Detroit Fire
- Thread starter Haggerty
- Start date
I believe the Detroit Fire Department is now running with to 28 Engines, 18 Ladders, 6 Squads, 1 Tactical Unit, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 7 Battalions, and 1 Duty Chief operating out of 43 Fire Stations. A Box, or structure fire response in Detroit gets 2 Engines, 1 Ladder, 1 Squad, and 1 Battalion w/no R.I.T. Engine unless specially called. On a busy night, a fire in Detroit will often get only 1 Engine and 1 Ladder, or worse, just 1 Engine.
Prior to this past June and the budget cuts/company closures that followed, the DFD ran with 38 Engines, 22 Ladders, 6 Squads, 2 Tactical Units, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 7 Battalions, and a Duty Chief in 46 Fire Stations. On the EMS-side, I believe the DFD now runs with around 27 Medic Units, give or take, but I believe only half are in service most of the time, with maybe around 20 in service on a good day, but don't quote me on that. The DFD's EMS Division is in real bad shape.
Prior to this past June and the budget cuts/company closures that followed, the DFD ran with 38 Engines, 22 Ladders, 6 Squads, 2 Tactical Units, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 7 Battalions, and a Duty Chief in 46 Fire Stations. On the EMS-side, I believe the DFD now runs with around 27 Medic Units, give or take, but I believe only half are in service most of the time, with maybe around 20 in service on a good day, but don't quote me on that. The DFD's EMS Division is in real bad shape.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3,350
Does the mayor live in the tighty white neighborhood or the survival neighborhood. And like they did in Boston, delete the first due engine E-10 to the mayor's house. He cut the companies, first to go was E-10, a lime-yellow Hanh. She liked the color, no on else did, although I have a Pix of Ladder 24, a Seagrave, looks pretty sharp.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2010
- Messages
- 1,193
Detroit has huge issues. I met the current commissioner when he was a BC in South Central LA. I would like to know what the maximum number of companies Detroit had in it heyday which was prior to the 67 riots. I also wonder what there staffing was on Engines and Trucks? Anyone out there know?
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 3,350
My son went to the Lions/Bears game last year. Detroit is one vast ghetto according to him.
I believe at one time, the Detroit Fire Department operated 60 Engines, 31 Ladders, 9 Squads, 4 Tactical Units, 12 Battalions, and 4 Duty Chiefs. In 1950, the population of Detroit was approximately 1,850,000 living in 139 square miles. Now the population is down to around 707,000. I'm not sure how accurate this info is, but I believe that the DFD responds to approximately 500 arson-related fires a month.CFDMarshal said:
From their peak to now, the DFD lost 32 Engines, 13 Ladders, 3 Squads, 3 Tactical Units, 4 Battalions, and 3 Duty Chiefs.
As for the staffing today, I'm not sure. I would say around 3-4 guys a rig. Squads might have a couple more.
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
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- 15,656
A TOTAL DISGRACE......
A face to Detroit's bankruptcy: Paralyzed firefighter to lose health benefits
?◦
By Charlie LeDuff, Fox 2 News
The federal government has money problems.
So, imagine the federal government telling wounded warriors coming back from overseas that they'll no longer take care of them, and instead, those veterans will get $200 a month for healthcare and a pair of broom sticks to walk around on.
Outrageous right?
Well that's what Detroit's wounded warriors, those who wore the badge and honorably served the community, are going to get if the bankruptcy stands as is.
Here's one of those warriors, firefighter Brendan Milewski, in his own words.
"August 13, 2010 - Friday the 13th - I was only at work for a couple minutes, never even stepped foot in the firehouse, taking my gear out of the car. We've got to run down to Jefferson and Drexel. We were working on the scene for ten, fifteen minutes and, without warning, a building collapsed on us.
"I was hit with a chunk of limestone the size of a parking block, and that basically exploded my seventh thoracic vertebra. Now I'm left to live the rest of my life as a T6 Paraplegic.
"It's a complete loss of identity for me, to be in this position now and not amongst my peers, and seen as weak and feeble and handicapped and disabled. I hate all these words. I hate that they describe me.
