Group of volunteer firefighters walk off job
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2021
- The move comes after the chief was fired: www.11alive.com/article/news/...
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If you rely on volunteers...they have every right to walk off.
Well walk on then. Good riddance.
@@SIRPRESSURE So if your boss steals from your 401 pension fund are you going to keep working for your boss. that is what it sound like here the city is not paying in.
You're a smart one. 🙄
@@MrNuthed I'm no politician but...volunteers? This isn't 1817. I would choose carefully next time I voted, if I lived there. JS
@@TorontoChick25 most fire departments in the US are volunteer
Unpaid volunteer. I lose nothing to give it up. You cannot fire me, as I am not employed by you. It is a privilege I grant. Mistreat me or my fellow volunteers, we will stand as one and quit.
The fact that so many have walked off means that they seem to believe the chief is right.
The chief was cheating on the behalf of the volunteers. He got caught and the pension fund will no longer accept his affidavits for the volunteer's pension credits. If they keep this chief, the volunteers will no longer receive pension credits. They are loyal, but stupid if they can't figure this out.
www.northwestgeorgianews.com/polk_standard_journal/news/local/polk-firefighters-quit-in-response-to-chief-s-dismissal/article_f83e6c28-a772-11eb-92ae-73ef18015117.html
@steven zander yes
@steven zander you back the police and they’re crooked
@steven zander easy I open my mouth, and your opinion doesn’t matter, facts do you lying sack of crap 💩
Government in a nutshell:
Volunteers serve the community, we mistreat them, they quit, we shame them.
The chief was stealing from the firefighters pension fund
Then why did the fire fighters quit ti support the chief if they were stealing from them? There's something wrong.
@@eleventwelve2650 take your pick blind loyalty or they were in on the crime and getting kick backs
Volunteers means slave.
If you guys have problems with government corruption, learn to do better elections.
"You're not allowed to quit, you're a volunteer!"
-Some local county official probably
Bruh moment
Wow. I cant remember my schedule and the way to work.
"I missed the part where that's my problem"
Quit!
@@reallyjusthalo What's "bruh??"
"they didn't quit the government, they quit the community"
Sounds to me like the community needs better government.
The volunteer jobs are open. Train and volunteer!
@@FM19MONTH yeah good luck on that one. We can't get people to work in first response when they're being paid. Forget volunteering.
What's ironic about their statement is that they are literally showing the community on social media rallying behind the firefighters lol its actually really disgusting how any government in the US local or federal tries to cover up the obvious truth with a piece of glass and expect everyone to believe them... and they went from 200 to 75 firefighters? That's a crisis for the government, not the community-- and clearly something is horribly wrong about laying off the cheif for you to lose over half your fucking employees lmao. Plus the government needs to literally fuck off with saying random ass independent people failed their community. They don't owe a piss or shit on the doorstep of the firehouse lol. They can leave whenever they want. They arent prisoners or slaves. They've failed no one. Better opportunities for them anyway I'm sure
Government is from community. We elect these individuals, to make decisions for us as a society. If the government isnt reflecting your lifestyle, the government is corrupt or the people are blind. #wethepeople( We the people. Not wet he people)
BROTHERHOOD
"they didn't quit the government, they quit the community"
Sounds exactly how I'd expect government to react nowadays.
Exactly!
Fook the community
Yep, a truly disgusting statement, downright revolting in fact
Their making a point. Y quitting sad for the community. But if their willing to quit it means that fire chief was a good boss and knew what they were doing.
Exactly. What a weak statement.
"They didn't quit the government, they quit the community"
This is literally something I'd jokingly say when I play dictator on Tropico or Frostpunk
The fire chief defrauded the pension fund. What do you wish happened to him?
Kim Jong Un says that all the time as well.
@@0IIIIII I was not expressing support nor opposition to the fire chief's dismissal. I was just saying that the sentence sounds like something I'd say in Tropico or Frostpunk
Dude I love tropico
Frostpunk is such a good game. I highly recommend it for people to play
"Quit the community"
"Community rallying behind them"
Seems a bit of a lack of communication is going on, either that or basic government stupidity, or both
@@kevinperron6740 the Community sent in the scabs 'behind them'.
"...they quit the community they served."
So, now they're trying to make the firefighters the bad ones? That's pathetic.
lol The bad one was the chief.
Well they walked off to support a man who supposedly was doing something shady, so yeah. I wouldn’t term them the bad guys but assuming the chief did what he’s accused of they certainly aren’t the good guys in this scenario.
They did...that is a fact, Their "loyalty" should be to the tones and not the chief if the chief is in the wrong..WHICH HE IS
Exactly!
I wish they would tell THE REAL STORY behind all of this....that’s too much to ask from “news” stations anymore though.......
This just shows where their loyalty lies at..like so many in this nation today....they rather follow individuals instead of what's right...their hearts weren't into what they were doing obviously if that's all it took
Sounds like the government trying to guilt trip those volunteer firefighters...jerks.
Exactly.
Yeah don’t worry our government will do what more important like send billions over seas to help with gender studies 🤦♂️
I wish I was being sarcastic🤦♂️
Perhaps you should question why these firefighters are so insistent that they want a boss accused of defrauding their pension fund to stay on the job. They sound more like accomplices than civil servants.
@@ezcoach5733 accused. not proven.
A volunteer is just that. Maybe the government should all be volunteers. No pay just commitment to helping others!
@Michael Denison the police used to be volunteers too, hired to keep the poor minorities in check in the cities. People tried reforming them to be community leaders and started paying them and giving pensions now they run around like fat spoiled murder babies or roid/coke raging frat boys. Honestly if the comments are correct about the chief these guys have every right to be upset but if they're volunteering and doing their job there's not even a reason to have a paid chief. They shouldn't screw the current one out of what was promised if he didn't do anything wrong but honestly they could operate without one and get better gear with the pay they pay a chief to sit around and manage them like children. Or they could even afford a little stipend for them. If not fuck it. People should have fire extinguishers anyway. Just like you have firearms to prevent intruders I don't see why people run and avoid their problems and expect them to come out. They should be prepared to put out their own fires and bulk up on that fire insurance. 🤷♂️
it would be nice if the government ever helped others instead of helping themselves.
