Nepotism - The Nightmare Has Returned

I posted this on X earlier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to document the latest problem below, redacted heavily for SafeSECS of course. This is not the version I will be discussing with the involved chief officers, leaving off the personal opinion paragraph.

 

Incident #2025-XXXXXXXX   Location totally redacted

 

At 23:48:17 on Wednesday August 13, 2025 Station XX was dispatched for a Fire – Service Call “RESIDENTIAL LOCKOUT / ADULT / 2 CHILDREN”. The response was with A-XXX only since there is a complete lockout kit on board.

8-13-25 23:53:07 A-XXX responding

8-13-25 23:57:09 A-XXX on scene

Upon arrival, found two adult females and two children under 2 years old waiting outside at the end of the sidewalk. They told us they were not locked out of a vehicle, but had lost the keys to the building and the apartment at the location they left to come home. The Knox Box was accessed and the keys to the front door and the “Apartment Master” were retrieved. I followed the resident upstairs to Apartment #XXX. Upon arrival at the door, I observed heavy damage to the door and the exterior housing of the deadbolt. The resident stated she had tried to break open the apartment door using the fire extinguisher from the hall. The apartment master key went into the deadbolt but would not turn. I could not determine if it was an incorrect key or that the resident had damaged the lock making it inoperable. An inspection of the door jamb behind the weather stripping in the immediate area of the dead bolt showed a gap that would easily accommodate a forcible entry attempt. The plan was to get a Halligan bar to see if the door and jamb would give enough to pop open. If that did not work, no further attempts would be made so as NOT to cause more damage than what the resident already caused. Knowing C-XXX was on the air responding from home, I called him on the radio to stop at Station XX to grab R-XXX. He acknowledged.

8-14-25 00:07:05 R-XXX Responding

8-14-25 00:10:14 R-XXX On Scene

As we were discussing the plan and about to get the tools, EMT X. XXXXX called C-XX at home and reported that we “were going to break down the door.” C-XX via telephone through EMT XXXXXX ordered crews on scene not to perform forcible entry.

For the next 15 minutes multiple phone calls were then made to property management to try and get maintenance out ASAP. Maintenance was not immediately available. The residents took shelter inside the vestibule to wait for maintenance to arrive. The keys were secured back in the Knox Box.

8-14-25 00:25:41 All units cleared

FAILURES

1). Non-fire qualified personnel not understanding proper forcible entry techniques and PANICKING. WE are trained in forcible entry and do not “break down doors.” Is there NO FAITH in our abilities to perform the task or use proper restraint?

2). Breach of the “Chain of Command.” This went in both directions. There were TWO Chief Officers on scene (C-XXX & C-XXX). At no time were they consulted by EMT XXXXX or C-XX. One could go as far as to say they were totally ignored.

3). Making command decisions from miles away via telephone relayed by non-fire personnel, instead of speaking DIRECTLY to those on scene with DIRECT KNOWLEDGE of the plan. Or by responding to the scene if concerns were so great.

 

OPINION

True, there was no life safety or medical emergency need to gain entry to the apartment. There was only the need for shelter from insects and proper care of the children. Only one attempt to get the deadbolt to pop free was going to be made. The door was already severely damaged by the resident. Nothing the FD was going to do was going to result in further damage. But unqualified people with no clear understanding rendered concerns that were not necessary, and have now caused tension in the workplace and fostered distrust between team members.

PERSONAL OPINION

There were MANY reasons I left the XXXXXXX Fire Department in 1995 and took a 10 year hiatus from the fire service. A major one was the nepotism of the XXXXXX family which seems to now be the case with the XXXXXX’s and the XXXXXX FD.  XXXXXXX XXXXXX was appointed “Administrator” without that position being offered to anyone in the department or publicly. The lines are now being blurred between line officer and operations and admin of the paid staff, with actual “power” being derived via a phone call to Daddy. All qualifications for line positions have been permanently suspended, and this as well as future situations are proof that this has not, is not, and will not be advisable for the department going forward. There is also the fact that XXXXX constantly leaves a mess in the kitchen, both a sink full of dishes and a disgusting greasy mess on the stove top. The Chief’s response to a complaint early on is “some peoples definition of a mess is different than others.” Therefore, his messes are left for him to clean up on his next shift.

If I can get another job lined up I WILL be terminating my employment.

 

 

All I can say is pretty fucking sad to have to be dealing with this once again. Nothing can be done about it because nothing would change. That would first require an admission that there is a problem. I can only escape it on my own. I will however, remain a volunteer, because I am very close to 20 active years and Lifetime Membership, getting me a lifetime town benefit. Once that is awarded it is for life.