Firefighter: Truck Maintenance Neglect Is Rampant
Firefighters Also Say Driver Safety Training Is Nonexistent
POSTED: 4:49 pm EST January 16,
2009
UPDATED: 5:34 pm EST January 16,
2009
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BOSTON -- A Boston firefighter who wanted his identity hidden for fear of losing his job spoke with Team 5 Investigates' Rhondella Richardson about rampant neglect of the Boston Fire Department's fleet. He said that after several decades on the job he's fed up.
Firefighter: Truck Maintenance Neglect Is Rampant"We've got an oil leak here, or we've got a hydraulic leak, or the truck is breaking down," the firefighter said. "Sometimes the trucks don't start. These trucks are old."Long neglected fire apparatuses are finally getting inspected. But shuffling spare trucks around has become a bit of a shell game. Today there just aren't enough pieces."Ladder 29, I'm told, is now covering for Ladder 6," said City Councilor Michael Flaherty. "Ladder 6 is out of service. So the folks that live in that neighborhood, as we speak, have no service. God forbid the alarm sounds. They don't have a ladder company."Flaherty, who may be a challenger for Boston Mayor Tom Menino, blames the mayor's political feud with firefighters for much of the apparatus mess."Last night it was Grove Hall. Today it's Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan," said Flaherty. "Who is it going to be tonight? Who is it going to be tomorrow?""I think the city is kicking us to the curb," said the firefighter.Driver safety is also a big issue."Currently none of our members receive any formal training or certification on any emergency vehicle operations," said Ed Kelly of the Boston Firefighters Union.When asked how they were supposed to know how to drive a ladder truck Kelly replied, "Get up in the front seat, kid."Team 5 Investigates learned that according to the National Fire Protection Association's best practices standards, "Fire departments should maintain a driver training, education and professional development program with a goal of preventing occupational deaths."Another standards code states that "Driver training should be provided for all members of the department for not less than twice a year."But it doesn't happen at all at the Boston Fire Department."On the job training--they used to do that," said the firefighter. "They don't do that anymore."
Firefighter: Truck Maintenance Neglect Is Rampant"We've got an oil leak here, or we've got a hydraulic leak, or the truck is breaking down," the firefighter said. "Sometimes the trucks don't start. These trucks are old."Long neglected fire apparatuses are finally getting inspected. But shuffling spare trucks around has become a bit of a shell game. Today there just aren't enough pieces."Ladder 29, I'm told, is now covering for Ladder 6," said City Councilor Michael Flaherty. "Ladder 6 is out of service. So the folks that live in that neighborhood, as we speak, have no service. God forbid the alarm sounds. They don't have a ladder company."Flaherty, who may be a challenger for Boston Mayor Tom Menino, blames the mayor's political feud with firefighters for much of the apparatus mess."Last night it was Grove Hall. Today it's Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan," said Flaherty. "Who is it going to be tonight? Who is it going to be tomorrow?""I think the city is kicking us to the curb," said the firefighter.Driver safety is also a big issue."Currently none of our members receive any formal training or certification on any emergency vehicle operations," said Ed Kelly of the Boston Firefighters Union.When asked how they were supposed to know how to drive a ladder truck Kelly replied, "Get up in the front seat, kid."Team 5 Investigates learned that according to the National Fire Protection Association's best practices standards, "Fire departments should maintain a driver training, education and professional development program with a goal of preventing occupational deaths."Another standards code states that "Driver training should be provided for all members of the department for not less than twice a year."But it doesn't happen at all at the Boston Fire Department."On the job training--they used to do that," said the firefighter. "They don't do that anymore."Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