The gov gets bank for doing a civil duty yet when you get jury duty you get $10 a day..... its all our faults since we know this is how it is and we fight amongst ourselves over left or right views....right into their hands.... smh
1000% agree just tax incentives
I agree politicians and government morons should not get paid. I vote for that. Otherwise there is nothing I care to vote for
"They didn't quit the Government, they quit the community they served"
Nope, just like most people in normal jobs, they don't quit their jobs, they quit their managers or bosses in most cases.
True. Not to mention if you stop volunteering at a place it's not really quitting anyways. I was a volunteer firefighter for 5 years and it was very spotty on who was gonna show up and that was without any protesting or disagreements its just the fact that people can't live on volunteering and so they give the time they have which is usually on the weekends and after 7 pm on weekdays but fires don't schedule appointments so you get what you get. Plus there is always a worst case senerio that one of the local paid u its will respond if you can't get any other volunteer unit to fill in numbers.
SJW's quit because they hate having to do work listed in their job descriptions. They want to get paid for just being there, for just existing and sucking up air. When bosses come down on them or their co-workers, they quit because they are right on the cusp of being fired already.
@Estrogen Fury You don't need new when the tried and true thing crops up like a reoccurring summer weed. Given your name here, the words you're using are the only ones you're even capable of using. A robot has no right speaking to anyone about mental development it is fundamentally incapable of.
@Estrogen Fury LMFAO. Let me get this straight. Your idiotic name is bait, proving that at all times you're acting in bad faith. Then you go on to call someone who is much more literate than you a "moron" who is compensating because my big words make your brain hurt.
That's some fine projection right there. How much money did you pay to become this big of an idiot?
Yh ive never quit a job i quit because of the bosses
Typical Government... Blaming them quitting on the community... No, they quit the Government.
The chief was lying to get more money, that is Theft, theft of Tax payer's $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Fire dept SAYS THEY NEED MORE MONEY!! They need MORE MONEY !!
The fire department wasn’t getting any of that money. The chief was embezzling for his personal gain. This people chose loyalty to a thief over the community.
@@mannyechaluce3814 You have no idea what happened a lot of departments like that one have 2-5 employees none of which have a MBA but are expected to put together huge budgets etc, he may have given "incorrect" info purely by accident.
@A Stoic's Door Eff you, you go out there and risk your life for a bunch of ungrateful politicians and you have no idea if it was just an error.
Don't take for granted the people putting their lives and their families well-being on the line in your community. They owe you nothing. If you have a problem with what they are doing, feel free to do the job yourself.
They can do whatever then yeah?
@@iamthatiam1944 Yes they can we have no obligation to help if we are treated like shit.
So ignore the wrong the chief did, as usual!
@@evettekelly3575 chief did nothing wrong infact I applaud him. You dumbasses need to realize volunteers struggle with money you cant except them to act as a paid department without getting money as a paid department. No money= No trucks, equipment, maintenance, building, Bill's, training, etc. So yes he did do the right thing which is why they are all leaving in masses becuase the need the funds
@@darthkillerhog you're a violent sounding seemingly entitled human I don't think it's healthy for anyone to try an listen to your point or follow your example.. They're wrong for lying and cheating then throwing tantrums rather than demanding financial justice for their situations if any.. It's enabling a con man that benefits them ofc they left they're no better. They knew what the work was and what it meant to join they're disgusting humans Im sure.
Volunteer: a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.
These volunteers: corrupt shits benefiting off of pension fraud who got pissy when the guy doing it for them got fired over it.
If you volunteer to serve soup in a soup kitchen you cannot guilt them for leaving when they fire someone they liked.
Yes you can.
@@tgipson20 i guess so if you don't want new volunteers
I just think as a volunteer fireman your intentions should be to help people. Walking out cause daddy got fired does nothing but put the community you’re supposed to protect in danger. It’s not hurting the city government it’s hurting the poor bastard who’s house catches fire and no one comes to help him.
Also the soup kitchen comparison if people quit charity operations like this because someone they liked was fired their intentions were never that pure in the first place
@@tgipson20 lmao you're the guy whining about police using dogs because they'll find your stash easier, I don't think your opinion is relevant
if they are an unpaid volunteer they can leave plain and simple in fact even if they were paid they can leave because no one is forced to do a job that’s how freedom works.
Exactly. Slavery is not legal in America anymore. Everyone has the right to quit at any time! N they r unpaid wtf why risk your life for free when the government is sending billions of dollars to other countries for covid, clearly Biden gives zero fs about hard working Americans.
@@jr1252 wtf Are you talking about, Biden doesn't care about workers? Polk County, GA is a Red County. It was Republican policy that is using these people for slave labor, guilting them to sacrifice themselves for the Karens of the state, not some Biden SuperAgenda. There's not a Blue name to paper in any Government-level decision in that county, so get your head out of your Donkey and pay attention.
That’s not how the military works sadly ): lol
@@KrooqRS You sign a contract when you join up. They can't fire you, either, unless you're criminal or grossly incompetent.
@@antondevonlh I'm just curious... how is it slave labor, when they "volunteered" to work for virtually nothing?
I love how the govt says these men quit the community and not the govt, it just goes to show that govt feels they can do whatever they want and treat people however they want, and they expect people to just deal with it because the community needs them. The govt is failing the community by mistreating the people who serve it.
The chief was essentially fired for defrauding the pension fund. That is a crime. He was fired with cause and it has nothing to do with the government that the other firefighters had quit.
