this coming year goes. While I would have preferred being Chief another year, and was more than willing to devote the time and energy to do the job, the rest will do me good.
In the meantime, our annual "installation dinner" (where we feast and "install" [swear in] new officers, is now a dual celebration. Since we're still a split corps, one half will be celebrating my farewell party while the other half... well... watch as the new officers get installed.
All this would not bother me at all if there was some logical reasoning behind what has happened. I would have never thought that members with many years in the corps, many years of helping people in their time of need would stoop to such lows. To not come out and answer calls (which means a call is given to neighboring department) because I was Chief certainly must tell ya something. Patient care is not their goal. I asked, many times, "you wanna make me look bad... fine I can live with that, but don't let it affect our patient care." But alas, again I was wrong and that's exactly what many members did...Sad isn't it? Just one look at the stats and one can see what I'm talking about. Some members did not even do half of the calls they did the year before. Shameful. They short changed themselves and more importantly... our public. The residents we're suppossedly here to help.
Well... Enough of that. Now I'll stand my weekly duty shift and answer as many other alarms as possible. Will I answer 580 this year as the one just past? Who knows, but I'll not be riding for the "new-old" chief, I'll be responding for the residents of my community, my patients, not the chief. Somehow I don't think members got that idea, that you don't ride for the Chief... you ride for the public. That's what it's all about...
And another thing... (reply to this post if you will...) Maybe I'm confused... If I was a burnt out, crispy critter would I be more or less interested in patient care? I would think if I was burnt out I wouldn't give a damn. What do you think?
Now I think tomorrow I'll paint the new shed door. That's just one "around the house" job I've put off too long.
Till the next post...
Dan Returns to Iraq (tour 2)
DISCLAIMER: The images and writing contained in this blog are the thoughts and opinions of the blogger. Obviously, all names have been left out to protect both the innocent and the guilty. Thank heavens for the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution which allows presentation of my own feelings and opinions. There are those that feel I have violated privacy or confidences, however, with no names mentioned, attachment can only be made by inference. If by chance you don't agree with what is written here, or, feel you don't like what you have read, stop reading and don't bother coming back.
Well...Dan called March 9th and let me know he'd be free from duty on the afternoon of the 11th and not have to be back until 0'dark hundred on the 13th. On the 13th his battalion ships out. Dan was at Camp Lejeune, NC with the USMC training to return to Iraq.
So I called Dan's brother Jay, working at a ski resort in Vermont and told him, time to go... So he came home Thursday morning. Rachel called into work for Thursday night and Sunday night...I banged into my job and switched work days with two co-workers so I was off as well.
So off we went to be with Dan for a day and a half before he shipped out. Long drive, twelve hours plus, but more than worth it. Left in time to arrive at Lejeune just as Dan was getting off duty...About 8:30 AM. Found a hotel, checked in, got 2 hrs sleep and then on to the base.
Dan packing...at Camp Lejeune, Rachel,Dan and I watch.
While I am really worried and concerned for my son's safety and well being, he seems to be hooked up with a great band of brothers in his company and platoon. We'd met most of them before and enjoyed meeting Dan's new friends and comrades in arms.
We shopped for last minute things Dan wanted and ate like kings. Twice at the Texas Roadhouse restuarant... great food. Good quality time that I hope Dan remembers fondly while away at war.
At the Texas Roadhouse.. (left to right) Jay, Cpl Dan and Rachel.
Sunday morning came to quickly...and we had to say our goodbyes... The tears flowed and the hugs did not last long enough but finally we had to leave the base.
Jay, Rachel and I got home safe and sound in the wee hours of Monday morning. Jay left at 6 AM to return to Vermont. Rachel and I slept. Then I got a phone call from Dan at 7 AM (NY time). He called from Ireland... a stop over on the way to Iraq. He sounded good and was anxious to get there already. He said he'd call again when he could. I'm waiting patiently.
Trip was short but filled with great times and great memories. See ya...
Well...Dan called March 9th and let me know he'd be free from duty on the afternoon of the 11th and not have to be back until 0'dark hundred on the 13th. On the 13th his battalion ships out. Dan was at Camp Lejeune, NC with the USMC training to return to Iraq.
