31 Dec 2002
Fire Fighter Neis of Enterprise AL, a federal civilian fire fighter at Fort Rucker AL, received fatal injuries while participating in a routine aircraft fire fighting training exercise at the Fort Rucker Fire Fighting Training Facility, and died on 27 Nov 02.
Lead Fire Fighter Paul W. Harrison, 51, of Coffee Springs AL was also injured in the incident.
Both men are Department of the Army civilian employees with the Directorate of Public Safety.
Fire Fighter Neis was transported by a medical evacuation helicopter to a hospital in Dothan where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Fire Fighter Harrison was treated and released later in the evening.
The cause of the incident is believed to be vehicle related and under investigation by
28 Dec 2002
Last Alarm: Chief Jim Darragh, 27 Oct 1943 - 28 Dec 2002
Chief
James Allen Darragh loving father of three sons, and ten grandchildren passed
away 28 December 2002. He proudly
served his country, and the United States Air Force rising from a firefighter
to Fire Chief. He loved his job,
and the great men and women of the Air Force and especially those in the fire
service. His family always enjoyed his humorous stories concerning experiences
from Kadena to Vietnam to Seymour-Johnson and everywhere in between. They look
forward to hearing similar stories from his friends and coworkers.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, 7 January 2003 in St. Vincent de Paul
Church promptly at 11:30 AM. Following
the service there'll be an escort of Fire vehicles to the National Memorial
Cemetery for internment services which will begin at 1:30 PM.
All are invited to attend. The
family would like you to please RSVP @ (623)-873-4667 to let them know if you
will be attending the memorial service and/or the internment service.
1961-1962
Kadena AFB, Japan
1962-1964 Wertsmith AFB, Michigan
1964-1966 Moron AFB, Spain
1966-1969 Clinton-Sherman AFB, Oklahoma
1969-1970 Lowery AFB, Colorado
1970-1971 Vietnam
1971-1973 Luke AFB, Arizona
Left active duty Air Force in Jan 1973 and entered Federal Service
1973-1984 Gila Bend AFS, Arizona
1984-1987 Anderson AFB, Guam
1987-1988 Gila Bend AFS, Arizona
1988-1995 Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina
Chief Darragh retired from federal service 2 Nov 1995
Address for Memorial Service
St. Vincent de Paul Church
3140 N. 51st Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85031
Address
for Internment Service
National Memorial Cemetery
23029 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Phoenix, AZ
Inquiries
may be directed to Chief Darragh’s son Jimmie Darragh @
8534 W. Fairmount Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85037
25 Dec 2002
ATTENTION RECIPIENTS OF THE RETIRED FIRE CHIEFS QUARTERLY NEWS
DoDFIRE post current and back issue of The Quarterly Network Newsletter (QNN) published by The Retired Air Force Fire Chiefs under DoDFIRE Retiree Center/Pioneers. There are 319 email recipients. About a fifth of the Chiefs check the DoDFIRE website on the first of Jan-Mar-Jun-Sep to read or download their QNN copy. The editor's problem is about a tenth of the emailed copies come back every quarter as "Undeliverable". Usually the problem is due to a slight change in the email address. Often the Internet Provider has changed or the subscriber has changed the Internet Provider. In cases of military addresses some small character change has occur (Cap to lowercase or name combination or PSC). If you are missing your QNN send chief.one@cox.net a test message with your exact email account in the body of the message will remedy the situation and put ypur QNN back on track.
25 Dec 2002
by Tech. Sgt. Michael A. Ward
Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Firefighting may not be a sport, but
it certainly requires athleticism. Add the element of competition and it
becomes "the fastest two minutes in sports," also known as the
Firefighter
Combat Challenge World Championships.
Nine Air Force teams participated in the challenge, which was taped by ESPN
and will be broadcast this month and in January.
The Travis Air Force Base, Calif., team took third in the Survivor Relay
tournament behind two teams from Canada and took second overall in the
finals, losing out to a Canadian team by one second. Staff Sgt. Michael
Melton, a Travis team member, finished third in the individual category.
More than 640 civilian and military firefighters from around the world
participated in the championship Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Competitors, dressed in full firefighting gear, rushed through a series of
physically demanding firefighting scenarios for a timed score.