"I always understood that death was a legitimate possibility; I've seen enough of my friends die. I can't say Walter Harris' name enough. I never considered being injured to the point where I wasn't going to be who I was before, and having to live with the consequences. One would only assume that you make these kind of sacrifices at work, performing your job, that you'd be taken care of.
"I got a letter saying that my healthcare, through the city of Detroit, was going to be terminated as of January 1, 2014, and that, if I don't have another plan purchased by December 15th of this year, that I'll have a gap in coverage. And they're offering a $200 a month stipend to supplement the cost of purchasing my own health insurance.
"I definitely feel discarded. It's disheartening that guys like me put ourselves on the line everyday. These Detroit firemen, they put their lives, their bodies, on the line every day.
"When there's a school shooting, or when there's a building fire or a whatever, a car accident, hazardous chemical release - soldiers don't' show up. When you call 911 - we do. We're the first line of defense. And sacrificing our lives, our health, one would only assume that we would be taken care of.
"I do nine hours of physical therapy a week to keep from atrophy from my muscles shrinking up, losing mass and shriveling away. I have to insert a plastic tube in my penis so I can pee for the rest of my life. That costs money.
"The benefits that we got, they weren't given to us. They were earned. These guys worked their asses off for said 30, 40 years, sacrificing life and ... health. The least they could do is have some sort of security after they're gone, after the fires are out."
Read more: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/23824525/a-face-to-detroits-bankruptcy-paralyzed-firefighter-to-lose-health-benefits#ixzz2jFVg1adJ
A face to Detroit's bankruptcy: Paralyzed firefighter to lose health benefits
?◦
By Charlie LeDuff, Fox 2 News
The federal government has money problems.
So, imagine the federal government telling wounded warriors coming back from overseas that they'll no longer take care of them, and instead, those veterans will get $200 a month for healthcare and a pair of broom sticks to walk around on.
Outrageous right?
Well that's what Detroit's wounded warriors, those who wore the badge and honorably served the community, are going to get if the bankruptcy stands as is.
Here's one of those warriors, firefighter Brendan Milewski, in his own words.
"August 13, 2010 - Friday the 13th - I was only at work for a couple minutes, never even stepped foot in the firehouse, taking my gear out of the car. We've got to run down to Jefferson and Drexel. We were working on the scene for ten, fifteen minutes and, without warning, a building collapsed on us.
"I was hit with a chunk of limestone the size of a parking block, and that basically exploded my seventh thoracic vertebra. Now I'm left to live the rest of my life as a T6 Paraplegic.
"It's a complete loss of identity for me, to be in this position now and not amongst my peers, and seen as weak and feeble and handicapped and disabled. I hate all these words. I hate that they describe me.
"I always understood that death was a legitimate possibility; I've seen enough of my friends die. I can't say Walter Harris' name enough. I never considered being injured to the point where I wasn't going to be who I was before, and having to live with the consequences. One would only assume that you make these kind of sacrifices at work, performing your job, that you'd be taken care of.
"I got a letter saying that my healthcare, through the city of Detroit, was going to be terminated as of January 1, 2014, and that, if I don't have another plan purchased by December 15th of this year, that I'll have a gap in coverage. And they're offering a $200 a month stipend to supplement the cost of purchasing my own health insurance.
"I definitely feel discarded. It's disheartening that guys like me put ourselves on the line everyday. These Detroit firemen, they put their lives, their bodies, on the line every day.
"When there's a school shooting, or when there's a building fire or a whatever, a car accident, hazardous chemical release - soldiers don't' show up. When you call 911 - we do. We're the first line of defense. And sacrificing our lives, our health, one would only assume that we would be taken care of.
"I do nine hours of physical therapy a week to keep from atrophy from my muscles shrinking up, losing mass and shriveling away. I have to insert a plastic tube in my penis so I can pee for the rest of my life. That costs money.
