fire dept

[very concerned citizen]

Am sorry the frye are the back bone of the fire dept.Since the meeting on Friday night and when the town suspend J.Frye the fire dept are in trouble now..

[SFD489]

Most of the SFD members left the meeting with a bad taste in their mouth. We feel like we no longer have control of the destiny of our own department, one that we have worked extremely hard and put in many long hours over recent months to get headed in the right direction. The future of our department is now in the hands of a handful of politicians who don't have a clue of the task they are undertaking. Joe Fry alone has more knowledge of the fire service then all of the town council combined and has not asked for one bit of recognition for it. More recently, he, along with other members, put in what i believe was a 22 hour day on a house fire and asked for nothing in return, and this is the thanks they get. Some members serve a community they don't even live in! This is the thanks they get. Joe works for hours on end, hours of his own time that he volunteers to better the department, and this is the thanks he gets.
I ask for the community to show your support for SFD and Joe Frye and contact your town council members and voice your opinion! POLITICS CANNOT RUN A FIRE DEPARTMENT! Would you want a bunch of politicians responding to you if you had an emergency?

[SFD489]

Though it is a major slap in the face, Joe is not suspended from the department. The town council has stripped him of his rank and appointed a Lifetime member who moved back into the area and came back to actve status last Sunday. Saltville Town Officer Landon Smith has been appointed by the council to a position, "Director of Operations", which was created by the coucil at the meeting. Their original intention was to appoint Smith as Acting Chief, but they met heavy opposition by the members. We understand that Landon is just doing what he has to do to protect his job as a SPD officer, but the chief's position wasn't for him. He even admitted it himself. And yes, Joe is the backbone of the department. He has put countless hours of his own time to better the department since he has taken over the cheif's position. The decisions of the council are simply a slap in the face to Joe and the rest of the membership. Did I mention they changed every lock on the building and were not allowing members into the building without police escort prior to the meeting and, as of now, there are only 10 keys to the building. Simply stated, NOT ALL MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE BUILDING IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY!!! I am one of those memebrs.
For the most part, we understand that the police officers, including Landon, are just doing what they have to do to protect their jobs and cannot fault them for it. On the other hand, the actions of the council were unacceptable and uneducated. The appointment of the acting chief was made without consulting the members of the department. The decisions were made swiftly with no opportunity for the members present to speak. There was also a closed session for approximately 45 minutes where all the decisions were made, then the council went back to open session to make those decisions official. None, let me state that clearly, NONE of the council members are in the fire service and were not completely educated on the certifications required to hold the position of fire chief. Honestly, it was almost like they put a couple of names in a hat and drew one out and appointed their chief from that. It was a poorly-planned, poorly-executed series of events. I'd like some other opinions on this. Between the SFD membership and the town council, none of which is remotely familiar with the fire service or firefighting in general, who could better elect a fire chief?
As for fire protection for the town in the approximately 5 hour lapse in coverage by SFD, fire coverage was in the hands of Chilhowie, Nebo, and Clinch Mountain respectively. They are all very respectable departments, but the response time is rediculous. Chilhowie is the closest with about 15 minutes from about anywhere in the town limits from their building, plus at least 10 minutes for members to respond to the station. You're looking at about 25 minutes from the time of dispatch when there are perfectly good equipment 5 minutes away. This is the protection your town council left you with this afternoon!

[hope not]

is this true? i cant believe that the council would do such a thing. I guess everything the other posts say about them is true. Are the members still active on the fire dept.? Does the acting chief have the certification necessary to run the dept.? There are many other questions that I have to ask. Please elaborate more on the situation.

[SFD489]

You ask, and I will tell! Everything in the last post is fact. All members, including Joe, are still on the department. As far as active goes, we'll just have to see who shows up on the next call. The acting chief does have the certification, but, in my opinion is not qualified for the job. Myself, along with a few others are qualified for the position, but were not considered. The acting chief was the only one considered by the council for the postition. May I remind you that the acting chief came back to active status ONE WEEK AGO. If I can answer any more questions simply throw them out here. I'll keep a watch on this thread for the next few weeks.

[mack tolbert]

i think the new chief will do a great job i was on the dept. with him for 10 years and went into alot of burning house with him he is a great firefigther and i think he will make a great cheif there are alot of houses still standing today cause of him they say i have been going to the council about the fire dept. go your self and ask they will tell you i have not been there you wont to talk about the town leaveing us with a 25 min.eta if something was to happen lets think about it there was a house fire not even 500 yards from the bulding what happen there

[Another view]

It seems there are people that don't like the new changes, but before you go and bash the new chief I would like to give you some facts. First of yes the new chief has only been active a week,but before he left the Saltville fire dept he had been there for 11 years so I have to say that EXPERIENCE is surely one thing he not lacking. He has a firefighter 2 and a long with that a several different certification. These were the things that the town council looked at and made probably made there decision on. I am sorry to hear that the new chief will not have some of his firefighter behind him. As a citizen of Saltville I think that they need some big change. For Example there has been a few house fire in the Saltville area , in which a older man life had been taken. the house was burnt down to the ground. I could not help to ask myself where was the fire dept. Could his life been save. That question nobody knows but changes were needed in my opinion. I guess they will have to get over it. From another view

