i want to say godbye to you guys

[pengman]

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[pengman]

sorry i forgot to enclose the email. so here bit is...

Paul, I am afraid I have some bad news. At a Fire Board Meeting recently, It was decided by the members to no longer allow fireman to live outside the area of the district.The reason being fear of liability and it being a safety issue both for the responding fireman and the public. I guess I can understand that, I wouldn't want something happening to you trying to get across town. And you have your family to think of first and volunteering second. Anyway, Thank-you for being a fireman with M.F.D. I appreciate your efforts and am very sorry it can't work out. Please return all Dept. property to me or Brad, or anybody you want to I guess. Or you can leave it at the station and let somebody know it's there.Again, Iam sorry about this. And, I hope you can understand their position. Thanks again Paul

I have never broke a speed limit to any call and can respond quicker to a medical call than the dept can.

[PattyV]

I will now have to also not post here as of now as i am no longer a firefighter. PLease stay safe

You aint getting away that easy. It doesnt matter whether you are currently in service as a firefighter or not.
secondly, once a firefighter, always a firefighter.

[pengman]

You aint getting away that easy. It doesnt matter whether you are currently in service as a firefighter or not.
secondly, once a firefighter, always a firefighter.

Patty. I know what you are sayin but due to some serious B.S I have no option but to go. I talked to my assistant fire cheif and he said it was state law i had to leave as i no longer live in the same district (1 mile) I do not know how a vote by the fire board can be state law so soon??? I am trying to relocate so i can serve on either the same dept or another one near where i live.

[PattyV]

Well good luck with getting back into the fire service, but if nothing else, stay on the firehouse boards. There are plenty of rookies/explorers that can get some value from your wisdom.

[pengman]

Patty your right but i'm not sure if i can help many people. I have too many ghosts on my back that i need to put to rest first. It may seem stupid but i have not been able to sleep for the last 9 months due to the fact that.. well you know how it is. I cannot eat certain foods anymore as they remind me of how some people looked after extricating them from burnt out vehicles (pot roast, beef, pork) Most nights I wake my wife in a cold sweat because of nightmares. I had asked to be debreifed by a csid team and never got it.
I am close to the edge and now this.

[StLRes2cue]

I am close to the edge and now this.

Um....excuse me... I believe I see some Red flags exploding in this corner.

Hey man... there have been posts on similar subjects before. The edge IS a tricky place, but not impossible to clear. Look at some of the links in past posts for help dealing with stress.

Not say this to be funny or crass, but buddy step on back from the edge ... I've seen whats over it and the stuff on this side is MUCH better.

Reach out if you need it.

STLRES2CUE

[PattyV]

Dont forget, these forums are a good place to talk to people. There are plenty of people on these forums that have been in a similar situation and they will always be willing to lend a shoulder to lean on.

[MalahatTwo7]

Listen to What the Man Said: (ya ok so I 'borrowed' that line, it still applies here )

You aint getting away that easy. It doesnt matter whether you are currently in service as a firefighter or not. secondly, once a firefighter, always a firefighter.

I also agree with StLRes2cue. There are lots of us here willing to lend a hand or a shoulder if you need it. Just holler, at least one of us always lurking in here somewhere.

Keep your head up and walk tall - you did good things out there, and I'm sure there are more good things to come still. Good luck Paul, and stay safe!

[EastKyFF]

I think this is a crock. There is no way that assistant chief is telling the truth. What a fire board passes is policy for the department, not law for the state. You are right to suspect this is BS. Dig further. Your state's laws are probably online, as Kentucky's are, and searchable. Search for "fire department" or "volunteer firefighter" and see whether it addresses this issue, or as you mentioned, check with your representatives to your state house.

Methinks they have a problem with you for some reason and they're just trying to unload you. We have several members out of our district; ain't hurt nuttin' yet.

Do not give it up. Find the truth, and good luck, and get some help for your incident stress.

[fireguy919]

Brother don’t just up and leave. Sounds like you need help and we are here for you. Even if the fire board or state came up with something like that, would you not be grand fathered in because of your status as being on the department. I to live outside my departments response area. As the fire department I’m on is 2.8 miles from my house and the fire department that covers my house is 3.2 miles. Since I joined following my brother, there have been changes made to our membership. However nothing affected the guys already there just new guys. Sorry to hear this kind of bs is going on.

As far as the cisd I do not know why they will not get it for you. That breaks my heart man. I have been through it. I know where you are coming from, as do many of your brothers and sisters here. If you do not want to talk about it here, then we can do it on in email hell if you want I will give you my numbers and we can talk that way. The worst part is the bad calls. Also look back on the good ones to. Look how many lives you have helped. Believe me you’ve made a difference somewhere. If you need anything we are here just say so brother

[tyler101]

He lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

[pengman]

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[ChiefReason]

Ok here is a little update on what is happening. I called the state fire marshall and had a good talk with him. He informed me that there are no laws in the state of iowa that say you have to live in your fire district to serve on that dept, infact most dept's need people outside their district or they would not be able to get the members. I sent my cheif an email saying i will return all dept equipment some time today and i intend to talk to him about this situation. The fire marshall also stated that He thinks i should be able to continue to serve as this is a new rule within the dept and it should only be for new members of the dept. I will let you guys know how things go. I have been thinking a lot about this since receiving the email from my cheif and I have decided i am not going down without a fight.

Personally, I think that there is something that goes beyond the residency requirement of the department. I think that they were just using THAT as the excuse.
I think that there is another reason. You really need to grill your chief when you talk to him.
As far as liability goes; driving distance has nothing to do with it.
You're getting shafted. Press for the real reason.
CR

[doughesson]

Don't let the bustards wear you down,man.You must want this type of work badly,else you'd have just walked and said"Litra haht"to them as you shut the door.
Like others have said,find out why and the chapter and verse of the reason.
If you can't,get on with the other department you spoke of and show THEM that you can deal with problems and know to ask for help when needed.
Best of luck to you.

[pengman]

I got a reply to my email i sent the cheif this is a copy of it. looks like it is over for the time being. now to find another dept.

Paul, I understand your disappointment,and please understand that this in no way is intended towards you personally. It was not meant to be negative towards you, how you respond to calls or anything else Each governing body of a fire district can set certain guidelines to follow in regards to the members.By saying a member should live inside the district is simply a safe and a common sense approach to keep all involved as safe as can be.I have no doubt you follow the law when it comes to responding,But we both know you can never tell what the other guy will do.I don't want something to happen to you trying to get through town that could have been avoided. I fully understand your feelings, but you must keep your family and your career first. This is just a matter of logistics. I really appreaciate your dedication, but I do feel it would be best in the long run. I'am sorry for dropping this on you like this ,and I hope you will understand my position.

[Gx7E10]

Keep up the fight, inform him he has no right to do this.

[PattyV]

Do you americans have a governing body for unfair dismissal laws? I know that he is only a volunteer, but it is still a workplace and it is an occupation..... Just one that doesnt pay too well.

[pengman]

Patty, in the U.S we have the federal employment laws covering minimum wage discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, age and disability. local/state government can make their own laws/rules as they see fit. here in Iowa apart from the federal laws we have no protection as an employee. in other words an employer can fire you and does not need to have or give a reason for termination of employment and there is nothing you can do about it whatsoever.

[JorieH]

I would think they would give you a grace period to move, not just say 'as of today' without proper notification. Even for new hires, the departments give them X amount of time to move within residency requirements.