The Following Letter Was Sent To SRQ Airport's New Private FD... Ed Cluchey, Fire Chief
Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority
6000 Airport Circle
Sarasota, FL. 34243-2105
Certified Letter # 7004 0550 0000 9736 9986
October 25, 2006
Dear Chief:
We are in receipt of several "Notice of Termination of Employment as Firefighter" 9form DFS-K4-1033) from your agency. However, we have not received "Notice of Employment as a Firefighter" (form DFS-K4-1032) for you or the other new employees. Rule 69A-37.0035(2) of the Florida Administration Code requires you to submit this form to the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training within ten business days after the first day of employment.
Also in October 24's Herald, the Airport's Chief Executive Officer Fred J. Piccolo is quoted as saying you do not have Florida certification and have up to a year to get the certification. The provisions of Section 633.35, Florida Statutes, prohibit any person from being employed as a firefighter for more than one year from the date of initial employment until he or she has obtained a certificate of compliance. During that one year period of employment prior to being certified in Florida, the person may not directly engage in hazardous operations such as interior structural firefighting and hazardous materials incident mitigation. I advised Mr. Piccolo on October 6 by e-mail that there were significant limitations on what you and other firefighters not certified in Florida can legally do without the certification in that first year, including operating within the exclusionary zone or supervising fire supression operations. Basically all that the individuals can do is support work, no actual fire suppression.
Sincerely,
David A. Casey
Bureau Chief
State Fire Marshal
Bureau Of Fire Standards And Training
State of FloridaEditors Note: This now means the new Private Fire Dept. is illegal and NOT able to legally respond to Fire or HazMat incidents per Florida State Law. The President of the United States landed and took off from there last week...
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Still the Same @ SRQ Airport FD...
December 2, 2006 - 16:53 ET by thecaptainsamericaSARASOTA, FL. (NS) - This letter is in response to an article in the Pelican Press by Jack Gurneyon the SRQ firefighters (Nov. 2, 2006). I was hesitant to respond because of my position, but after rereading it I feel compelled to doso... In the article it was stated that eight men were brought over from WestPalm. Not true. It also stated they were brought over to keep a fullcrew. Not true... It also stated that eight of the men at SRQ were not certified. Nottrue. All that makes it appear as if there were 15 men there. Nottrue... The shuffle of men from Sikorsky to SRQ was a C.Y.A. thing for Piccoloand Rural/Metro... There have never been 15 men on shift(s) since the takeover on Oct. 1.There were only 10 men total (excluding Cluchey) that were forced towork a 24-hour on duty shift with 24-hour off duty. All men were hiredto work a 24-on-duty 48-off-duty shift. They were and continue to pay alarge amount of overtime to the firemen at SRQ and Sikorsky in order tomaintain some kind of service at SRQ. They are also paying travel time(42 cents a mile) for the person driving. This doesn't seem to me asmuch of a savings as Piccolo had stated. Granted, could be temporary,but at this moment, not true... There were five of the firemen that stayed over after being fired byPiccolo. One has already left and went to work at North Port FireDepartment. Others are awaiting the same. Two people have been placedon administrative leave (without pay) pending the acquisition of the FFcerts. Another (the one that came from Kuwait) has resigned. In myopinion, this is not a safe operation... In a recent TV news article Piccolo stated "We should be fully mannedby December." That in itself should tell you that there never were 15men there. Fully manned as he has stated since day one. This all is onebig lie.....and the news media and the public are falling for it... Roger BrannonFormer Rural Metro SRQ Airport FF --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~You received this message because you are a member of the "News Sarasota" Google group... Enjoy the priviledge you now share with others who want to know what others don't... Thanks, Matt Bruce'The Captain'News Sarasota.comHost Of:"The Captain's AMERICA" Radio ShowHeard From 12 noon to 1 PM ETMonday Thru Thursday LIVE On 1490 WWPR Radio InBradenton-Sarasota-Tampa Bay & Venice, FL...http://thecaptainsamerica.blogspot.comhttp://thecaptainsamerica.talkspot.comhttp://thecaptainsamerica.podomatic.comhttp://www.stocktalklive.nethttp://www.bxradio.nethttp://www.talk2k.com