"The benefits that we got, they weren't given to us. They were earned. These guys worked their asses off for said 30, 40 years, sacrificing life and ... health. The least they could do is have some sort of security after they're gone, after the fires are out."
Read more: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/23824525/a-face-to-detroits-bankruptcy-paralyzed-firefighter-to-lose-health-benefits#ixzz2jFVg1adJ
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,487
The politicians don't care one damn bit. But, the government has zillions to spend on studies of a clam's sex life, or why poison ivy itches. There is money to give in trillions to countries abroad that hate us. But yet, do the American people vote these miscreants out of office at election time?
19 shocking facts about Detroit's bankruptcy
John Reeves, The Motley Fool 9:20 a.m. EST December 3, 2013 USA Today
15. Detroit has witnessed 11,000-12,000 fires every year for the past decade.
16. Detroit's homicide rate is at the highest level in 40 years, and it has been named one of the most dangerous cities in America for more than 20 years.
17. Its citizens wait on average more than 58 minutes for the police to respond to their calls, compared to a national average of 11 minutes.
18. The city has 78,000 abandoned structures.
(DFD website only states 7000 fires out of 30,000 runs they do not do ems runs due to manpower/heavy fireload
25% of their responses are Working Structure Fires (mostly arson or suspected arson)
Firehouses are looking for donations for new or used equipment as the city cannot afford to buy them the stuff they need
http://www.detroitmutualaid.com/
http://www.thethinredline.org/detroit-fire-t-shirt.html
John Reeves, The Motley Fool 9:20 a.m. EST December 3, 2013 USA Today
15. Detroit has witnessed 11,000-12,000 fires every year for the past decade.
16. Detroit's homicide rate is at the highest level in 40 years, and it has been named one of the most dangerous cities in America for more than 20 years.
17. Its citizens wait on average more than 58 minutes for the police to respond to their calls, compared to a national average of 11 minutes.
18. The city has 78,000 abandoned structures.
(DFD website only states 7000 fires out of 30,000 runs they do not do ems runs due to manpower/heavy fireload
25% of their responses are Working Structure Fires (mostly arson or suspected arson)
Firehouses are looking for donations for new or used equipment as the city cannot afford to buy them the stuff they need
http://www.detroitmutualaid.com/
http://www.thethinredline.org/detroit-fire-t-shirt.html
November 29, 2013 at 1:00 am
$24.2M federal grant to hire 150 Detroit firefighters a 'godsend'
Tony Briscoe
The Detroit News
212 Comments
Detroit ? O?Dell Tate has volunteered for the city?s Angels? Night patrols for more than a decade and has watched as firefighters battle blazes that strain resources and put neighborhoods on edge.
Now, with a $24.2 million federal grant ? the largest ever awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a fire department ? and two savvy grant writers, the city stands to hire 150 new firefighters.
?It couldn?t come at a better time,? Tate said. ?We have wonderful firefighters here, but for a city Detroit?s size, to increase our numbers would be a great asset.?
After losing out on millions in federal grants for years, the Fire Department turned to the Detroit Public Safety Foundation, a nonprofit foundation founded in 2011 to boost Detroit?s waning public safety resources.
?The Fire Department is an area that has so many needs and they didn?t have anybody that has focused on writing grants ... ,? Catherine Govan, executive director of the foundation. ?It just makes us feel that we?re doing what we need to do to help the city.?
Govan said the nonprofit dedicated two grant writers to look for any grant ?we could possibly get.?
The grant will fund new firefighters? salaries and benefits for two years.
The Fire Department had never secured a grant from FEMA?s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program, or SAFER, until 2011, when the foundation stepped in. Since then, the Fire Department captured a $22.5 million award in 2012, the largest SAFER grant awarded up to that point, that kept 108 firefighters from layoffs. In October of that year, the city laid off 26 firefighters, but they returned a month later under another SAFER grant of $5.6 million.
The latest grant is a ?godsend,? said Executive Fire Commissioner Don Austin, who credited the foundation with securing the grants that will boost staffing.
?This is wonderful news for the city of Detroit and for our firefighters,? Austin said. ?The average age of our firefighters is 45, so we need some new blood and this is really going to support that effort.?
