doc13mets

All I did was correct someone who stated an incorrect fact about having to serve 90 days to receive veterans preference in a combat zone. I correctly pointed out that they had to serve 14. That is all. I never claimed I was 30+ years old because I am under 30. I have respect for anyone who has served in the armed forces. I have a large military family myself. The only issue I have that is even related to veterans is with a State Law and not veterans themselves. I believe that veterans should receive bonus points (like 10) added onto civil service exams. Like the Federal Govt. and many other states do when they administer civil service type exams. There are very few states that does it the way NJ does by giving "absolute preference". I do believe veterans deserve preference just in a not so heavily weighed manor that the State Legislator has decided. My only other problem with Civil Service is Towns have not been allowed due to lawsuits to enforce a residency requirement for hiring like Civil Service allows. Living in Newark allows you to get a high preference in Newark as well as getting listed in like 10 other towns (one being Kearny). While if you live in Kearny you can't compete with a Newark resident for a position in his/her town but they can in yours. That I believe is unfair. I believe I said at one point the fact they were veterans should not play into a defense of why they should not be laid off. I believe once they got hired the defense should be the fact that no firefighter should be laid off. By saying over and over and over lets not lay off our veterans is an invalid argument. Imagine if Civil Service allowed their jobs to be protected so the 12 firefighters (who were nonveterans) above them in seniority instead got laid off. That would be an injustice. I fully supported no firefighter layoffs but I thought focusing on the fact that they were veterans as a defense against layoffs was not related to the issue of layoffs so why bother using it as an argument. In regards to me making a difference I ask you how you could you imply that you know I don't? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I do with my free time? I am very confident that I make a difference in the work I do in my spare time.

This is the same guy that pretends to be a Harrison Firefighter in the Harrison boards... (Kearny's Bravest/Harrison's Bravest) You should have been a little smarter. You are not a firefighter for either town, stop playing games. Grow up or man up and use your own real name.

How come KOTW doesn't attach the comment "Reason for edit: Note: The above information is not confirmed." to each post that mentions that a firefighter was apparently quoted as calling Kearny residents "Little Sheep". It's a story just as much as my story about when I heard the dispatch situation that I described in the Harrison section and you posted that. Please be consistent either do it or don't. I highly doubt this is true anyway. Unless of course KOTW has an article or news source with that.

Ok... since we can't confirm a Fireman actually complained about them I won't even comment on the negative remarks, except one, I never heard any Harrison Fire apparatus taking long times to respond to reports of real fire, in fact if anything you hear the Firefighters assigned to EMS requesting to jump to another rig. From what I can tell from listening to them it seems to me the Harrison Dispatchers do a real fine job. If anything there is a fire chief that is outright nasty to them, if anything the Dispatchers should make a complaint. I remember hearing the dispatcher request EMS to respond to a fallen elderly man, the Battalion Chief on duty started asking some questions to the dispatcher, is this call for so and so being drunk again? She responded I don't know I've just gotten multiple 911 calls about a elderly man fallen... the BC disregarded what she said and told her to inform Harrison Police that EMS should not be dispatched for just an intoxicated individual who doesn't have an injury. The dispatcher explained again that she received 911 calls about it and police aren't on the scene but also responding, his response... "Just tell police that"... EMS did respond but why does the BC need to act like that? Better to be safe then sorry. The dispatchers always sound professional and curious. No reason to bash them, they have a tough job.

I doubt he got a reference from the HFD, he probably didn't even mention it to the department in NC. This situation is sick. Complete fraud. This person should be charged with multiple accounts of fraud, be forced to pay all the money back (sell his house… whatever) and be put in jail. There is no apology for something like this.

Towns usually put aside pay for retroactive checks. They have been putting a certain amount each year in anticipation of a new contract. From what I thought I heard Santos say at one time is they already have the retroactive money aside, it wouldn't be coming from this year or next years budget.

I was suprised at the numbers as well. But just cause you can't figure it out from the little information you have doesn't meant it's not true. I'm sure the Mayor and Council have it figured out, otherwise they would not have done a deal.

The 2% Cap on property tax is in effect until April 1st, 2014. So...

What was everyone complaining about like a week or so ago?? A ticket blitz maybe?!?!?! What do you call that?

It doesn't matter if they were veterans. That should play no piece in if the town could afford them or not. They are firefighters now and to give them special treatment after they are hired could be argued as a violation of the equal protection clause.

Well said. I am pretty sure most of the Department does not think that way.

That's exactly what the poster stated. It is the newest 17 members which would be the lowest paid ones. I am very happy there is a deal as I didn't want to see any layoffs but feel bad for those younger guys. Honestly it's the older guys that could afford give up a little more. It's a shame the people on the department barely making anything are the ones with frozen salaries, but hey I guess it's better than termination. Just wish the older guys stepped up and maybe gave back 1500 or something so those young guys could get a slight raise.

