2012 Sucked So I Will Simply Move On

I’m not going to sit here and reflect on a year that was filled with so many disappointments.

I like to think that I am an eternal optimist, but did anyone else notice the negative tone of wherever you looked? It was everywhere.

ONE positive that I noticed is that, firefighter fatalities were down in 2012. Since 2009, firefighter deaths have been well below the “100 per year” threshold. Also noteworthy is that deaths attributed to cardiac issues were also down. It would appear that health and wellness initiatives are starting to see some positive results and we should. There are plenty of blogs and books dedicated to firefighter fitness. One that easily comes to mind is Fire Service Warrior and its founder, Chris Brennan.

In fact; when you partner the work that the FireSmoke Coalition is doing with its research on the effects of gases present at the foreground that adversely affects firefighters and preventive measures AND we work to improve over all fitness, it is no wonder that there has been a reduction in cardiac-related episodes.

So, when I say that last year sucked, it is a broad response to the many personal negatives that have affected me. It is not summed up simply by saying that “my guy lost” the Presidential election. It goes much deeper than that. Since I started preparing my first article for 2013, I have lost another brother-in-law and it leaves me with the opinion that I am attending more funerals of family members than I care to.

All I know is that it has hit me like a ton of bricks and has forced me to be more introspective on setting priorities in this Life. I will strive to find the edge that saw several readers of Chief Reason blogs, but in order to do that, I have to get a couple things off of my chest.

So, this is To Whom It May Concern:

I am tired of all of the “fiscal cliff” dramedy. Our federal government has proven time and time again that the two-party system is self-destructing. The two houses of government want to go in two, separate directions with a President who doesn’t understand the art of compromise. Instead of finding real solutions to the problems that we face, they want to spend time looking for gimmicks that kicks the can down the road for future generations.

I mean; what has happened to “representative” government? When did it become this bloated behemoth of amendatory bills and points of order and all of the trickery and chicanery that it has become?

How is it that, in Congress, John Boehner decides what goes or doesn’t in the House and the singing duo of Reid and Pelosi decides what goes to the floor of the Senate?

Did you know that you don’t even have to be present to filibuster? Now, all you have to do is notify leadership of your “intent” to filibuster. You know; “phone it in”, as they say. Jimmy Stewart (Mr. Smith) must be rolling in his grave.

And why are legislative bills 2700 pages long? I actually know the answer to this one. It is because of all of the “augmentations”. Let’s call it “pork” or “sausage”. Regardless, it goes through the meat grinder known as Congress and is packed into a prophylactic to make it easier to shove…well, you get the picture.

And for the record; Illinois has its version of Boehner, Reid and Pelosi. It’s called Mike Madigan, the “most powerful politician in the state”.

Having little influence THERE, I will spend my time focused at a local level. As a trustee for our fire protection district, I will not use the federal budgetary process as a template for our fire district finances. For me, that means a balanced approach. Borrowing will be limited and money will never factor into discussions of firefighter safety. Firefighter safety will always come first and we will tax and budget for it. Period.

I have seen too many fire districts struggling just to pay the interest on apparatus or a new building that they can’t afford. If either was needed, then a budget plan that included savings, applying for available grants, increasing tax rates or calling for a bond referendum should have been in the plan. You don’t just wake up one day and discover these problems. They can be years in the making, if you don’t exercise restraint.

Next; I am tired of the pension banter. Illinois has the distinction of having the most underfunded pension system and the worst credit rating in our country. So, again I say;

To Whom It May Concern:

You believed that it was your civic duty or your “calling” to serve on your city council or in the state legislature. You sat there while your loyal public servants were negotiating employment contracts-legal, binding contracts.

And even though you didn’t bother to look at actuaries, investment statements or take the advice of financial analysts; you kept agreeing to new contracts; knowing that you would have to borrow money to pay them or skip payments all together.

Why would you lock in return on investment at 8.5 %, even though statements were showing anywhere from 0 to 5% and then express total shock to hear the economy was driving everything down?