About 56 Air Force firefighters participated. Other Air Force teams came
from Altus and Vance AFBs in Okalahoma; Edwards AFB, Calif.; Little Rock
AFB, Ark.; Ramstein and Spangdahlem ABs in Germany; RAF Mildenhall, England,
and the Department of Defense Fire Academy at Goodfellow AFB, Texas.
ESPN 2 is scheduled to broadcast the Survivor Relay tournament Dec. 21 and
again Jan. 6. The Firefighter Combat Challenge final is scheduled to air
Jan. 11 and 24. Check local listings for times.
Pedro News
Dedicated
to the little helicopter with
“Blades
of Wood” flown by “Men
of Steel”
19 Dec 2002
A Pioneer's Last Alarm: Chief Paul E. Odell, 1914 - 2002
"Humility
arises as today’s fire fighters come face to face with giants of the past,
upon whose broad shoulders we stand to see that which had not been seen
before. Without the giants of
yesterday, visions would be shortsighted and the shrubs nearby would be
mistaken for giant redwoods."
Chief Odell organized fire and rescue departments at Army Air Corps Bases in
seven states in 1941. He led a
convoy of Class 125 Crash Trucks from Chicago, Illinois to New Orleans,
Louisiana and started a fire school at Camp Ponchutrain.
In 1943, Chief Odell became Chief Fire Protection, Northwest Service
Command and delivered more fire trucks to Alaska.
Chief Odell headed Fire Protection, Headquarters, Tactical Air Command,
1946-1949. Chief
Odell served as Chief, Fire Protection Air Defense Command (ADC) for 23 years.
He ended a distinguish 33 career in 1973.
Doug's book will have more of the story when published...
19 Dec 2002 - 2002 Christmas Postponed:
The President has authorized the Department of Defense to assist Santa > with the Twelve Days of Christmas. Status of acquisitions follows:
Day 1- Partridge in a pear tree: The Army and Air Force are in the process of deciding whose area of responsibility Day 1 falls under. Since the partridge is a bird, the Air Force believes it should have the lead. The Army, however, feels trees are part of the land component command's area of responsibility. After three months of discussion and repeated OpsDeps tank sessions, a $1M study has been commissioned to decide who should lead this joint program.
Day 2 - Two turtle doves: Since doves are birds, the Air Force claims responsibility. However, turtles are amphibious, so the Navy-Marine Corps team feels it should take the lead. Initial studies have shown that turtles and doves may have interoperability problems. Terms of refererence are being coordinated for a four-year, $10M DARPA study.
Day 3 - Three French Hens: At State Department instigation, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has blocked off-shore purchase of hens, from the French or anyone else. A $6M program is being developed to find an acceptable domestic alternative.
Day 4 - Four Calling Birds: Source selection has been completed, with the contract awarded to AT&T. However, the award is being challenged by a small disadvantaged business.
Day 5 - Five Golden Rings: No available rings meet MILSPEC for gold plating. A three-year, $5M accelerated development program has been initiated.
Day 6 - Six Geese a-Laying: The six geese have been acquired. However, the shells of their eggs seem to be very fragile. It might have been a mistake to build the production facility on a nuclear waste dump at former Air Force base that was closed under BRAC.
Day 7 - Seven Swans a-Swimming: Fourteen swans have been killed trying to get through the Navy SEAL training program. The program has been put on hold while the training procedures are reviewed to determine why the washout rate is so high.
Day 8 - Eight Maids a-Milking: The entire class of maids a milking training program at Aberdeen is involved in a sexual harassment suit against the Army. The program has been put on hold pending resolution of the lawsuit.
Day 9 - Nine Ladies Dancing: Recruitment of the ladies dancing has been halted by a lawsuit from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Association." Members claim they have a right to dance and wear women's clothing as long as they're off duty.
Day 10 - Ten Lords a-Leaping: The ten lords have been abducted by terrorists. Congress has approved $2M in funding to conduct a rescue operation. Army Special Forces and a USMC MEU(SOC) are conducting a "NEO-off" competition for the right to rescue.
Day 11 - Eleven Pipers Piping: The pipe contractor delivered the pipes on time. However, he thought DoD wanted smoking pipes. DoD lost the claim due to defective specifications. A $22M dollar retrofit program is in process to bring the pipes into spec.
Day 12 - Twelve Drummers Drumming: Due to cutbacks only six billets are available for drumming drummers. DoD is in the process of coordinating an RFP to obtain the six additional drummers by outsourcing; however, funds will not be available until FY 05.