@@Godsbackhand7 Soooooo, someone said he committed fraud so in your mind it's settled. He did it. You KNOW that.
@@Godsbackhand7 "the whole department quit but I'm still going to die on this hill."
Chances are the guy doesn't have the life style to line up with embezzlement.
@Ivar the Boneless Take a jab on who elects the government into power
@@ApeX-pj4mq these days ballots mean nothing.
"They didn't quit the government. They quit the community."
A) They are volunteers, and free to leave if they feel they're being chit upon.
B) It was the government that drove them to quit, so why is it not the government who failed the community?
Amazes me how these politicians are always completely blind to their own actions.
So, the government made the fire chief submit falsified records to the pension fund?
@@Piterdeveirs333 Boy, I'm glad you're not the executioner. You've already convicted the chief. I guess what the media tells you must be absolutely true. Like when the Capitol Police guard was beaten unconscious with a fire extinguisher and died from that assault. (then later quietly retracted when it came to light that the officer later tweeted that none of that happened)
Here's what I see. A chief immediately fired after a letter was drafted by the pension commission. No investigation, just boom! You're fired. Smells fishy as a seven day old cod. Then, ALL the firefighters quit. Why you suppose they'd do that? Because they were in on with whatever the chief supposedly did? Also, very fishy. Everything points to the chief getting shafted. Probably rubbed people in govt the wrong way, and they shafted him.
Also, the govt burning the bridges with the firefighters with that comment, solidifies that there is tension between the govt and the fire company.
@@ElementofKindness Nothing is ever the Governments fault to these people; they believe in the Government like the sheep they are.
@@ElementofKindness why would someone be executed for falsifying records?
@@Piterdeveirs333 self interest revenge. Politics. And by execution its possible to mean fired frome a job.
"To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day."
They sacrifice their lives, their funds, time with family etc. to try to help others.
God bless them.
My brother did it for free beer n food not free. Most volunteers are drunks.
@@jcoop3660 hey Im highly offended even if that's kinda true lol
@@shalucard107 then id have to guess your another lawless cultist.
@@jcoop3660 I mean it's a free country friend, you call me whatever you want.
@@jcoop3660 Ahh yes, the cult of obvious sarcasm. Better than the cult of baseless assertions and caveman grammar
They didn’t quit on their community. Their representatives mishandled their responsibility to theirs. Those volunteers are a part of that community.
@BillG Dontjabme idiot
@BillG Dontjabme I really hope your comment is satire.
@BillG Dontjabme do you think I’m white?
@BillG Dontjabme If you’re serious and not just trolling, I hope you take a look at yourself and start taking responsibility for your own shortcomings. People’s place in life is nobody’s fault but their own. When you understand that, you’ll become much happier and less likely to get mad at strangers on the internet.
@BillG Dontjabme you’ll have to excuse me. You are very ignorant and there’s nothing you and I need to discus.
As a proud pyro maniac I'm so happy to hear this.
Let’s go flame some shit up Kemosabe
🔥
My fellow pyros, we must rise and shine to smell the ashes
Are you planning any of special gender reveal parties this season?
@@jctu186 I prefer the term arsonist
those men don’t just volunteer - they put their lives on the line regularly. they have made a great choice
In this country; standing for what's RIGHT is FROWNED UPON while STANDING behind WRONG is popular 😂
So true.
God speaks of this in The Bible.
“People will call right wrong , and wrong right”.
This is just a sign of the times we are living in and the end is near. Just make sure we are living a life that will grant us entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. 🙏🏽😷
Right. They can stand for the wrong things but walk off the job when the chief is caught doing wrong? I am flabbergasted!! 🤦🏾
People hate truth.
They destroy and kill anything good, conservative and wholesome.
@@rebeccalankford8573 Do you know why people hate the truth? Because this world is built on lies. You can't create bad and expect something good to come out of it. No matter where you look, there is money, sex and hatred everywhere, this is the foundation of our society and people live in the illusion that something will change. Something will change when everything explodes in a moment and it will get even worse. Welcome to the hell
@@purelive8484 Sadly you are right. I had a rude ENLIGHTENMENT
Can't treat people who volunteer their time to save others like shit! No one is going to keep taking it any longer! Thank you for your hard work and dedication and for standing up for yourselves!
if the allegations are true that they were claiming credit for calls they didn't bother going to; then they aren't volunteering their time any more, and their hard work and dedication is only on paper. if the allegations are true, they have been caught helping themselves to pension contributions they didn't earn.
@@kenbrown2808 "if the allegations are true, "
Thank you! an adult comment!
Then the next step is IF the allegations are true where they just sloppy bookkeeping or deliberate fraud.
No one said they were treated like shit, they said the chief got fired because of allegations that the pension made that he was cooking the books
The community needs people to fight fires, If you have the training, skills, experience and ability and you leave when the community needs you than you are quitting the community. That puts lives at stake. You can quit most other things and someone can pick up your slack but that, especially with no warning, is irresponsible, and an emotional move. This isnt a comment on the firing of the chief.
They basically said "let the whole county burn", what if ot was your mother or father in a fire and they didnt have enough trained people to respond?
@@whatabouttheearth "what if it was your mother or father in a fire and they didnt have enough trained people to respond?"
Good point! So what engine company are you a volunteer firefighter with? I mean you talk the talk but do you walk the walk?
@@whatabouttheearth if they're only there for the pension, will the community miss them?
As they say, "don't bite the hand that feeds you". If you screw with someone you heavily depend on, then don't expect them to bring you the goods the next day.
Who screwed with who?
@@mrsatire9475 the LGU to the volunteers and one of the staff there
@@3sty216 - Why did they commit pension fraud?