In the Land of Lincoln, pensions are underfunded by $95 BILLION. And because pensioners are expecting YOU to honor YOUR word, you are now labeling them “selfish and greedy”!

Do you even realize that a contract is a legal and binding PROMISE? Because if you do, then quit whining and figure out a way to pay them without sending my taxes even higher than they already are; keeping in mind that I am trying to save for my own retirement.

Two years ago, Governor Quinn got a 67% increase in the state income tax to pay past due bills to medical care providers and schools, to name a few. It was only to be for one year and it has been two. He lied. He also said the added revenue would go for the purposes that I stated. Instead; the money went to pension funds. He lied again.

I am so fed up with the convoluted process known as politics that I a swearing off blogs about politics UNLESS they directly affect the fire service. You may quote me.

And last; to my friends at NIOSH:

Since we are seeing fewer firefighter deaths per year, can we see a more timely and detailed fatality report? Could you possibly widen your pool of resources and end the “template” approach?

I, for one, appreciate the work that you do, but let’s be honest; can “poor communication” or “a lack of leadership” be present at every fatal incident? You might be right; I am just asking, but consider that there is a culture to change in the fire service that may require stepping outside of the box, because without compelling, well written reports; fire departments will continue to dismiss NIOSH firefighter fatality reports as “same old/same old”.

To my fellow bloggers and critics: I am bringing back a strong voice of reason in 2013. However; I will continue to be uniquely qualified in matters of opinion.

TCSS.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. All articles by the author are protected by federal copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without expressed permission.

Trustees; Train Hard or Go Home!

You heard me!

Don’t come here expecting accommodations or special considerations.

You’re a grunt just like the rest of us. Time to pay your dues.

You can’t be on top of your game if you don’t train.

You can’t extend your reach or maximize your effectiveness, unless you are willing to put your blood and sweat into it.

You don’t have the first idea of what I’m talking about, do you?

You were never a firefighter, were you?

Were you “appointed” by your buddies on the city council or the county board?

Oh; you are one of those whose ego has to be fed by “new challenges”.

You don’t mind making decisions that affects other peoples’ lives, as long as you have tort immunity, huh?

I’ll let you in on a little secret, Braveheart; I came up through a department that was run by your kind.

Your playbook, ‘How to Say No to Everything Except Free Meals’ has served you and your cronies well, but it has left your fire departments underfunded, under-prepared, under-manned and has left you ‘under-educated’.

You have spent all of the tax money on real estate for a fire station that will never be built in your lifetime, paid attorney fees for ‘expert’ advice that cost more than the entire fire department was paid for calls last year and the hotel bill at the conference where trustees are supposed to attend seminars while the wives go to ‘luncheons’; except the ‘seminars were hospitality rooms with an open bar.

So; what did you learn? What knuggets (sic) of knowledge did you take back to share?

Let me bring you up to speed.

First of all; if it were up to me, ALL trustees in the state of Illinois (you got to start small) would be elected.

Why?

Because, when I ran our department as chief, I had way too many problems with our appointed trustees. None of the three knew anything about firefighter skill sets, the training required, the laws governing fire districts or of the funding needed.

They only knew how to say “NO” and that cost me hundreds of dollars of my own money on top of the taxes that I paid. It wasn’t enough that I volunteered, but I had to pay for the privilege!

Don’t worry, though; there were plenty of firefighters just like me.

The strangle-hold that gripped our department was finally broken in the early 1990’s when we petitioned to have our trustees elected and then elected three, new trustees. The survival skills that we learned as firefighters served us well, in that it taught us to mitigate even the toughest hazards, which in our case was ending the reign of the Good Ole Boys, who wouldn’t raise the tax rate, even though we didn’t have enough turnout gear to outfit everyone, kept the thermostat at the fire station on 50 degrees in the winter, refused to pay for training, went into debt for a new fire station that would house trucks that were all at least 20 years old-plus with no new money saved to buy a new one, paid for bad advice and threaten to kick us off if we dared to question them!

If I sound bitter, I’m not.

I’m BETTER.                                                          

Why is it that, as firefighters, you accept that you may have to risk your lives to serve the public, but are afraid to stand up to tyrannical trustees-mere mortals?