The SAFER grant comes amid an effort by the Obama administration to invest in Detroit's economic recovery and enhance quality of life for residents. In September, the administration announced in Detroit that it would unlock $300 million in new and repurposed grants.
The Fire Department has 781 firefighters, down hundreds due to retirements, said Austin. The city has about 11,000 to 12,000 fires annually ? with 60 percent in blighted or unoccupied buildings.
Last month, the Fire Department began its search to fill 90 firefighter positions, funded by city monies. There were more than 2,400 applicants, which Austin said he expects to tap to fill those openings and the 150 new positions.
Applicants will take written, physical and oral examinations.
Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association union, said the grant is another step toward building a ?younger, healthier, stronger Fire Department.?
?We are very thankful this Thanksgiving,? McNamara said. ?This is certainly a move in the right direction and it gives us hope we can build a good base and move forward.?
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, who announced the award Wednesday, said the grant will better protect Detroiters.
?This is another major investment in the city of Detroit that will go a long way in helping the Fire Department hire additional firefighters to protect the public,? Stabenow, D-Lansing, said in a statement. ?Making sure our first responders have the resources they need is exactly the kind of support that will help Detroit?s continued revitalization.?
Levin, D-Detroit, added: ?There is no more important task (than) caring for our people in times of emergency.?
There?s no obligation to retain the grant-funded firefighters after the two-year period, but Austin said he hopes Detroit?s finances will be strong enough to support the newest hires. ?By then, the city should be in a healthier position to maintain the basic level required to perform services,? Austin said.
tbriscoe@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2541
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131129/METRO01/311290027#ixzz2mQdnG8a0
$24.2M federal grant to hire 150 Detroit firefighters a 'godsend'
Tony Briscoe
The Detroit News
212 Comments
Detroit ? O?Dell Tate has volunteered for the city?s Angels? Night patrols for more than a decade and has watched as firefighters battle blazes that strain resources and put neighborhoods on edge.
Now, with a $24.2 million federal grant ? the largest ever awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a fire department ? and two savvy grant writers, the city stands to hire 150 new firefighters.
?It couldn?t come at a better time,? Tate said. ?We have wonderful firefighters here, but for a city Detroit?s size, to increase our numbers would be a great asset.?
After losing out on millions in federal grants for years, the Fire Department turned to the Detroit Public Safety Foundation, a nonprofit foundation founded in 2011 to boost Detroit?s waning public safety resources.
?The Fire Department is an area that has so many needs and they didn?t have anybody that has focused on writing grants ... ,? Catherine Govan, executive director of the foundation. ?It just makes us feel that we?re doing what we need to do to help the city.?
Govan said the nonprofit dedicated two grant writers to look for any grant ?we could possibly get.?
The grant will fund new firefighters? salaries and benefits for two years.
The Fire Department had never secured a grant from FEMA?s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program, or SAFER, until 2011, when the foundation stepped in. Since then, the Fire Department captured a $22.5 million award in 2012, the largest SAFER grant awarded up to that point, that kept 108 firefighters from layoffs. In October of that year, the city laid off 26 firefighters, but they returned a month later under another SAFER grant of $5.6 million.
The latest grant is a ?godsend,? said Executive Fire Commissioner Don Austin, who credited the foundation with securing the grants that will boost staffing.
?This is wonderful news for the city of Detroit and for our firefighters,? Austin said. ?The average age of our firefighters is 45, so we need some new blood and this is really going to support that effort.?
The SAFER grant comes amid an effort by the Obama administration to invest in Detroit's economic recovery and enhance quality of life for residents. In September, the administration announced in Detroit that it would unlock $300 million in new and repurposed grants.
The Fire Department has 781 firefighters, down hundreds due to retirements, said Austin. The city has about 11,000 to 12,000 fires annually ? with 60 percent in blighted or unoccupied buildings.
Last month, the Fire Department began its search to fill 90 firefighter positions, funded by city monies. There were more than 2,400 applicants, which Austin said he expects to tap to fill those openings and the 150 new positions.