@@mrsatire9475 probably for easy money
the department submitted false information to the pension fund. why is only ten seconds of coverage given to the reason for the firing? did the department have a moral reason to submit false information? what was the false information? i want to know what these firefighters are quitting in support of.
you can say you support a man, but can you support a crime?
Sauce?
@@kevinbarber2795 www.11alive.com/article/news/local/volunteer-firefighters-quit-after-chief-fired-polk-county/85-c6ee36e4-c69c-4f7f-95dc-223f14683745
first paragraph. "showed the department submitted false information to the fund."
in the video they gloss it over as being "prompted" to fire the chief.
was the chief trying to give the fighters more money because they deserve it? or was he pilfering the retirement fund?
these firefighters shouldn't be endangering lives without knowing the full story.
which i still can't find. everyone seems focused on the walkout and not the reason for the firing in the first place.
You can. Just look at every other aspect of American bureaucracy.
Crime of money for a life
Kind of glossed over the submitting false information thing. Maybe coverthe real story. Was the dismissal justified or not. Because if it was, good riddance to bad rubbish. That includes the cheif and all the volunteers that back him. If it wasn't justified, then have him reinstated and all the volunteers will come back. But a story which basically says "the volunteers like him" is a waste of time.
Totally agree !!
This EXACTLY. This is why stupid people get elected, lack of information.
💯
With the way Politics are running all the way down to School Boards, details matter,& when they Aren’t given, & Don’t hear Both full story sides, Suspicion of Both sides til Proven. So the firefighters are either Dumb, Crooked too, or sticking up for a Good Guy getting falsely Railroaded to make way for whoever the money is backing. Jumping to Any conclusion based on one side, is exactly what these knee jerk asswipes want from the public-makes changes of our destruction soooo easy.
@@tonyaduvall49 "Polk country says it recieved a letter from the firefighters pension fund.", "The county received a letter from the Georgia fire fighters pension fund that shows the department submitted false information."
Less than 10 seconds out of 2:42 video and the second statement repeats the first. Neither really give any details. Certainly not enough to make a judgement whether this was a minor clerical error or if the cheif was embezzling funds to spend on hookers and blow. Did I miss some detail that you got from this video?
There must of been something deeper going on that they are not telling us.
Politics...
ALWAYS
Who knows. Fire departments are grown men crying over spilled milk all day.
Yeah pension money was being grafted
@@ElGeetaro8929 Hope You Never Need Their Services!!!!Bet You Have NEVER Jeopardized YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR ANYONE, THEY ARE THE BRAVEST MEN& WOMEN YOU COULD MEET!!!!🤬🤬
How can they walk “off the job” when they were never on the job?
& whenever they were on the job, they would have always been running, so one must wonder if these people weren't already done and finished.
I love how they just skip right over the whole "Irregularities in the pension fund" issue.
I thought that too till I read the linked article at the top.
According to county manager Matt Denton, the county received a letter from the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund that showed the department submitted false information to the fund. 11Alive has submitted an open records request for that letter.
They had to skip over it because there wasn't enough evidence to go to court. There's basically nothing to talk about.
If he was actually messing with the pensions and they had proof of it he'd have gone to federal court. The city council wouldn't have been able to cut him a deal where he was just fired.... It's out of their authority when you start measuring the pensions.
So based on that it seems like they didn't have enough evidence to convict him of anything, but still fired him. Which could upset people when they see that happen
@@chrisdowns8859 that does not matter the firemen want there boss back and by no reinstating him the county is putting lives at risk what's the bet the guy is a trump supporting republican and the county is democRAT
If someone we love done wrong they need to.be held accountable.
That's assuming the allegations of wrong doing are true. What if the allegations are false and the crew know it?
They are volunteers, they have served, let others step up and volunteer.
@@anneb889 That is true but that is not the reason they walked off. They are putting up with wrong doing . Just like how police back the blue.
@Jesus Gonzalez Sounds more like a criminal matter than a political one.
BUT what if someone you love is wrongly accused? See, that sword swings both ways.
How about those public officials reveal to the community what their personal bank accounts look like, THEN we’ll talk from there...
So much facts.
Sad to see Polk County continue to vote Republican, who opposed the infrastructure rebuilding and wage increases. Both would help keep the pressure off of firefighters.
Let's reveal what the false information the chief was submitting to the pension board. If it was a justifiable firing, then all these volunteers who quit are just throwing a tantrum because one of their own was held accountable.
Glad to see some people actually stand up for something.
I’d like to know more about the chief and his dismissal.
If he’s crooked, their allegiance is misplaced.
He was fired for stealing from the firefighters pension fund and submitting falsified reports
@@signumxmagnum @Rudeus Machina Why? its bunch of uneducated losers who mostly become "VOLUNTEER" Firefighters. Imagine being that uneducated and pathetic, that they have to volunteer to find any meanings in their life. Kinda shows with these losers who quit because their crooked firechief daddy got punished. Wouldnt be surprised if they were all part of some pedophile ring too.
@@JC-fy8wh These people are more way respectable than some coward like you who only speak stupid things just because you think you were anonymous.
@@JC-fy8wh Quit talking about yourself it isn't nice.
@@JC-fy8wh you must be on that city council...
They have 9 stations and they are STILL A VOLUNTEER department? WTH???? Why aren’t they a paid department if they’re that large?
Make you wonder right I think its a city official issue
Might be different local communities that offer mutual aid to each other. We have to do that here because nobody want to volunteer anymore. Or if they do they drop out when they find out there is real training that happens.
@@user-neo71665 The IAFF (I'm Afraid to Fight Fire) Union has lobbied hard to have insane monthly training requirements to drive volunteers away. They feel that every volunteer is stealing a job from a paid man.
Cheap government pencil pushers. I know counties where there is over 30 stations and all unpaid minus the chief and deputy, as most places pay the chief and deputy chief some form of paycheck.