So far from the truth about who I am. I am not a Harrison Firefighter, nor related to one. I really don't know the majority of them all that well. I just know about the way fire departments operate and why they are important. (That doesn't mean I don't think police are important as they are also)

I think they all should live within a reasonable response time. Over an hour is really unacceptable. I'm the big mouth you speak of (at least I think) and guess what? I never said crime doesn't go up in a bad economy. It does. I only refuted your statement that fires do not go up in a bad economy. They do. Stop attempting to turn my posts into some sort of crusade like the guy did saying that I said there were hundreds of "house fires" a year in Harrison. Crime goes up in a bad economy. We need proper police protection. Fire also goes up in a bad economy. We need proper fire protection. Thats the way it is. Never said anything to the point that crime doesn't go up, so don't make it like I said I did. I'm not a big mouth, I just state the facts.

I recall hearing the EMS call for this on my scanner. Didn't realize how serious it was... wow

He did mislead in his open letter. But he did explain how pension payments and health insurance raises do not factor into the 2% cap in his opening at the Council Meeting last night.

In the Mayor's open letter I just noticed two confliction statements. He mentions that there is a 2% cap on property tax. Which is true. Then he goes on to mention how in his budget he needs to account for an increase of the health insurance bill is going up by 12%, pension payments by 13%. One key thing the mayor left out is that according to the recent law passed property tax can only go up 2% on items that the town has control of. Health insurance and Pension payments are exempt from the 2% cap portion and can property tax bill could in fact be raised slightly more to account for those 2 specific increases. They play no part in having to fit into the 2% budgeted raise. So why even mention this? Either the mayor doesn't know the law or wants to make it seem like he has to layoff firefighters because of the Pension/Health insurance costs going up and there is a cap on property taxes when in fact he can raise the taxes above the 2% to cover these costs. I just wanted the truth to be known.

It is not 90 days. It is 14 days in a combat zone. See below. Eligibility Veterans who are eligible meet one of the following categories: 1. World War II: September 16, 1940 - December 31, 1946; Korea: June 23, 1950-January 31, 1955; or Vietnam: December 31, 1960 - May 7, 1975. The active duty service during these three wars does not have to be "in country" or "in combat." Merchant Marines from World War II are eligible. 2. a veteran who served at least 14 days in a combat zone during any one of the following: ---- Lebanon Crisis: July 1, 1958-November 1, 1958 ---- Lebanon peace keeping mission: September 26, 1982-December 1, 1987 ---- Grenada peace keeping mission: October 23, 1983-November 21, 1983 ---- Panama peace keeping mission: December 20, 1989-January 31, 1990 ---- Persian Gulf-Operation Desert Shield/Storm: August 2, 1990-February 28, 1991 ---- Somalia Operation Restore Hope: December 5, 1992-March 31, 1994 ---- Operations Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard in the Republic of Bosnia or Herzegovina:November 20, 1995-June 20, 1998 ---- Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti: September 19, 1994 - March 31, 1995 ---- Operation Enduring Freedom on or after September 11, 2001 ---- Operation Iraqi Freedom: March 19, 2003 - present Combat zone qualification is most frequently indicated by the receipt of an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. 3. a veteran with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent. The veteran must have received the disability during service in one of the wars or operations listed above, although the veteran need not meet either the 90 days of active duty requirement or 14 days in combat zone requirement. A service connected disability is indicated by federal Veterans Administration service connected compensation being received or entitlement to receive, a U.S. military medical board finding or retirement from active military service with a disability rating of 10 percent or more. Current proof of disability is required.

Is there any way to prove this guy is actually a firefighter? Why feed into him?

You're right. I forgot about that 1/4. But the Majority boarders East Newark. I meant for the poster to use a better example as when I think south of Johnston I think East Newark.

I got a copy on facebook yesterday. It was probably made public by the Senator himself.

South of Johnston Ave is not Harrison. That is East Newark.

No they just get more comp time.

I'm the one who made the posts. I got the statistics from the state. I explained that stat saying it that number ranged anything from a garbage can fire, to a car fire, to an electrical panel fire all the way to a full house fire. I explained that stat, obviously you did not at your Thanksgiving meal. Far to often people on this board focus in on one thing and ignore the context or the supporting facts. Don't turn my statistics to mean only house fires as I made that clear when I posted originally on the matter. If that is the only Fire all those people at your Thanksgiving meal can recall either they have bad memories or are not aware of some of the other fires. Franklin Ave last December was a real bad one. Harrison Ave by BK this past year, Davis Street this past year, Mobus fire this past year, there was a nasty basement fire about a month I can't remember the street. A bad brush fire on 280 caused by an overturned car. Thats just to name a few over the past 12 months. Do you guys really want more fire? The reason that most of these fires didn't become multiple home fires is because the FD's did a real good job at knocking it down. Typically the FF's at any Harrison Fire will be Harrison, Kearny and East Newark... they all are doing a real great job at putting out fire. Also the FD no longer costs that much (I always thought it was in the 4 millions never 5 but I could be wrong) but they have made many cuts. Harrison can't afford any additional reduction in manpower.

I am against FD/PD layoffs. I do not believe the fact any of them may have been Vets should play a factor when it comes to laying off. Yes they served their country in a special way but if I was a FF and it came down to layoffs what I did before I was a FF should not factor in. How I perform my current job should. Unfortunatly the Civil Service rules require you just to work backwards in regards to layoffs.