I realized early on that our trustees did not have the same commitment, goals or attitudes of their fire department. They thought that the fire department and fire trustees were somehow separate and “different”. What’s wrong with that picture?

When I go to trustee seminars and conferences, the conversation will usually gravitate to “issues”. You should see the looks on the faces of the other trustees when I tell them that I’m elected. Their eyes will actually cross when I tell them that I was the fire chief and started the petition to have our trustees elected rather than appointed. You see; they threatened me one too many times. It was literally them or me and I knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

And now?

I’m president of the board of trustees and am totally committed to being the best trustee that I can be; just like I was committed to being the best firefighter and chief that I could be. There is that same commitment to training.

And though I don’t always agree with the other trustees or firefighters, they at least know that I will give everything its due regard, research it if I have questions and make an informed decision.

I will continue to learn more about finding additional revenue streams, the ever-changing laws that govern fire protection districts, the newest life-saving equipment that is available, the Freedom of Information Act, the Open Meetings Act and find new ways to attract and to retain firefighters. Money will ALWAYS be spent protecting the firefighters first and that means training and equipment that they need to keep them safe when they are called upon.

And if you are a trustee and you aren’t doing the same, then you need to come into the 21^st century, buy a computer with Internet service, a cell phone and learn to lead by example. Lose the entitlement attitude and serve your firefighters and community with the same selfless attitude as your firefighters.

If not, then go home!

TCSS.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. This article is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form.

Rescuing the Lady

Oh, where to begin.

As if things weren’t already bad enough in Illinois, I read today where my state is the third most corrupt state in the nation. Chicago has the distinction of being named as the number one most corrupt city in the nation.

For many of us who have lived in Illinois our entire lives, this doesn’t exactly come as a revelation, but it is very frustrating after spending so much time in politics with the idea that we were going to change it.

I want to say that our politics in this state isn’t reflective of the people who live here, but unfortunately, it is people (real and imagined) who vote for the jamokes that get into state politics long enough to muck things up, plead guilty, serve their sentence and then become lobbyists when they get out. Our most recent poster child for Illinois politics comes courtesy of the Illinois Department of Transportation, where a mob bookie got a $70,000 a year job with the DOT and now, with the help of the union, continues to work for the state; much to the chagrin of his DOT supervisor.

You probably never thought that turning a key in a lock could be hazardous to your health, but at Menard State Prison, over $10 million was awarded to prison guards AND the warden for injuries caused from this innocuous act. Apparently, some of our Illinois Industrial Commissioners had their own workers’ compensation claims and were suffering “sympathetic” pain for the guards.

In an effort to cut our deficit and to bolster our credit rating, the state raised my state income tax by 67% and they also raised the corporate tax by 47%. Makes you want to run a business and work there, doesn’t it? Caterpillar recently told Governor Quinn the Mighty that they will not increase their business in this state, as long as the climate is so “anti-business”. Let’s see; we had the money to bribe Sears and the CBT to keep their business here, but not Caterpillar? I lost my job at Cat when they moved the engine assembly to Texas. Then, at about the same time, they moved the road graders from Decatur, IL to North Little Rock, Arkansas. And now; a new Cat plant is going to Athens, Georgia, but Quinn still thinks that Cat is just “blowing smoke”.

It was clear that the Gov was hurt by Oberhelmann’s statements and he could barely muster a reply. He said, “We overhauled the workers’ compensation system in this state”. Quinn’s idea of “overhaul” must mean that, when you get your oil changed, you are having your engine overhauled. The work comp “overhaul” did NOTHING to lower rates in this state.

So, there has been no meaningful spending cuts made yet, but Quinn and his bobble heads are still finding ways to RAISE money through the good taxpayers in this state. Now, Quinn and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanual want to charge a $65 “fee” for gun registration in this state and as we all know, a “fee” is not a “tax”.