I know several fire fighters who volunteer in one county and work in others or cops who volunteer. There's much room for volunteering in these areas to give back to your community. That many aren't standing behind the Chief for a legitimate reason. Fire chiefs are appointed, so I'm sure it's going to turn out to be a political vendetta.
Soooo What did the chief get fired for? Falso info on a pention fund? We dont know the details, messing with the financials that involve people's retirements IS A BIG DEAL!!!!
he was a crook probably and let the firefighter did what they want so someone found out and fired him I'm thinking...
Exactly, we don't know the details.
We do know that a lot of people are standing by the Chief. But no mention of their perspective and no details on the allegation .
I will refrain from forming an opinion with so little info.
Probably did voted for biden I did also anybody better then childish trump..
@@coach2208 I lose my job friday and ain't mad MEXICAN got it for cheaper pay...let them make sum money to help there family back home I'll draw unemployment for 2 years and get food stamps...piss off my porch everyday mexican is alright with me...
@@coach2208 is that right by them doing what they did following a person that is suspected to be crooked but yet they can't speak up or say why they following him. Sounds like a blind move yo me. Just like the orange donkey and all his supporters. Following with no clue why and can't provide any proof what he says that shows he legit
Sighing at some people that reside here
God bless volunteer fire fighters. Thank you for giving up your time for the community.
Anyone who disparages VolUnTeEr firefighters for doing what they feel is right not as much as an allegation of wrongdoing on the part of the firemen is completely despicable. They are VOLUNTEERS!
Volunteer firefighters should not be working this like a full job. They still have to earn money and just do this out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s unfair to expect them to do all that putting their lives on the line while still working to support their families. They didn’t fail their community, the government did. Thank you for your service ♥️
I was a career firefighter for several years and I refuse to go back into the field, due to how departments are managed. Good on them for being volunteers and standing up for themselves.
Just wondering how the management was bad? ( I’m about to become full-time)
Thanks for ya work! :D
Hope y’all doing well!
In these times!
I was volunteer for nearly ten years on a rural department in western Kentucky, and it was pretty much ran by one family and a board. It’s good to be on a volunteer department if you have a good group of people running it, and a good crew. Unfortunately about every department in my county always had nothing but problems... One department had a chief who was forging signatures on training records...
Their Chief let them down. That’s unfortunate. Sounds like he lead a solid bunch of folks. He’s fortunate he won their loyalty.
The chief of that station lied on affidavits that pertained to pension funding. Lying about training hours and attendance on fire calls. All the people walking out and supporting that chief says a lot. No honor or integrity in anyone of them.
@@signumxmagnum Its the other way around, people with honor and integrity would inform authorities on wrongdoings & crooks would defend their own or have their no snitch policy.
@@pasta502 People with honor and integrity do not snitch, do not form lynch mobs at the drop of a news article, and stand by their comrades even when they know those comrades are wrong. That these men chose to stand beside someone who confessed to misdeeds speaks volumes of their loyalty to him. If no firefighter will work the job without someone picking pennies from the jar, maybe it's high time firefighters stop being a volunteer position and start being treated like a proper profession.
Until then, the people of that community have a whole fire department's worth of gear and space. I'm sure that those moaning freaks who agree with this government slander will gladly take up the cause that they believe these men were retroactively never worthy of.
I'm sure they're lining up as we speak. Right? RIGHT?
@@pasta502 Lied for himself and others to get paid more pension. Lied to scam tax payers. If he didn't lie an try to scam he would have Honor and Integrity. Simple. He knew what he was doing an so does the people that Quit.
The preacher at our church is known to be pretty critical of volunteers, now they are having trouble finding volunteers.
Well preacher. Suit up and stand in the gap
That is just sad. That pastor speaking against people who are selflessly volunteering, and doing so from the pulpit, makes for a great hypocrite. Pseudo-christian imo. smh makes genuine pastors and churchgoers in general all look like hypocrites and fake christians.
What is his issue with Volunteer firefighters?
id like to know his issue as well
@@mikeunt7021 I agree. Why would he even be talking about that subject in the first place? He should have encouraged volunteering if anything. Sounds like a church to avoid to me
I was a Volunteer Emergency First Responder (Rescue) for 30 Years.
I was fortunate to never get into the situation where I needed to Quit.
Only once, during a Disaster did I almost quit, but that was because My Services were being ignored and I was sitting in My Headquarters being ignored and not being deployed.
I wish these Brave Volunteers every success in their struggle.
Emergency Service Volunteers are an exceedingly rare breed.
I must say I don't fully understand what is the fuel behind the volunteering of such level of activities? These are no trivial tasks! Is it devotion in the love of the community? The self-satisfaction of achieving? For decades? If so it must be truly fascinating!
@@tianxiu in Australia (and perhaps elsewhere also) the average duration that a person Volunteers in any Emergency Service Organisation is 3 to 5 Years.
Service to Community is a very big part of why people Volunteer, the acquisition of Skill and Experiences not available to the average person are other reasons and also (not to put too fine a point upon it) the fact that many women like dating Uniformed Men.
@@Blackwater_House Thank you!
@@tianxiu In Norway, with the exception of helicopter rescue, some specialized firefighter units etc, all search and rescue is done by volunteer organizations. Im a member of the local Red Cross SAR group.
We have an extremely large area with demanding terrain, partially on a mountain plateu, with altitude differences of as much as 1500m over extremely short distances.
We currently operate three ATVs and four snowmobiles, one car for personell, one car for equipment, and one ambulance tailored for monitoring and advanced first aid, but not at the normal 'ambulance' level. Basically a primitive ambulance i suppose.
Our municipality has one normal ambulance stationed here. It has an operating area of over two hours drive one way. If it is away, we have nothing but air ambulances for coverage. If the weather is bad, we have nothing.
Me and a majority of the other team members here go by the principle of 'if we dont, no one else will'.