So I called Dan's brother Jay, working at a ski resort in Vermont and told him, time to go... So he came home Thursday morning. Rachel called into work for Thursday night and Sunday night...I banged into my job and switched work days with two co-workers so I was off as well.
So off we went to be with Dan for a day and a half before he shipped out. Long drive, twelve hours plus, but more than worth it. Left in time to arrive at Lejeune just as Dan was getting off duty...About 8:30 AM. Found a hotel, checked in, got 2 hrs sleep and then on to the base.
Dan packing...at Camp Lejeune, Rachel,Dan and I watch.
While I am really worried and concerned for my son's safety and well being, he seems to be hooked up with a great band of brothers in his company and platoon. We'd met most of them before and enjoyed meeting Dan's new friends and comrades in arms.
We shopped for last minute things Dan wanted and ate like kings. Twice at the Texas Roadhouse restuarant... great food. Good quality time that I hope Dan remembers fondly while away at war.
At the Texas Roadhouse.. (left to right) Jay, Cpl Dan and Rachel.
Sunday morning came to quickly...and we had to say our goodbyes... The tears flowed and the hugs did not last long enough but finally we had to leave the base.
Jay, Rachel and I got home safe and sound in the wee hours of Monday morning. Jay left at 6 AM to return to Vermont. Rachel and I slept. Then I got a phone call from Dan at 7 AM (NY time). He called from Ireland... a stop over on the way to Iraq. He sounded good and was anxious to get there already. He said he'd call again when he could. I'm waiting patiently.
Trip was short but filled with great times and great memories. See ya...
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
To Elect or Not
DISCLAIMER: The images and writing contained in this blog are the thoughts and opinions of the blogger. Obviously, all names have been left out to protect both the innocent and the guilty. Thank heavens for the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution which allows presentation of my own feelings and opinions. There are those that feel I have violated privacy or confidences, however, with no names mentioned, attachment can only be made by inference. If by chance you don't agree with what is written here, or, feel you don't like what you have read, stop reading and don't bother coming back.
Well... it's time for me to get a new psychic...lol... With a snowfall and ice storm following, Tuesday evening elections were held and many of those that might have come out to vote, could not or would not. But a majority of our members wanted to still hold the elections, bad weather or not... and so they were held.
I can sleep at night because I do the right thing, the honorable thing... the moral thing...I am ashamed of what took place tonight at elections... but I am not a sore loser, I actually look forward to the rest I be able to get. I lost by 3 votes, just like 2 years ago... no biggy... But what bothers me most is that my opponent, a former chief, who admitted tampering with the ballot envelope after last years elections won and nobody cares that she did it. As a matter of fact there were charges brought against her for doing so, but they were dropped due to technicalities...So we have a repeat chief, that admitted her guilt in ballot tampering after an election. What does that tell ya about our membership?
In any case, I wished her good luck for the coming year... Shook her hand in front of membership. I had sent out a letter to membership, prior to the election... Lots a people commented as to how good and well written it was.... but obviously, not good enough for those stuck on wanting the "good" accomplished during the last year to be over shadowed by all the bad...
None the less, I'll get more rest this coming year.... instead of running on calls so often. (580 for the year 2004-2005)
Well... it's time for me to get a new psychic...lol... With a snowfall and ice storm following, Tuesday evening elections were held and many of those that might have come out to vote, could not or would not. But a majority of our members wanted to still hold the elections, bad weather or not... and so they were held.
I can sleep at night because I do the right thing, the honorable thing... the moral thing...I am ashamed of what took place tonight at elections... but I am not a sore loser, I actually look forward to the rest I be able to get. I lost by 3 votes, just like 2 years ago... no biggy... But what bothers me most is that my opponent, a former chief, who admitted tampering with the ballot envelope after last years elections won and nobody cares that she did it. As a matter of fact there were charges brought against her for doing so, but they were dropped due to technicalities...So we have a repeat chief, that admitted her guilt in ballot tampering after an election. What does that tell ya about our membership?
In any case, I wished her good luck for the coming year... Shook her hand in front of membership. I had sent out a letter to membership, prior to the election... Lots a people commented as to how good and well written it was.... but obviously, not good enough for those stuck on wanting the "good" accomplished during the last year to be over shadowed by all the bad...
None the less, I'll get more rest this coming year.... instead of running on calls so often. (580 for the year 2004-2005)
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