It wasn’t that long ago that Rahm the Merciless was President Obama’s Chief of Staff, but Rahm couldn’t get everyone on board with doing things the “Chicago way”, so, feeling like a fish out of water, Rahm returned to the familiar waters of Chicago politics, where he has been doing a yeoman’s job of bullying his city council AND our governor.

So, that brings me to Obama. He got his start in politics as a community organizer. There must be a playbook or instruction manual that teaches one to organize. Now; I have to wonder if he was organizing in the most corrupt city in the nation in spite of it. After-all; he is a product of that environment. Did he escape it squeaky clean? I don’t think so. Look at his shadow cabinet of czars, his recess appointments, Obama Care, activists judges, the NLRB, his fast and furious attorney general’s willingness to sue private citizens and businesses to stop them from exercising their liberties, suing states to keep them from enforcing immigration laws and then it becomes very clear that President Obama is a by-product of his environment. His hypocrisy has no limits.

The House and the Senate haven’t been much help, either. Many of them still believe that they are beefing up their re-election victories by pigging out on pork projects for their home districts, because they are too chicken to base their chances on the moral and ethical strength of their votes on various pieces of legislation. And besides; giving the special interests groups that support and the special attention that they deserve isn’t “buying” votes in the strict sense is it?

Sure; everyone wants their taxes to come back home in some way, but it has caused a de facto redistribution of wealth. However; in Illinois, tax money that is taken and is supposed to come back to the school districts isn’t. Instead, Quinn the Mighty is simply telling school districts that they are going to have to take on a bigger share at the local level which will most likely cause property taxes across the state to skyrocket. I wish that I could tell my creditors to eat it in the same way that Illinois government tells their taxpayers.

In his “State of the State” address, Quinn offered NOTHING; only get tough talk, but no plans to get tough.

The 2012 elections will be the most important election in my lifetime and I don’t exaggerate when I say that. I cannot think of another single election where there was so much at stake at the state and federal level. We have an opportunity in Illinois to flip the entire legislature as ALL of the seats are up for re-election. There are but a very few who deserve the privilege of our vote for them.

At the federal level, I can’t wait to pay $5 a gallon for gas, even though we sit on enough oil to truly become energy self-sufficient and cut the cord to Middle East countries that don’t like us very much, but are more than happy to take our money and the lives of our soldiers and citizens.

That is not to say that I am for price controls, because I’m not, but why is it that gas prices can go up whenever a sheik farts, but a utilities company must “request” a price increase from the legislature?

I fully understand a company’s duty to shareholders and yea, though I don’t know what “obscene profits” are or what it is to have “too much money”; I know that our country survives because of capitalism.

I believe that, in many cases, those who have their hand out because “they can’t help it” are a myth. I have always felt that those in need will receive their help from charitable donations from kind-hearted givers. Government is not a charity nor should they determine for us how we should spend our money.

It’s a fact that not everyone can afford to buy a house, a car or go to college. Those decisions should be made by potential purchasers. When I took out the loan for our first house, interest rates were eight percent. I made my payments without the help of the government. I borrowed money for my vehicles from the bank and never missed a payment. Back then, there were no incentives to buy and interest rates were eight to nine percent. We took out student loans so that our son could go to college and we paid back every dime. We never looked for a bailout from the government. What has changed, other than loan rates have dropped dramatically?

All of us who came from poor beginnings know that we had two choices: stay there and wallow in self-pity fueled by government cheese or to change it.

I chose to change it. I won’t apologize for it and I refuse to stand by and allow government to tell me that I have too much and must give some of it to someone else.

I pay my taxes and I donate to charities. I volunteer my time in my community and will help where help is needed.

THAT is MY decision and because I am opposed to extending that charity to flimflammers and scammers of the System, I will not believe that I am a bad person.

The state of the government and the condition of our country is our fault.

So, I say that it is time to rescue Lady Liberty and to take back our country from dysfunctional governance.

It is a non-partisan approach. Republicans and Democrats alike have managed through several parliamentary procedures to set themselves up as the ruling class and in the process have trampled on our Constitution.

I will not consider any candidate from any party who will not work to change it. I want a government who will allow me to keep what I have earned and return upon my retirement the Social Security funds that I have paid since I was sixteen years old.