Heli rescue is only available 35% of all missions due to weather or terrain. One mission this easter required a 100km snowmobile drive, one way, to retrieve 5 people struggling with frostbite, hypothermia and exhaustion.
It took us 16 hours to make that drive due to terrain, high levels of snow melting, causing wet snow, water up to the waist, snowmobiles getting stuck, extremely short visibility, rain, etc.
We made it out with all 5 people and were met by ambulances standing by on the road. We finished up, went back to the depot, washed and disinfected all our gear, had some pizza and went home.
This is for free, no personal expenses with regards to clothing, uniforms, time or equipment is covered for. You are lucky if you get paid leave by your employer.
Because no one else is there to respond if we dont.
We average about 50 rescue missions a year. Search operations also take up a large amount of hours, but few choose to respond to them unless in our municipality. Because even if we are the only medical or rescue unit in our municipality at the time, we still get called out to rescues and searches across the county, a 4hr drive at the most.
And most members are here to look out for our people, because if we cant, there is a chance no one else can either.
@@matiashogden1240 That is intensive!
The county needs to grow a pair and actually appreciate their volunteers rather than treat them like crap. I hope that the county mayor or official is put in place.
Good on them they're amazing people that stand with their chief..
Amen we all stand with y'all. Because if we don't stand up for what we believe in then who will. God bless.
I live here in Polk county and I stand with them. My father-in-law and my 2 brothers in law are volunteers for the fire department. I support the police, military, firefighters, 911 operators and our truckers. I love you guys and thank you for everything y'all do for us.
If you live there maybe you can explain the whole submitting false information to the pension fund thing.
They stuck by his side like brothers. God bless
its volunteer for a reason. treat em poorly what happens. i stand behind em. stand strong
Nothing beat a heart of a volunteer. For they love what they do.
That is sad for them, Accountability matters, crooks are not supposed to have a place in community service.
Well there goes every Democrat that ever lived.
@@yapandasoftware What an idiot.
@@musiclaboratory9694 Yeah I agree.. Leftist Democrats are all idiots.. good call.
@@yapandasoftware it's a fool that is 100% sure of anything.
@@musiclaboratory9694 You sure know a lot about being a fool. I can't compete with your superior foolish intellect. Heck you're probably a professor on the subject and I wouldn't stand a chance.
Let's discuss Artificial Intelligence and neurophysiology instead so at least I'll have the advantage.
We dont value fire fighters enough in the United States, especially in California. You actually don't understand how strenuous and dangerous being a firefighter is. My father was one for many years, and he suffered many permanent injuries due to it. They are under-staffed, under-valued, and under-payed in California.
Ironically they are the state with most forest fires
When it said "walk off job" I thought they showed up to a burning building and just left.
Thats what I thought too
I'm a Fire Chief of a "paid on call" FD.
I was having trouble with a couple board members because I refused to do things their way, one threatened to fire me. I informed him he needed 3 of 5 board members to do that. He responded with "no problem".
Next election I'm still here, they're gone.
19 out of 22 of my guys said that if I was gone they would leave to support me.
While I appreciated that devotion to me, my response was, "you didn't become a firefighter because I was Chief don't leave your community because I'm not Chief".
Thankfully it didn't come to that.
Hell yeah, sounds like you need to run for one of those offices to protect the FD as well as potentially admin it.
This is really crappy reporting. The guy commenting on screen was not identified. Who the heck is he? The county got a letter from the pension fund claiming false docs. Was there an investigation? Did anybody ask the fire chief for his response? Was anybody tried and convicted? I am left wondering what actually happened in Polk County
@Jesus Gonzalez It was challenging to translate the gutter English, but I do not believe you made any response to the original comment.
Bravo guys. Stand strong and thank you for your selfless service in answering the call, running toward the disaster. God bless y'all.
The chiefs under investigation for fraud and it looks like he was stealing from the firefighters pension fund
I’m glad the government is making this community safe. Thanks government.
Here where I live we are our own firefighters we own the building neither the city nor the county control us we do fundraisers to help with buying equipment no government can fire us or the chief as volunteers we don’t need others telling us what to do we put our lives at risk for nothing but satisfaction of helping a community
same
Is that sustainable? That would be amazing. Best of luck.
it takes a lot of fund raising events and a great community.
Where do you get the money for trucks you can't get it all from fundraisers and the cost for everthing that is needed
@@glenndoe7964 we get grants from the state sometimes and yea we have a very generous community
As you know, the fund relies on the affidavits of the chiefs of the volunteer fire departments to confirm that not only did the department/station offer the requisite amount of training, but that the volunteer firefighter who is a member of the fund completed the requisite training and attended the requisite number of fire calls for the year
The letter states that Lacey had allowed members of the pension fund to sign documents well after the incident claiming they had attended a fire call and directed others to change records claiming the same. The letter also states that there has been “a recurring problem” with Lacey and the county fire department in terms of discrepancies with training hours and fire call attendance that have led to some members of the fire department having creditable service under the pension fund revoked. As the board of trustees has determined that your affidavits are unreliable, the fund will no longer accept any affidavits signed by you and provided to the fund
north west georgia news article was my source
the problem can be fixed with a new fire chief, but people dont want a proper fire chief.
Well what can be expected in Georgia, lying, cheating and fraud is their cup of tea.
thanks for the info piece
@Jesus Gonzalez the sherrifs office is far superior lol
@Jesus Gonzalez for their safety. Yeah, the thought mentality of 2021 clowns.
It's a lot more complicated than that, The area they cover gets lower insurance rates based on the grade of the department and their training. That's a huge financial incentive for every citizen. Many departments are struggling to keep people and are understaffed. The Chief may have been pressured or felt pressured to bolster his attendance and training numbers. Federal funding is also affected by these numbers.