[for fryes]

The reason the house burnt is because it was already fully ingulffed when the call was made by a police officer who witnessed it. Also they had a four minute response time and they will be glad to pull the record for that. As far as other issues like who went to the town council Mack Tolbert did go to the COUNTY about this issue. These men often time do wonder what could have been done differently in a lot of situations but they done all they could. They were past the point of beinng beatin and broken throughout their 22 hrs. but they did not stop not once they kept fighting. So when you voice your oppinion know what you are talking about. I am sure that some members mainly new ones would have objections to someone they dont know coming in as active cheif, this is their life in someone elses hands, wouldn't you be picky as too whom made fateful decisions for you?? I would. As of right now the "NEW" cheif is just a temp. the problem will be solved soon. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I am sure a couple of people are celebrating now so enjoy it it will not last long. Aint that a slap in the face!!!! How many members would stand up to defend any other cheif?? Not many thats for sure. Obviously the fact that so many have voted Joe as cheif goes to show they are willing to place their lives in his hands so he couldnt be as bad as all of these JADED people are trying to make him look. He is well respected and we all found that out last night. Too bad the town can make what could be life changing decisions for these men. You may have expiernce but if you dont brush up on what you know in 3 years where does that leave you? The town wanted change and they got it the fire dept. was actually back in the community. Its been way to long since that happened. Good men rise and fall and take this to the bank Joe Frye will RISE again!!!!!!!!!!

[hope not]

well said, it is good that his fellow firemen stood behind him. I am proud of them for doing so. What caused this to happen? Surely whoever the other guy went to, did not take his word for it. What else happened to take such a drastic action?

[mack tolbert]

yeah buddy if you wont to belive that i went to someone and caused this well then i did aint i a asshole as for joe he is a good guy yeah he may have had the years in but state says you have to have classroom time to back that up u know we can set here and do this all day or we can stand behind the new cheif and give him the chance there is a firefigther 1 class starting feb.14 lets just c who will show up if you need the days the class will be i can post it on here but the way i look at it and this is for all the fireman that dose not have it if you are really into it you would wont to take itbut i think you say he has 17 years why dosent he have it yet

[oppinionated]

Maybe just maybe he thought he did because the fire services says he has firefighter 1 just not his 8 hr. hazmat which is a totally seprate class, you were a fireman and you know that and people stand behind Gerald and he knows that and he also wants Joe as cheif again because he is a good person unlike other vindictive lifetime members. You started talking about the dept. along time ago we got it you dont like them but thats fine its a two way street, but this has gone way to far. Its not for you or anyone else to judge. The firefighters should have the say so. People reap what they sow and i say this for everyone. People think bad about the dept. for reasons like this when they need to be able to trust those who risk their lives for them. Who are you to judge? a mad person. You have no right!!! He is well aware of the class and you and this town will see who is there along side him. Too bad no one stood up for you like theydid Joe this must be a blow to your ego. Yall thought you could bring him and the dept. down. Do you want the doors to shut? If so thats stupid! Think less of your selves and more about the community. News flash Mackie Tolbert they do what they do not for you but for the others the dept. has helped you and pthers and oneday you might need them like it or not. This is sad that one individual can be so bitter towards someone. These men are selfless in what they do they dont ask to be praised they just want to be left alone to do what they do best HELP OTHERS!!!! So I will leave it at that I pity the self centered men taht caused this drama because yall couldn't have much self worth unless its just the comaraderie of all drunks. Thats sad the towns fate is up to drunkard and people that uphold them. It makes you ashaed and yes people do know that you and others are the reason for this laugh now cuz you'll be mad later. If you think Joe is a good guy then why would you try to down grade him and his family? This is nonsense! Other people went years themselves knowingly without the class and you dont type anything about them. There comes a point to where what you say is being slanderous and people will find you out. Then who will you run to with your lies? So people are giving the man a chance but its hard for the new members who dont know him try to be understanding for once. But then again I dont know why people incluiding myself dignify what you say with a comment because everything you say needs to be flushed to the ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER at the poop plant cuz its a load of crap!!!!!!!!

[curious]

Well anyone that knows the fire service will know that until you have the certificate in hand, you don't have squat. If you get on scene as the chief, or member in charge, and something happens to get someone killed......they will be looking at what you have on paper and not at what a good ole bot you are. It is good to have the heart, put in the hours, willing to help, etc etc, but you got to have the training and the paper to show it. Everyone should have at least firefighter 1 or they really have no business being at a fire because they are a liability for the department and the town.

[Stuck on Stupid]

What don't you understand. He has firefighter 1. Not hazmat. If you don't know what your talking about don't say it. Oh and when your house catches on fire I'll remind the fire fighters to bring their certifications. YOU MORON!!!!!

[494s wife]

First Off, This whole Deal Is nothing but a load of bull crap. These firemen shouldnt have to have a piece of paper telling them weather they are certified to put out a house fire in the first place, WHO CARES WHAT A PIECE OF PAPER SAYS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HOUSE BURNING DOWN!!! If you want to make a big deal because hes missing one little thing, your being childish and immature. Joe Frye is A good Chief. He has fire fighter 1. and he has done alot for the fire department. and As For saying it takes The Fire Department 25 mins to respond to a house fire your wrong, it doesnt take them 25 minutes to respond to anything! They were there As soon as the alerts went off, My Husband is on the fire department and they were there within 5 minutes, and they done all they could do, the house was already fully ingulfed when they arrived, so you cant blame these firmen.They were they as Quick as they could be, when those alerts went off they were here and on there way! They do all they can to make sure this town is safe. When they alerts go off they strive there best to do all they can. Who are you to say anything about them, They give there time 24/7 to make sure the town is a safe place. These Firemen Devote all there time into saving lives, thats all that matters to these men. They love being firefighters, and joe frye loves being chief. He is a good chief, and he does all he can to be there for his firemen. They Do their job, and they do all they can to help anyone. If you want to sit there and say these firemen are not doing there job your wrong, I belive there familys would know more then you. As for me and some of the other Firemens wife's know just how hard they strive for this town and all that they do. If you actually took the time and really looked at things you would see that these firemen do all they can!! They LOVE being fire fighters, its in there blood! Why would you want to take something like that away from someone that VOLENTEERS 24/7 of there time to this town, to make sure yaw are safe!!!!Joe Frye is a good Chief, and in our eyes he will always be the best chief and is the best chief!! This town needs to open up there eyes and relize he should STAY chief! WHY FIX WHAT ISN'T BROKEN! You really need to think about things before you say them. These Firemen Do all they can.

[mack tolbert]

Stuck on Stupid wrote:

What don't you understand. He has firefighter 1. Not hazmat. If you don't know what your talking about don't say it. Oh and when your house catches on fire I'll remind the fire fighters to bring their certifications. YOU MORON!!!!!

you can check into it yourself but he had 1 year to get haz-mat juet hide and watch who comes back you had 2 years to shine now lets c what happensi am done talking on here talk about me all you wont we will just hide and c what happens

[SFD489]

Okay, Joe doesn't have the Haz-Mat to validate his FF1. Why was the department not allowed to ELECT our own chief ourselves? They know each other and know who they can trust to effectively carry out the duties until such time that Joe is eligible to be re-elected as chief. As for me, I dont know if I can trust Gerald to be an effective chief. I have known the man for ONE WEEK! Would any of you trust someone with your life that you have known for a week? Not I! Don't get me wrong, he may be a great guy and an effective leader, but he has to prove that to me and every other member that didn't know who the hell Gerald Arnold was before last Sunday, and I WILL NOT trust like a fire chief should be trusted until such time that he proves himself worthy of the title. I would say I speak for all of the members of SFD that didn't know our new chief until last Sunday. I'm afraid there are other shady interests being protected and ideas being executed that the honest members of the department are not aware of. AS far as Landon goes, I believe that he was thrust in the middle of the situation by the council due to his FF1 certification. This action was extremely uncalled for. It is a shame that Landon was put in the middle of the situation that he had nothing to do with. Nevertheless, I trust that Landon will do his best to better the department. As far as I am concerned, I would rather have Landon Smith as the acting chief. As some of you are aware, me and Landon have had our differences in the past, but I would most definitely trust Landon over someone I have met only TWICE. Yes, I said twice. The first time was at the meeting which he was accepted back to active status by the department. The second was at the council meeting where he was elected chief. I'm not downing the man's character, I'm just saying that I've met the man twice and have no desire to put my safety in the hands of someone I don't thoroughly know to be worthy of the designation.

[curious]

No what you don't understand is no HAZMAT = no Firefighter 1. If you don't care enough to get the training....maybe you don't care about yourself. Training is there to teach you how to be safe. I care care about a friend that has cancer, but unless i train to be a surgeon.....i can't do the best job of cutting it out. I can dress like a fireman, i can put a red light in my car, a radio in my side, drive the big truck, squirt water.......but until i am fully trained....am i a real firefighter?
I was not at all cutting him as a good man or a caring man..... If i want to be the best and lead others and train others, i should want to get the training and be the best i can be.
What do the other members have by way of training? Or other departments? Does our frie department require what others do?

[curious]

Do we need trained firefighters or someone who stayed at a holiday inn express lastnight?

[far-man]

Ya'll just cool your jets and try to find some guys that want to do the job, can do the job, and want to learn the job. The rest will take care of itself. If you get good people, you'll be a good department. If you half a bunch of half-trained people, you'll be a half a fire department.

Take pride. REAL firefighters like a challenge, so take the one of getting training and go for it. Be the best darn department in the area!

[THE ONE WHO KNOWS]

everyone listen to the far-man......... You wait and see who is back in the fire depatment.... and also SFD489 should not tell everything that goes on in the fire meeting. Looks to me just wanting to start trouble with the people who want to be a firefighter. SO SFD489 SHUT YOUR MOUTH.