I have supported government at all levels. I don’t expect any more than what I have paid for. I expect government to honor their contract with me. Period.

Rant off.

Game on. November can’t come soon enough.

TCSS.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. All articles by the author are protected by federal copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without expressed permission.

Extreme Makeover; Moline Illinois Edition

After watching the Moline budget talks being covered on local TV, in the local papers and listening on local talk radio, I am convinced that fire departments will NEVER win another battle against manpower cuts, as long as they insist on using the "more people will die" strategy.

And it's not because it isn't true, but it's because it is no longer getting the attention of the majority of their cities' residents. In today's selfish society, people don't care, as long as THEY aren't the ones dying.

It's the ones USING the service that is driving up cost for the rest of us, some will say.

Did you know that there are people in Tennessee who won't pay a lousy 75 bucks a year for fire protection, but will complain to the national news outlets when they don't get FREE service if their domicile catches fire?

It's true.

I thought that the area firefighters, supporters and particularly the firefighter union did a fantastic job of getting the information out. They didn't go overboard with the "more will die" message, but they mentioned it. What struck me was that when many mentioned the additional risk it would put on the firefighters, there was a palpable indifference by some on the city council. It was as if they were sitting there believing that taking such risks was a part of a Moline firefighter's job description and it is...to a point. Cutting manpower and pushing the risk to those who remain is NOT acceptable risk and shame on the Moline city council if this is what they believe.

The city administrator wants the residents to believe that it is about the high cost of firefighter pensions. That's rubbish; something that they are willing to pay more for in regards to its removal.

"Special risk" pension plans were designed for two reasons: firefighters and cops. Benefits were enhanced to balance against a lower wage and it was thought at the time that people who rush into burning buildings and people who are shot at should receive compensation for the risks that they took to provide for the public's safety. To that, I say "AMEN".

The early retirement clauses were inserted, because of the many hazards bombarding public safety employees; both physical and mental.

So; what happened?

Well, from where I sit; the other unions representing non-public safety employees were lobbying the lawmakers in their states to include THEIR union members in the "special risk" plans, causing the pension payments to soar. It comes at a time when we are seeing "special risk" retirees going up and general pensioners' numbers decreasing. Again; this is my observation.

In addition; while the firefighters in my state were dutifully contributing their 9.5 percent into the pension plan, cities were deferring and delaying their share.

I swear; if the city "bosses"-i.e. city councils-ran businesses like they do their cities, they would have been sent packing before they even got their probationary periods served!

The role of government, first and foremost, is to provide for the public's safety. Everything after THAT should be on the table for debate.

As I look at my future retirement in the private sector, I wonder what is a fair retirement for public servants?

Look at Social Security. It has been said that public servants will not get Social Security, but I know of several firefighters who have "side jobs" or "side businesses" and unless it is a strictly cash basis, I would believe that they would be paying into Social Security.

And if they are paying into Social Security, then wouldn't seem likely that they could draw on it at some point? Or maybe, I am wrong.

In my case, when I become eligible for Social Security, it will be approximately at 20 percent of what I now make. But, if they keep raising the eligibility age, I might get ZERO percent, as I might be dead before I ever collect a dime.

My 401K might give me another couple hundred bucks a month, but then, there might be a rule by then, forcing a reduction in my Social Security or it will be taxed down to where I might have enough left to pay for a newspaper subscription.

Public pensions at 85 percent; it that too much and if so, then what IS fair? 80? 70? 50? I really don't know, because I have been raised to get what I can.

We need to keep in mind that the value of a pension in a union contract has been negotiated in a fair collective bargaining process.

Public safety employees did not hold a gun to city government's head nor did they hold communities hostage. They continued to answer the call to every incident in good times and bad.

And yet, in today's climate; firefighters are being blamed for budget shortfalls.

THAT isn't fair!

I don't know what is left to argue. When fire departments have proven their value to the quality of life in their communities; when they have been repeatedly hailed as heroes, you have to wonder why they, along with their communities are being fed this poison pill by city leaders, who find creative ways to waste millions of dollars in order to sacrifice the public's safety and again, I say what is more important than the public's safety?