As a result of the above-mentioned programmatic delays, and due to high OPTEMPO that requires diversion of modernization funds to support current readiness, Christmas is hereby postponed until further notice.
10 Dec 2002 - Final Alarm, Chief Mickey Butler
Chief M.C. “Mickey” Butler (79) of Sequin, Texas answered his final alarm November 11, 2002. Chief Butler had served as Fire Chief at a number of Bases. Bergstrom, Hill and Pope AFBs to name a few. Mickey was a charter member of the Retired Air Force Fire Chiefs Group. We will miss him and offer our condolences to his wife, Dorothy and Family. Notification was made by Chief Joe Jarrell-firechief6736@yahoo.com to Chief Bob Barrow-chief.one@cox.net.
8 Dec 2002 - Help!
As most of you know, my background is Air Force. Therefore, this site has a distinct and unavoidable Air Force flavor. My intent is not to slight any other DoD agency or service. I just don't have the background to talk about the other services. Neither do I have anyone feeding me information about the other services. That's the purpose of this note. I need someone to feed me information about the other services. I'll be glad to find a place for it. It you're willing to share information, pictures, etc., relating to the other services, please let me know at donald.warner@dodfire.com. Thank you.
2 Dec 2002 - Firefighters Job Announcement
DynCorp L.L.C., a Las Vegas, Nevada-based contractor, seeks experienced Firefighters with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to operate within an energetic and modern environment. Potential candidates must hold Department of Defense (DoD) certifications for Firefighter II, Driver/Operator ARFF,Driver/Operator Structural, Airport Firefighter, Hazardous Materials Operations (Technician Level Preferred), and a current EMT-B certification.
Candidates must have the ability to pass a pre-hire medical examination and a post-hire physical agility test. Must also qualify for and maintain a security clearance.
Qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.
Please E-mail your resume "Attention Paul Pitrat" to: gail.tominac@dyncorp.com with a copy to: ppitrat@lvcm.com
U.S. Citizenship required. Applicants selected will be subject to a government investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Pre-employment alcohol and drug screening is required.
2 Dec 2002 - Keep an eye on the OPM Web Site at http://www.opm.gov/. The draft GS-081 standard should be posted on the web site for comment sometime in December. It should provide good news for many in federal fire departments!
TSGT RICHARD COXSON, US Air Force (Retired) 1943-2002
Veteran Fire Fighter RICHARD COXSON at 59 of Crestview, Florida has answered his final alarm on November 28, 2002 while recovering from Pancreatic Cancer surgery at Emory Cancer Treatment Center, Atlanta, Georgia. The McLaughlin-Aultman Funeral Home in Crestview will handle the service arrangements.
Richard served as a USAF military Fire Protection Specialist prior to his Air Force retirement. He was serving as a Fire Prevention Education Specialist with the Hurlburt Fire Department at the time of his death. On behalf of the Eglin/Hurlburt FireFighter Group our deepest condolences to the Coxson Family. Mrs. Reita Coxson, wife, of Crestview, FL and six (6) children survive.
Please contact Chief Bill Haney, Hurlburt Fire Prevention Chief at 850 884-2966 for additional details.
| Management Engineering | Construction Management | Environmental | Housing Management |
| Financial Management | Computer Systems | Supply/Material Control | Real Property Management |
| Human Resources | Readiness | Fire Prevention | Quality Control |
| WWTP Operations | Pavements /Equipment | Production Control | Administration |
| Boiler Tender | Entomology | Model Maker | Heavy Equipment Mechanic |
| Machinist | Robotics | EMCS /Electronic Controls | Woodcrafter |
| Illustrator | Motor Vehicle Mechanic | CADD / GIS | Interior Electrician |
| HV | Electrician | Power Production | Carpenter |
| Mason | Plumber | Pipefitter | HVAC Mechanic |
| Locksmith | Sheet Metal Worker | Welder | Upholsterer |
| Maintenance Laborer | Tractor Operator | Vehicle Controller |
Mr.
Warner,
My
name is Carlton Miller, I am a recruiter with PAE
Government Services, Inc. Our
Company has immediate openings for the following positions at Moron Air Base
in
Deputy
Fire Chief
Two (2) Assistant Chief of Operations
Are
there any prior Firefighters with experience in your organization that might
be interested in employment in
Sincerely,
PAE Government
Services Inc.