Applicants will take written, physical and oral examinations.
Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association union, said the grant is another step toward building a ?younger, healthier, stronger Fire Department.?
?We are very thankful this Thanksgiving,? McNamara said. ?This is certainly a move in the right direction and it gives us hope we can build a good base and move forward.?
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, who announced the award Wednesday, said the grant will better protect Detroiters.
?This is another major investment in the city of Detroit that will go a long way in helping the Fire Department hire additional firefighters to protect the public,? Stabenow, D-Lansing, said in a statement. ?Making sure our first responders have the resources they need is exactly the kind of support that will help Detroit?s continued revitalization.?
Levin, D-Detroit, added: ?There is no more important task (than) caring for our people in times of emergency.?
There?s no obligation to retain the grant-funded firefighters after the two-year period, but Austin said he hopes Detroit?s finances will be strong enough to support the newest hires. ?By then, the city should be in a healthier position to maintain the basic level required to perform services,? Austin said.
tbriscoe@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2541
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131129/METRO01/311290027#ixzz2mQdnG8a0
Detroit?s top fire official, Don Austin, is resigning in wake of botched fire crisis
by Steve Neavling / Published yesterday / @mcmuckraker
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Fire Commissioner Don Austin routinely mishandled Detroit's fire crisis.
austin-donaldDetroit Fire Commissioner Don Austin, who botched the hiring of new firefighters, regularly conceals the severity of the fire crisis and oversaw drastic budget reductions, is resigning as early as this week, city sources told us today.
Residents began calling for Austin?s resignation this summer, saying he?s responsible for an increase in the number of fires that are decimating neighborhoods, jacking up home insurance rates and claiming lives.
Since Austin took the helm in May 2011, firefighters? wages were cut 10%, arsons were drastically underreported and seven fire stations were permanently closed as part of a $24-million reduction in the department?s budget. Most of those stations have since been broken into and stripped over scrap metal.
The Motor City Muckraker has been examining the fire department over the past year, revealing poor leadership, an inadequately staffed department and firefighters who are forced to work without the proper safety equipment or working trucks and engines.
Detroit Fire Department fighting fireFire trucks continue to break down at unprecedented rates, and repairs are woefully slow. Firefighters often are forced to buy their own safety equipment, and arson investigators are rarely available.
Austin?s administration regularly closes down stations over night to save money, despite a flare up of fires from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The city averages 30 fires a day, about half of which are suspected arsons. The city has only enough arson investigators to review 20% of suspected fires ? an admission Austin made only after we offered the evidence.
Austin has declined numerous requests for interviews and stopped reporting when firefighters were injured or residents killed.
Firefighters have described the former Los Angeles fire chief as cold and uninspiring.
Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.
by Steve Neavling / Published yesterday / @mcmuckraker
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Fire Commissioner Don Austin routinely mishandled Detroit's fire crisis.
austin-donaldDetroit Fire Commissioner Don Austin, who botched the hiring of new firefighters, regularly conceals the severity of the fire crisis and oversaw drastic budget reductions, is resigning as early as this week, city sources told us today.
Residents began calling for Austin?s resignation this summer, saying he?s responsible for an increase in the number of fires that are decimating neighborhoods, jacking up home insurance rates and claiming lives.
Since Austin took the helm in May 2011, firefighters? wages were cut 10%, arsons were drastically underreported and seven fire stations were permanently closed as part of a $24-million reduction in the department?s budget. Most of those stations have since been broken into and stripped over scrap metal.
The Motor City Muckraker has been examining the fire department over the past year, revealing poor leadership, an inadequately staffed department and firefighters who are forced to work without the proper safety equipment or working trucks and engines.
Detroit Fire Department fighting fireFire trucks continue to break down at unprecedented rates, and repairs are woefully slow. Firefighters often are forced to buy their own safety equipment, and arson investigators are rarely available.