The municipality is in for a hard lesson when something awful happens due to a lack of volunteers. It’s sad that things get pushed to a tragedy before things change
What exactly was the false information. People need to understand that the state pension for firefighters is part of the state of Georgia. They guidelines which are actually laws that much be adhered to.
Augusta Fire Chief James was falsifying information also. He was allowing EMS personnel into the firefighters pension.
This pension is for firefighters only!
Kudos to these guys for standing up for what they believe in and refuse to be pushed around, all public services should do the same, if you want to hate on police, fire, EMS they should all walk off and see who comes to the rescue .
More information:
Lacey's dismissal came after a review by the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund. According to the review, Lacey, who has been with the county since 2011, allegedly falsified records and allowed firefighters to sign documents some time after an incident claiming members had responded to a fire call.
The review also claimed that Lacey and the department had a continuing discrepancies with training hours and fire call attendance. This has led to revocation of creditable service for some firefighters.
Thanks for giving us more information than the news..for free
Annnnd I bet he had to do that in order to keep the retention of the VOLUNTEER fire fighters..
@@presidentnotsure1066 Nail. on. the. head.
Next time I read the comments first
What do you expect from a volunteer fire fighting department?? Obviously, these unpaid fire fighters were expected to show up as if they were paid. SMH. I would have walked away too, if I was treated with such disrespect. Obviously, the fire fighters stood behind their chief, or they wouldn't have walked away.
"They didn't quit the government; they quit their community." Wrong, their government quit them.
The chief falsified information to his pension fund. He deserves to be fired and have his pension revoked.
People think it's no big deal to shit on first responders (police, fire, ems), until they're personally effected by not having them around or not having enough of them. Support the people that put their lives on the line for you.
Firemen stuck close to each other. They depends on each other to stay alive.
They screwed their community
The community needs people to fight fires, If you have the training, skills, experience and ability and you leave when the community needs you than you are quitting the community. That puts lives at stake. You can quit most other things and someone can pick up your slack but that, especially with no warning, is irresponsible, and an emotional move. This isnt a comment on the firing of the chief.
They basically said "let the whole county burn", what if ot was your mother or father in a fire and they didnt have enough trained people to respond?
Sign up James
Key word on Volunteer. Funny how little motivation you have to do that when they don't appreciate you.
@Kali Shabazz Because they are literally volunteers. They lose nothing by leaving and gain nothing by staying. They can leave just because they don't feel like it if they like. This isn't their job nor do they have any obligations whatsoever.
It's disgusting that they are being publicly shamed for standing up against what is wrong. Seems to be the norm now. God bless them. The man they stand for must be one hell of a leader.
The "reporters" are really lacking in details on this story...
How can I make an informed opinion if you don't say why he was fired? The way I understand it he was fired for fudging documents and everybody in the community is OK with fudging documents. Is that what you wanted to report?
Ppl would rather stand by leadership than to stand by truth
Violations in reports to the pension fund . HMMMM . More detailed information please .
I love when these kind of stories leave the 'why' part out. Sounds as if he was doing some dirty shit and got caught and thinks that a department quitting is gonna save him. Sounds like an investigation should get on it's way. We will continue to see the bad ones weed themselves out like they've done nothing wrong to screw the communities they supposedly serve.
That's how you peacefully protest an stand for their brother✊🙌
You can't imagine what it takes to make those whose life is spent in service to walk away.
If the report about the chief is true, the people will be better off with a new chief and new crews
@owo グーチmoshi lol i have seen so many cases where small towns have so much injustice. every one in every one else's business. many times they let their personal judgments and relationships cloud the truth. it is hard to throw someone you grow up with or has a relationship with your family in jail.
Why was the chief fired?
That's the missing part of this story....
Like a huge part of the story
Of course they are doesn’t fit there propaganda you’ll catch on later though
At 1:00 into the video they say the city got a letter stating the chief submitted false information to a pension fund. The community is essentially saying they approve of possible corruption.
@West Coast Warlord998 they walked off in support of him not the town
Make it simple, if you are risking your life I order to protect the community give them tons of incentives instead of crumbs. The same goes to other public services.
I have a lot of respect for firefighters. ESPECIALLY these ones.
There standing up for a guy who was stealing from the pension fund
It's 4 am so I might not be fully awake, but I just watched this video and have no idea why they fired the guy
The Georgia firefighters' pension fund informed the county government that the fire department had given them fasle information.
Edit: www.northwestgeorgianews.com/polk_standard_journal/news/local/polk-firefighters-quit-in-response-to-chief-s-dismissal/article_f83e6c28-a772-11eb-92ae-73ef18015117.html
@@possumverde thank you for the link and explanation. Now, I'm not a journalist or anything - but my follow-up question (if I were the journalist) would be "what information did they falsely claim?"
Like not putting a middle name on a form is a lot different than claiming 15 dependents.
As someone who has had an employer actively audit my entire past work history looking for an excuse to fire me - just listing the wrong month on a date (+1/-1) was enough to get my co-worker fired for "lying on his resume"
Sorta missing a bit of details on this story
They said he was sending in wrong stuff to the pension, in other words they are saying he was cooking the books
That irrelevant. the community needs people to fight fires, If you have the training, skills, experience and ability and you leave when the community needs you than you are quitting the community. That puts lives at stake. You can quit most other things and someone can pick up your slack but that, especially with no warning, is irresponsible, and an emotional move. This isnt a comment on the firing of the chief.
They basically said "let the whole county burn", what if ot was your mother or father in a fire and they didnt have enough trained people to respond?
@@whatabouttheearth then let the county governing body get off their pocketbooks and actually hire firefighters/paramedics to protect their communities and not rely on free labor from volunteers. The local govt. should already have enough stations and paid firefighters to cover the community and the volunteers are there to help. If they are relying on volunteers to save communities then they have their priorities in the wrong places.