213-593-3235
213-494-6428 CELL
213-593-3335 FAX
paejobs@paegroup.com
Visit our
website: www.paegroup.com
Let me introduce myself, my name is Steve Mock and I am a former (ABR) Airborne Rescueman/Firefighter. In April of this year, I along with Paul Metzner(ABR) and Denny Harmon (H43 Engineman) started “PEDRO’S POSSE”, former members of DET2 AARC/40th AARW. We published or first POSSE News Letter in Oct 2002 and copies were circulated to a few non POSSE members as a courtesy. This drew an interest and requests to be placed on our mailing list. Since the Posse News Letter is for DET2 members, we are looking at publishing a different News Letter for all our “PEDRO” Brethren that are interested. We know that many of you have interesting stories and information that you wish to share; this would be one way of doing it. We want all members of the “PEDRO” Community to participate, DET Commanders, Pilots, Flight Engineers, Admin, Firefighters, PJs, Medics and Maintenance Personnel. If you flew on, worked on or supported PEDRO, and are interested in a news letter, you are the people we want to hear from.
Additionally, there is no clearing house per se' to locate other PEDRO crewmembers that you’ve been looking for. We could include a “LOST & FOUND” Section. Anyway, let me know if you are interested and pass this on to any other “PEDRO” pukes that you are in contact with. I’ll be awaiting your responses at hh43huskey@hotmail.com
Steve
I receive quite a few requests from users of this site to include various information or products that would be of benefit. I need to explain why I have to be very careful about what I post here.
Most users know that I am the Chief of Air Force Fire Protection. As such, I have to maintain a clear separation between my official duties and this web site, which I own and operate privately. Because of my official position, anything I post here must be clearly unofficial or releasable to the public. To make sure this is the case, I try not to post any official correspondence or to address any official business on this site, even though it is tempting.
I hope you understand my situation here. I certainly want to help you carry out your duties and provide products and information that will help you do it. That's the primary reason I developed the "links" page so you can get the information you need from reliable sources.
That said, I'll be happy to post any information, such as lesson plans, study guides, etc., so long as it is clearly marked "unofficial" or other words to that effect. I know many of you search for training materials and I know they're hard to find. So, if you have any such materials you're willing to share, I'll be happy to post it.
Donald Warner
I think the vast differences in compensation between the victims of the September 11th casualty, and those who die serving the country in uniform, are profound.
No one is really talking about it either because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11th.
Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.If you lost a family member in the September 11th attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit,
half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.Keep in mind that some of the people that are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.
We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11th families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.
You see where this is going, don't you?
Folks, this is part and parcel of over fifty years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."-Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr. Every time when a pay raise comes up for the military they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low rent housing. However our own U.S. Congress just voted themselves a raise, and many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month and most are now equal to be millionaires plus.They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7 you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harms way receive a pension of $15,000 per month.
I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join the ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.
"When do we finally do something about this ??"
If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.
NEW YORK - A new $800 million warship to be used in the fight against
terrorism was named the USS New York on Saturday in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks."On Sept. 11, 2001 our nation's enemies brought their fight to New York ... The USS New York will now bring the fight to our nation's enemies well into the future," Gov. George Pataki said at a naming ceremony aboard the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, a floating museum on the Hudson River.
Construction on the USS New York is scheduled to start in mid-2003, with delivery expected in 2006. A model unveiled Saturday will be displayed at the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum.
Pataki held the ceremony with Navy Secretary Gordon England, who granted special dispensation for the name. Currently, only submarines carry the names of states, Pataki said.
Several naval ships have held the name USS New York or USS New York City. The most recent was a battleship commissioned in 1914. It fought in both European and Pacific waters during World War II.
The submarine USS New York City was decommissioned in the 1990s after about 20 years of service. The USS New York will be the fifth of 12 amphibious assault ships in the San Antonio class, which the Navy calls one of its most technologically innovative. The 684-foot vessel will carry a Navy crew of 402 and up to 800 Marines. The ship can be also be used in relief and rescue operations.
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems will build the San Antonio class vessels, which will require about 1,500 employees to develop. Delivery of the first ship is scheduled for November 2004.
Shipyards in Pascagoula, Miss., New Orleans and Tallulah, La., will supply parts for the USS New York. Northrop Grumman officials said they haven't decided if the ship will be assembled in Pascagoula or New Orleans.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Ken Wardlaw [mailto:kenwardlaw@earthlink.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 8:28 PM
To: donald.warner@dodfire.com
Subject: Chief Clifford Skeen
Chief
Clifford Skeen passed away this morning in the High Plains
Regional Medical Center at Clovis, New Mexico. He served in the U.S.