Austin?s administration regularly closes down stations over night to save money, despite a flare up of fires from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The city averages 30 fires a day, about half of which are suspected arsons. The city has only enough arson investigators to review 20% of suspected fires ? an admission Austin made only after we offered the evidence.
Austin has declined numerous requests for interviews and stopped reporting when firefighters were injured or residents killed.
Firefighters have described the former Los Angeles fire chief as cold and uninspiring.
Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2013
- Messages
- 859
What's left in Detroit:
Battalion 1
E1 Tac2%
L20 S2
E9 L6
Battalion 2
E34
E42% L21%
E55 L27
E57%
L22%
Battalion 4
E30
E53 L25
E54 L26
E59 S1
Battalion 5
E17 L7%
L28
S4
E35
E39
Battalion 6
E23% S3
L14%
E32%
E41
L19%
Battalion 7
E27 L8
E29
E33% L13%
E48
Battalion 8
E40 L17 S5
E44% L18%
E51%
E56
Battalion 9
E46%
E50 L23
E52 L31
E58 S6
E60
% are companies subject to brownout.
A few additional stations may still be open with EMS units only.
Note how the 6th Battalion can be nearly wiped out from brownouts.
Battalion 3 was closed permanently.
Battalion 1
E1 Tac2%
L20 S2
E9 L6
Battalion 2
E34
E42% L21%
E55 L27
E57%
L22%
Battalion 4
E30
E53 L25
E54 L26
E59 S1
Battalion 5
E17 L7%
L28
S4
E35
E39
Battalion 6
E23% S3
L14%
E32%
E41
L19%
Battalion 7
E27 L8
E29
E33% L13%
E48
Battalion 8
E40 L17 S5
E44% L18%
E51%
E56
Battalion 9
E46%
E50 L23
E52 L31
E58 S6
E60
% are companies subject to brownout.
A few additional stations may still be open with EMS units only.
Note how the 6th Battalion can be nearly wiped out from brownouts.
Battalion 3 was closed permanently.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2013
- Messages
- 859
which battalion is in the downtown section?
BC1 located with E9 & L6
BC1 located with E9 & L6
I often compare Detroit to New York City during the FDNY War Years. For those of us that were around to remember it, I don't think anyplace looked as bad as many areas of New York City then. It was often compared to a city after being "bombed out". It was so bad that two presidents visited the rubble. Then people across the country, and even the world, got to see part of what it looked like. No place was worse than that.
Today, it's hard to find a vacant building, let alone burned out blocks in those NYC areas. How did that get done ? The first improvements I remember was Charlotte St, where low interest loans were offered to those interested in home ownership. And the Bathgate Industrial Park was created.
And NYC is not the only place. Once burned out areas and ghettos of places like Providence, RI or Bridgeport, Ct have also seen improvements from their once vacant and burned out neighborhoods. In Providence, a program called SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property) was set up for people to become home owners or make investments in owner occupied two or three family dwellings. Some have fallen to vacant property again, but most are now occupied, giving people a place to live, giving a few some extra income, and now paying taxes into the city again.
Why can't Detroit do the same thing today ? I can't believe how people can sit back and watch one of Americas major US cities, just turn over and die. Many places have a proven track record. Maybe not a perfect track record, but many of these cities have made improvements and better conditions for all.
Today, it's hard to find a vacant building, let alone burned out blocks in those NYC areas. How did that get done ? The first improvements I remember was Charlotte St, where low interest loans were offered to those interested in home ownership. And the Bathgate Industrial Park was created.
And NYC is not the only place. Once burned out areas and ghettos of places like Providence, RI or Bridgeport, Ct have also seen improvements from their once vacant and burned out neighborhoods. In Providence, a program called SWAP (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property) was set up for people to become home owners or make investments in owner occupied two or three family dwellings. Some have fallen to vacant property again, but most are now occupied, giving people a place to live, giving a few some extra income, and now paying taxes into the city again.
Why can't Detroit do the same thing today ? I can't believe how people can sit back and watch one of Americas major US cities, just turn over and die. Many places have a proven track record. Maybe not a perfect track record, but many of these cities have made improvements and better conditions for all.