@@bigcountry15151 one of the biggest threats to volunteer firefighting is paid professional firefighters. In a few cities that I have worked at; the volunteer firefighters were the ones fighting against paid firefighter positions because many of them will not get hired for those paid positions. The reason why: they will fail the minimal standards to get hired by the city or the promotion chances they have (i.e nepotism) disappear.
No matter how much you love someone they have to be held responsible in these circumstances. Accountability over friendship in the workplace. Why drain an already drained county.
Exactly
You're assuming he did something wrong. What if the allegations are false and his men know that, hence their protest? I've seen acts like this in the military to defend good NCOs and Officers, and the men who protested were justified in their defense of their leaders in those cases. When the crew are protesting like this, i take their concerns seriously.
Hey before you criticize those firefighters for quitting I suggest you strap up and volunteer as a firefighter. These guys are a rare breed of human being. They're brothers and sisters who stand shoulder to shoulder with each other and never leave a man down. Politicians fucking with pensions happens more times then you could possible imagine. But that doesn't mean you jeapordize the safety of a community. I commend those firefighters for quitting, that's the true meaning of brotherhood.
@@SoloRenegade, and you’re assuming he wasn’t investigated....If he was found guilty, then he deserves to be fired.. Sadly firefighters, cops and civil service employees will go to bat for their fellow co-workers, even when they are wrong.
@@rogerdean5313 Oh I agree. if found guilty, he should be fired. But not Before. Due process, presumption of innocence must apply. No punishment before conviction. That is how it is supposed to work in the US. Yes, we do watch each others backs, it's a requirement of the job. Nobody in the services such as police, military, firefighters...want anyone on their team who doesn't have their back. But we've turned in guys who did wrong too. but we stand by those who did no wrong.
It’s amazing how if these guys see someone in danger they would still help they are not monsters and they are not robots....Good for them
He falsified information to his pension fund. The volunteer firefights are basically saying “we know he did something that would constitute a dismissal but we’re gonna pretend like that didn’t happen and quit anyway so that it seems like he did nothing wrong”. The chief turned in falsified information and he was fired. No matter what he did that was amazing for the community, he still falsified information so he deserves the punishment. All the volunteers that quit are children. You make a mistake, you accept the consequences. Shame on them for abandoning their duties because the chief decided to falsify information.
You know you did the right thing when other people try to make you feel bad about it.
As you know, the fund relies on the affidavits of the chiefs of the volunteer fire departments to confirm that not only did the department/station offer the requisite amount of training, but that the volunteer firefighter who is a member of the fund completed the requisite training and attended the requisite number of fire calls for the year,” the letter states.
“The review of the documentation provided by your department simply does not support the affidavits which you signed and provided to the fund.”
The letter states that Lacey had allowed members of the pension fund to sign documents well after the incident claiming they had attended a fire call and directed others to change records claiming the same.
The letter also states that there has been “a recurring problem” with Lacey and the county fire department in terms of discrepancies with training hours and fire call attendance that have led to some members of the fire department having creditable service under the pension fund revoked.
“As the board of trustees has determined that your affidavits are unreliable, the fund will no longer accept any affidavits signed by you and provided to the fund,” the letter states.
I stand with them ! Fire Fighters are heroes. The run in when everyone else is running out !
Good for them! Law enforcement should take note!
I’m thinking that the chief probably tried to help everyone by playing with the paperwork and it ended in his termination.
It would be nice, just for once, if the media came out and told the Public the whole truth. Not smoke and mirrors.
@@richardharlow1748 you're presuming they know the truth. The media is only aware of what those in the know are willing to share. The Chief isn't talking, and the government's not allowed to. They've probably told us everything they know.
That's entirely possible. Robbing a bank to pay for Grandma's glasses is still a crime, albeit one that a foolish person might find justifiable.
He was trying to take care of his old timers that could run calls anymore but we're about to retire
@@christopherwallace3246 That sounds entirely likely.
My father had always told us kids "stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything" and I try to live my life by that. These FF felt they had to stand theur ground you cannot stand by and watch injustices happen...this is America and I think politics play and speak far too much in things they should stay out of. Yes, its scary to not have a department but its just as scary to see your administrators repeatedly doing the wrong thing to good citizens!
This is going to end horribly. The county needs to respect those men
It's the mayor who dictates who gets paid and what gets cut. We have the lowest paid firefighters in my county and 20 firefighters ended up quiting in a week alone all because of the mayor. If you look at it by the hourly, they ended up making $11/hr and their trucks are over 20 years old. They deal with upkeep training and recertifications and tackle some traumatizing scenarios. And McDonald's are hiring at $15/hr.
All the power to them!!
When I had my first kid all they did was cry, cry, cry so I just walked out. Same deal.
Lol on a serious note though wish these brave guys the best, firefighters rarely get the gratitude they deserve for their heroism and doing it for free is beyond admirable.
If that was meant to be funny sadly you missed the mark by a mile. Maybe go back to the range and practice on your marksmanship. You got the squeeze the trigger part down good though.
@@wpeale71341 This is just weird bro. Triggered by bad joke.
While I am not sure of the details concerning the chief, I am very disappointed in the brothers that laid down their gear and walked away from the community. Service and Protection should never be sold off to politics or personal problems, place that all outside and protect and serve your community and lead by example with honor and integrity. First in, Last Out.
They are volunteers. They did not quit. You quit a job. They left a cause that proved it not deserve their freely given time.
To those two cities,stand up for your co workers
My county got rid of all volunteer firefighters. It takes 15-20 minutes for the main fire station to get to where I live, so it hit hard when the volunteer station that would take less than 5 minutes to get out here got shut down.
*Excellent news!*
*They weren’t upholding professional standards and their community will be safer without corrupt firefighters, period.* 🤷🏻♀️
Need to start a local fire training program in high schools. God bless fire and police members.
GOOD FOR THEM!!