In a calling that is steeped in grand history and tradition; firefighters will have to look towards non-traditional ways to preserve their jobs and the public's safety in their communities.

It should start NOW!

 The opinions and views expressed are those of the article's author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. This article is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form.

City Fires; Chief “Retires”

The Moline, Illinois city council, on the advice of the city administrator, plans to cut 12 firefighter/paramedic positions and privatize EMS in the city. Immediately after the decision was made, Chief Ron Miller announced his resignation/retirement. See associated links:

http://www.wqad.com/news/wqad-moline-fire-chief-resigns-101811,0,346191.story

http://www.fireengineering.com//articles/2011/10/il-fire-chief-resigns-after-ems-privatization.html

http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/147661

So that you might afford me some relative credibility, let me say that Moline is one of the "Quad” cities, I am but mere minutes away and over the years, I have come to know many firefighters from the Quad City area. They are a hearty and committed bunch. They are not a very vocal bunch unless pressed and very few run afoul with the law. They take their profession very seriously and many have started and retired from their departments.

First of all, I am of the opinion that the Moline city administrator presented information that grossly understated the impact that the decision would have on Moline residents.

Did I say grossly understated?

Now that I think about it, he never mentioned the negative impact to services; he only mentioned the positive impact to the city budget.

I honestly don’t think that many residents of Moline ever had a clue as to how much bang for their buck a firefighter in their city was giving them.

Let’s see; there would be water rescue, hazmat, technical rescue, juvey firesetter intervention programs, fire prevention, fire suppression, paramedic level emergency medical response and oh yeah; add mentors to their junior firefighters.

Their city administrator expressed his unhappiness with many firefighters who live outside the city limits, but it seems that past city negotiators haven’t included residency requirements in their collective bargaining agreement, so why all of the fuss now?

And besides; many firefighters are involved in their home communities AND the city they work. Plus, they reach out to surrounding communities.

When I was active, Moline FD’s Operation Prom Night program received wide recognition for their firefighters, who, in the beginning, reached into their own pockets to buy equipment. Did I mention that Bill Grambling and crew did it on their own time? Stop by sometime and I’ll show you a video of our Operation Prom Night production that would not have been possible without them.

You know darn well that Mr. City Boss is already thinking about closing a station. You cut 12 jobs and all of a sudden, you don’t need all of those stations, right? That’s why they call them “bean-counters”. Their common sense and their logical thinking don’t amount to a hill of beans!

You should travel to Moline and visit the “downtown” and riverfront. Between whiffs of dead carp, you can smell the money. Actually, if you know what a construction project costs in Illinois, you can see it for yourself. Plus; they just increased garbage collection fees by a couple of bucks a month. Gotta keep the curbside services going, but public safety? Please refer to “dead carp” comment.

I have to wonder how many of the private ambulance employees will be at the river’s edge throwing sandbags the next time the Big Muddy floods? Firefighters are there along with the other volunteers throwing bags, helping to treat those hurt while doing so and all the while, demonstrating their commitment to their city.

Chief Miller was hailed for standing up for his principles by stepping down. It was obvious to me that he wasn’t fond of his “bosses” for their lack of public safety priorities.

Though he made a strong statement by resigning, I have to wonder if it wouldn’t have been bolder on his part to stay and fight for a better future for the Moline Fire Department.

I’ll admit that when you reach my age, your passion for your work is still there, but your energy level and enthusiasm isn’t as high as it once was. And you can’t drink enough 5 hour Energy to get it back.

I know Chief Miller and his fire department still cares as much today as they did 30 years ago about providing the best services to their city. Unfortunately, the city “leaders” believe that they can cut into that service without affecting said services.

Chief Miller will be proven right, although he will be retired.

And a congenial relationship between fire department and their city will become contentious.

But hey; at least Moline won’t be littered with yard waste. The city picks it up for “free”.

How’s that for value added?

TCSS.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. This article is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-produced in any form.