Navy during World War II, in the pacific theater. He went to work as a
fireman after the war in the Clovis AFB Fire Dept. The base was later
rename to Cannon AFB. He served continually until his retirement as Base Fire
Chief. His service will be held at the First United Methodist
Church in Clovis at 10:00, Tuesday Sept. 3 rd.
Chief Bob Barrow wrote:
31 August 2001
SUBJECT: FireFighter’s
Final Alarm-Saturday, August 31, 2002
SSGT Henry E. Richardson, US Air Force (Retired)
It is my sad duty to report that my good friend and fellow Fire
Fighter HENRY E. "Ricky Tic" RICHARDSON at 73 of Crestview, Florida
has answered his final alarm at 0550 hours, August 31, 2002.
I received this information from his wife, Mrs. Pat
Richardson at (850) 682-5935. The
McLaughlin-Aultman Funeral Home in Crestview, Florida will handle the
“cremation” and arrangements. They
may be reach at (850) 682-2252. The
family has request no flowers and no graveside services.
Rick succumbed to a long illness, due to being a late on-set diabetic.
In the past year he has been in and out the hospital and rehab centers. He
was under hospice care when he expired. Rick
is best known for his love of the Air Force Fire Service, quick wit and humor.
Born in Mississippi, he served in the USAF military from 1947 to
retirement in 1967 from Eglin AFB. He
quickly secured an U.S. Civil Service Fire Fighter’s position at NAS Sauffley
Field in Pensacola until 1974, when he transferred back to the Eglin AFB Fire
Department where he remained to his 2nd retirement in 1989.
Rick was a member of the Eglin/Hurlburt Fire Fighters Association.
Pat and Rick attended many of our Saturday morning breakfast
fellow-shipping meetings and always brighten our day with their presence.
On behalf of the
association and The Retired Air Force Fire Chiefs our deepest sympathy and
condolences have been given to Pat and will be extended to the immediate family
at an appropriate time. Please
watch for the obituary notice in the local Crestview “News Leader”
Wednesday’s newspaper, September 4, 2002.
Also, please pass
this information to Rick’s friends and fire departments he served with.
Post 75 of
The American Legion, Crestview, Florida will hold a “special memorial
service” in honor of a fallen comrade, at 1300 hours, Saturday, September 7,
2002. Post 75 is located on U.S.
Hwy 90, just EAST of FLA Hwy 85.
A good showing of local FFs at this memorial is expected.
For active-duty FFs, please wear your Fire Department uniforms and
retired FFs wear your Fire Badges, appropriately covered.
Chief Barrow would appreciate being contacted at (850) 243-1274 or chief.one@cox.net
if more information is needed and of those planning to attend the American
Legion Memorial. Those that RSVP
will be contacted with the memorial details.
See you there 1 PM Saturday.
Ricky-Tick is survived by his wife
Surviving children: Rick Jr. of Atlanta, Belinda of Hawaii, Robyn of Gulf Breeze and Kim of Porta Gorda, FL by previous marriage. Pat’s children: Randy of Dothan, AL and Jackie of Pigeon Forge, TN. 14 Grandchildren and 3 Great Great Grandchildren.
My advice for success as a civil service fire fighter: BE MOBILE AND FIND A SPONSOR!
If your plan is to make a career, I assume you plan to be a fire chief before you retire. Your chances of doing that are very limited if you stay in one fire department. You have to move around so your opportunities are greater. So if you really want to move up the ladder, you have to turn loose of the previous rung. That rung is your previous job at your previous base. If you don't turn it loose, you're stuck. You shouldn't be surprised.
Most every successful person had someone to sponsor them - to call the hiring chief personally on your behalf. To run interference for you. Hiring officials are normally fire chiefs. Fire chiefs listen to other fire chiefs because they ordinarily do not lie to each other. So, if possible, get your chief to sponsor you. If not, an assistant chief. The higher up the food chain your sponsor is, the better for you. That don't mean you have to suck up. But it does mean that your sponsor has to recognize your potential and your talent. Don't ask someone to be your sponsor if you're not worth your salt.
Just some friendly advice. dww
Subject: Re: J.K. Schmidt-Final Alarm
Visitors since Aug 7, 2002: