Philadelphia 2011

[NorfPhilly]

Heard today from a member of the brass that there will be 2 more classes.......stay in the gym boys

[FFRN]

Heresay works for me, everythings like heresay until its official and sh*t starts happening, The countdowns on!

[the shadow]

Heard today from a member of the brass that there will be 2 more classes.......stay in the gym boys

Sounds like great news. Did he give you an idea as to when they may start?

[mrpita]

I'm trying to get an idea how far they got on the list. If you are a non-vet and in the academy now or personally know a non-vet who is, please post your/their approximate rank. Thanks in advance.

I have stayed off the forums due to a new policy that PROHIBITS me from being here. That said, they can only do so much to me. But let me be clear:

IF you are currently in the Philadelphia Fire Academy, get OFF these forums. You CAN be fired for it - whether you agree with the policy or not does not matter. They don't need a reason to fire you at this point.

[Fixxer]

I have stayed off the forums due to a new policy that PROHIBITS me from being here. That said, they can only do so much to me. But let me be clear:

IF you are currently in the Philadelphia Fire Academy, get OFF these forums. You CAN be fired for it - whether you agree with the policy or not does not matter. They don't need a reason to fire you at this point.

The new social media policy does not prohibit anyone from being here or anywhere else. Every member of the department can come on here all they like, even cadets. The main issue at hand is when you identify yourself as a member of the department in your profile, etc, and then make comments which could be construed as if you are acting on behalf of the department. If you actually read the policy, it states that you should add a disclaimer in your profile that states something to the effect of "All opinions expressed are my own and are not representative of the department." Ask your officer for a full copy of the policy. Most people have bought into the hype and hearsay of the social media policy without actually reviewing the policy itself. With that said, cadets should not be on here because they should either be studying, sleeping, or at fire school...

[emt-pack_mule]

So besides staying out of trouble and in the gym, do you guys have any other suggestions for those of us waiting on a possible later class? Like PFD books, etc.?

[ffwife83]

If you were at orientation, and haven't taken the independent study courses you might want to get on that just to have it done

[Fixxer]

So besides staying out of trouble and in the gym, do you guys have any other suggestions for those of us waiting on a possible later class? Like PFD books, etc.?

I advise that you begin familiarizing yourself with the EMT curriculum. You should be able to find enough information online to keep you busy. Even outdated books are fine just to get you familiar with the terms and topics. EMT certification is the first half of the academy....it can get overwhelming if you are not a good student or have a background in the subject area.... Also, if you don't get past EMT cert, you'll never make it to the fire side...

[mrpita]

The new social media policy does not prohibit anyone from being here or anywhere else. Every member of the department can come on here all they like, even cadets. The main issue at hand is when you identify yourself as a member of the department in your profile, etc, and then make comments which could be construed as if you are acting on behalf of the department. If you actually read the policy, it states that you should add a disclaimer in your profile that states something to the effect of "All opinions expressed are my own and are not representative of the department." Ask your officer for a full copy of the policy. Most people have bought into the hype and hearsay of the social media policy without actually reviewing the policy itself. With that said, cadets should not be on here because they should either be studying, sleeping, or at fire school...

Strictly speaking, yes, I am not prohibited from being here. However, I am prohibited from identifying myself as who I am, and what represents a large portion of my life. I am prohibited from engaging in most of the activities I have previously done on this site and others like it. I don't believe the new Social Media policy is about people making comments that could be construed as representing the department. I believe it is because the Union, and several grass roots groups, had mounted a rather effective/troublesome effort to protest against, discredit, and embarrass this administration and many of its policies via social media. And if there is a statement in the policy about putting in a disclaimer, it IS news to me. I would LOVE to see the full policy, but I cannot. The new policy has been developed but has NOT been released yet, as of the last official communication I am aware of. What we have in the meantime are "guidelines" to control our behavior from the administration. A few of these:

I am prohibited from posting the honest truth - "Employees shall not post any information or images involving off-duty activities that may bring a member’s or the department’s reputation into question." By this definition, I take this to mean I am not permitted to post anything critical of the department in any fashion. Even this post violates this, in some peoples' opinions. Of course there is only one opinion that matters, and I often shudder to contemplate that.

"Employees are prohibited from posting on any Social Media site or electronically transmitting any information regarding a Fire Department incident,.." - This means I can't come on here and say we had a Job that involved 'X', we did 'Y', what would you do the same/different? One of the biggest assets of a site like this, the ability to critique and get other viewpoints in how to do my job better. Especially in the diminished ongoing training capabilities, the opportunities to seek out new (better?) methods of work is more crucial than ever. Oh well, that is no longer an option.

"Employees shall not post on any Social Media site or electronically transmit any electronic recordings (photo images, video, or audio) of Philadelphia Fire Department property or on-duty responses/activities" - OK, no illustrated size-up type questions. No hypothetical "If you see this (picture/video/audio), how would/could/should you handle it?" ~ Of course, "The use of recording devices—camera, video recorder, audio recorder, cell phone or any device with audio and video recorder applications—is prohibited while on-duty and/or at any incident scene without prior approval from the Fire Commissioner." So I can't even obtain some of these types of images now.

In short, you know what I meant when I said "I'm prohibited from being here." These are but a few of the salient points to made. There are plenty more. If you want to keep up this charade, by all means be my guest. But don't expect me to be party to it any further.

[Fixxer]

Pita, I am not sure what "charade" you are referring to... The policy is out on the T drive under Social Media Policy. It is the general social media policy for all city employees. One that is tailored specifically for us will be forthcoming. The police received theirs within the last year, so people can theorize all they want, but we were going to get a social media policy no matter what our standing was with the city/mayor. I hate to play the "devil's" advocate, but I think people are overreacting and exaggerating. Aside from identifying yourself as an employee, everything was already prohibited by either Dir 25 or Dir 48 (Media Policy). I had an experienced labor attorney review the "guidelines" and he felt they were all within the rights of the department to impose. One pertinent factor was that we are held to a higher standard and essentially have a "morality clause" with our employment. With all that said, Car 2 said at last month's staff meeting that the policy won't be as strict as it may appear. Let's face it, they can't say go ahead and post pics of any on the job incident you want....they'd be open for liability. Bottom line is don't be an A-hole and no one will care. If you post a pic and begin a discussion on what would be the best strategy and tactics, no problems. If you post the pic and say that Car x or Chief Whoever did this or that and they are inept at their job, then yeah, that's a problem, which it always has been according to directive 25. With that said, you always have the right to speak as an informed citizen for the benefit of the public at large. You certainly appear to be an intelligent person, so don't buy into the nonsense. Every business and agency around the country has or is developing a social media policy. Just look at the news section on this site to see how often guys are fired or suspended because of social media. It all boils down to common sense...

[FWDbuff]

Pita, I am not sure what "charade" you are referring to... The policy is out on the T drive under Social Media Policy. It is the general social media policy for all city employees. One that is tailored specifically for us will be forthcoming. The police received theirs within the last year, so people can theorize all they want, but we were going to get a social media policy no matter what our standing was with the city/mayor. I hate to play the "devil's" advocate, but I think people are overreacting and exaggerating. Aside from identifying yourself as an employee, everything was already prohibited by either Dir 25 or Dir 48 (Media Policy). I had an experienced labor attorney review the "guidelines" and he felt they were all within the rights of the department to impose. One pertinent factor was that we are held to a higher standard and essentially have a "morality clause" with our employment. With all that said, Car 2 said at last month's staff meeting that the policy won't be as strict as it may appear. Let's face it, they can't say go ahead and post pics of any on the job incident you want....they'd be open for liability. Bottom line is don't be an A-hole and no one will care. If you post a pic and begin a discussion on what would be the best strategy and tactics, no problems. If you post the pic and say that Car x or Chief Whoever did this or that and they are inept at their job, then yeah, that's a problem, which it always has been according to directive 25. With that said, you always have the right to speak as an informed citizen for the benefit of the public at large. You certainly appear to be an intelligent person, so don't buy into the nonsense. Every business and agency around the country has or is developing a social media policy. Just look at the news section on this site to see how often guys are fired or suspended because of social media. It all boils down to common sense...

......and you trust Car 2 because.......????? It wont be as strict as it may appear....until it suits his or Lloyd's or da club's agenda.........Just sayin.

[Fixxer]

......and you trust Car 2 because.......????? It wont be as strict as it may appear....until it suits his or Lloyd's or da club's agenda.........Just sayin.

Never said I did, however I do believe that the policy is not as restrictive as people think. I think the "guidelines" memo was a way to see where and how much we'll push back and then develop the final policy. I don't think any of this is related to anything except the city-wide policy. There are too many conspiracy theorists that think everything is done because of a club alliance or as revenge....some things are, but not everything.

[Long Time]

Since its like crickets in here anyone hear anything new? Is there a class definitely in session as we speak...

[BigGuyPhilly]

Since its like crickets in here anyone hear anything new? Is there a class definitely in session as we speak...

There are 2 classes currently in session. The 186 and the 187.

[antny9111]

Im not realy sure whats goin on here but i had a family member go to the thrill show and she received a flyer that said this

The philadelphia fire department
ATTENTION
philadelphia fire department
will begin hiring 2013
starting salary
40,036-55,603
for more information contact the
pfd recruitment unit
email: pfd.recruitment@phila.gov
fore more info call
(215)685-3749
(215)685-3748

so i emailed them and they sent this back to me

Salutations/Greetings,
Thank you for your interest in The Philadelphia Fire Department. The Recruitment Unit is currently gathering Firefighter applicant information for the 2013 application /test season. If you are interested in applying, please forward your name, home address, cell/home number, email address, sex, race, birth date and if you are bilingual. This information will be placed in our database and when the application is open in 2013 we will notify you with any relevant information.

Should you have any questions, clarifications, and/ or concerns. Feel free to contact us at 215-685-3749 or email us at pfd.recruitment@phila.gov

so im not realy sure how many more guys there gona hire off the current list befor they put this test out...... has anyone heard anything?

[FFRN]

Yea if the list is 2 years long it makes sense to start the application process early 2013, not a big deal tho because look how long it took them after the announcement to have an open application period, hold a test, release results, and have the process begin, it took almost a year from the open application period last time for things to start moving along. Its a good thing if they are working on another test, it means theres jobs to be had.

[CaptOldTimer]

Im not realy sure whats goin on here but i had a family member go to the thrill show and she received a flyer that said this

The philadelphia fire department
ATTENTION
philadelphia fire department
will begin hiring 2013
starting salary
40,036-55,603
for more information contact the
pfd recruitment unit
email: pfd.recruitment@phila.gov
fore more info call
(215)685-3749
(215)685-3748

so i emailed them and they sent this back to me

Salutations/Greetings,
Thank you for your interest in The Philadelphia Fire Department. The Recruitment Unit is currently gathering Firefighter applicant information for the 2013 application /test season. If you are interested in applying, please forward your name, home address, cell/home number, email address, sex, race, birth date and if you are bilingual. This information will be placed in our database and when the application is open in 2013 we will notify you with any relevant information.

Should you have any questions, clarifications, and/ or concerns. Feel free to contact us at 215-685-3749 or email us at pfd.recruitment@phila.gov

so im not realy sure how many more guys there gona hire off the current list befor they put this test out...... has anyone heard anything?

It is against the law to ask your sex and race!!!

[FWDbuff]

It is against the law to ask your sex and race!!!

Not for 'da club!

[the shadow]

I really do hope they hire more classes off of this current list...

[Ravendmb1]

I really do hope they hire more classes off of this current list...

Is there any chance the list will be extended? I mean, I think it would be fair especially with over a thousand people scoring a 100 or better.