Never Forgetting is to Always Remember

I have started and stopped this blog a couple of times now.

The first time, there was too much anger. The second blog contained too much sarcasm.

Why?

Well; there are several reasons.

First of all, I struggle with calling an event that was filled with so much pain, suffering, sorrow and sadness an “anniversary”.

But, many are referring to the tenth year since the 9/11 attacks as “the tenth anniversary of 9/11”.

Could we call it something else; something like “memorial” or “observance” or maybe “remembrance”?

I don’t know, but to me, we celebrate anniversaries and 9/11 doesn’t exactly put me into a celebratory mood. I observe 9/11 in my own way, but I don’t “celebrate” it. I will describe that later in this blog.

From what I am seeing and reading, 9/11 has been grossly politicized in every sense.

From persistent accusations that our own government was somehow complicit to denying cancer benefits to those men and women who worked on The Pile in the days that followed the horrendous tragedy, even though medical evidence proves linkage; our focus as a nation on those directly affected has been lost.

Add to that our attorney general’s misguided notion of justice for terrorists to building a mosque near the Hallowed Grounds of the WTC and it only perpetuates more suffering and sadness, instead of allowing affected families and friends to bring some sense of closure to such a senseless, violent act.

I realize that some will never bring closure to 9/11 and I understand and respect that. There are no set processes for how to deal with tragedy. We all grieve differently. It is at a very personal and private level, so we can’t tell anyone how to deal with it, because it might be that, in their minds, many questions remain unanswered and always will.

And if it wasn’t already emotional and confusing enough, NYC Mayor Bloomberg announces first that clergy will not be included in the 9/11 ceremony nor will first responders. Their rightful place at the “official” ceremony has been denied by the shameful act of a mayor who has no shame. It is politics at its ugliest and lowest form. I had hoped that Bloomberg would acquiesce, but at this writing, he has not. His cowardly actions defy description.

Yet another reason for my angst as 9/11 approaches are the many “cottage industries” that have grown out of 9/11.

A recent study described that much of the money raised after 9/11 in the name of 9/11 never made it to a “recognized” charity.

And we are supposed to be surprised by that revelation?

Though many of the charities could account for every dime taken in and spent, others could not. I know that the money that I helped to raise went from my hand to the hand of an FDNY firefighter, so I have no doubts whatsoever that it got into the right hands. But others weren’t so fortunate.

Anyone knows that where money is involved, corruption may find its way into the process and ten years later, it is still prevalent. It sickens me that predators would prey upon the emotional struggles of people who find it difficult NOT to contribute money to what appears to be a charitable cause, but they do.

Blame the tax codes, where anyone with the right tax form can claim “not-for-profit” status and rake in untold fortunes…until they are caught!

And in closing, I question the call by some to make 9/11 a national “holiday”.

Perhaps what they meant to say is that 9/11 should be a national day of remembrance, much like Veterans’ Day. I’d be all for that.

But, I have the same problem with “holiday” as I have with “anniversary”. It simply leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

If you think about it, we already have Memorial Day. The President could decree that this would be the day to honor those lost on 9/11. It would be very appropriate to do so. However; 9/11 could still be a day that our first responders could honor those who lost their lives on that day as well. I just don’t think that it should be treated like a vacation day for the millions who would take it.

In this tenth year since 9/11, much has gotten in the way of what should be a solemn observance for those lost and for those who are still suffering from the events of ten years ago.

There will be several ceremonies throughout the nation that you can attend, but if you can’t attend one, then remember 9/11 in your own way, because there is no right way or wrong way.

I will remember 9/11 by riding my motorcycle to Springfield, IL to the Illinois Firefighter Memorial. Next to that memorial is a beautiful, black granite memorial to 9/11. There will be no large gathering; just me and my thoughts. It will be a time for personal reflection.

I will not have to sit in front of the TV and watch the hours and hours of replays of that day.

It’s not because I can’t; it is because I don’t need to. The images of that day are forever seared into my soul and as long as I am alive, I will never forget 9/11.

TCSS.

The opinions and views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. All articles by the author are protected by federal copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without expressed permission.