This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.” Samuel Adams
As someone who works as a paramedic in a non-fire-based EMS agency, I take great offense at this piece. The film implies that non-fire-based services are not trained or equipped as well, arrive much later than fire-based services, and may choose to not show up at all! These are all profound lies.
There are several things that they did not mention in this piece. First, training to become a paramedic is quite intensive as it is to become a top-level firefighter. Requiring people to do both is equivalent to requiring your accountant to also be your car mechanic. The end result is that many paramedics in fire-based systems have no interest in EMS. They became paramedics simply to get on the department. As soon as many medics have enough seniority, they transfer to a position where they will not have to run EMS calls. This system ensures that the newest, youngest personnel are the ones treating patients.
Second, while certainly not universally true, fire department systems often spend much more on equipment. Many private services spend $90K-120K on a brand new ambulance. There are many nearby fire-based services that spend $200K and up on a new ambulance. These trucks are not any better in serving the patient. They are mostly bigger and use a commercial truck chassis rather than a van chassis. Plus, they replace them much more frequently (negating the argument that the commercial truck units last longer). I should note that the LaSalle FD bought used examples of the smaller, van-based rigs and saved a lot of money.
Fire-based services run on tax revenues PLUS the revenue that they get from patient's insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Generally, it is a more expensive system. It is possible, however, to run a fire-based service very efficiently. It takes some work and self-control to NOT spend more money just because you can.
Contrary to what this film states, non-fire-based services provide very cost-effective care with dedicated professionals who actually WANT to be there using the same equipment with the same response times. For a local service in the Illinois Valley, I think either approach can work. In smaller systems like we have here, success or failure is much more dependent upon the quality of personnel. Leadership is required and is not easy to come by. There is a reason that MANY EMS professionals who live in the area choose to work elsewhere.
Not sure why my post was not approved and posted. If you are going to smear honest, hard-working EMS personnel, the least you can do is give them the opportunity to respond.
10:00 PM It appears that you are also the 4:48 PM both of the same date Aug 30, 2011. Computers are a lot like some human beings, with both it takes a little time for things to happen. Please do not feel personally offended as your 4:48 post went astray for awhile and than was found and posted. Since you were kind enough to make a second posting in the blog could you really go all out and explain what is the standard operating procedure of taking meal breaks at your EMS location?
Sorry, I got a little cranky there. I've worked a number of places, and meals are handled differently in different places. At one service, you spend your entire shift in the truck. You never return to the station. There are places around the district where you are "posted" between calls. These are usually public parking lots. There, we grab food to go whenever we can. We eat in the truck.
At other services, you are in the station between calls. These are typically 24-hour shifts. The stations usually have a kitchen. We might bring food from home or go to the store at some point. If we go to the store, we take the ambulance since we have to be ready to respond at any time. You will often see fire trucks parked outside of grocery stores in larger cities for the same reason. Sometimes, we will get food to go at a restaurant. If the service does not get a high call volume, we might actually eat at the restaurant. However, we have to be ready to respond immediately, and that sometimes means leaving the food behind.
I don't think that one policy or another is good or bad. No matter what you do, you have to be ready to respond immediately. I know that some folks don't like to see ambulances out and about if they are not on a call. Generally, most services keep that to a minimum.
The key factor is response time. That is measured in every system. The director of the EMS system (and of each agency) should be able to look at the response times and determine if there is a problem. There are national standards in place, and if some agency is not meeting them, they need to take a look at the reason.
I come from another community to work here, and I love it. As a matter of fact many of the emts and paramedics do the same. I have just as much if not more EMS training as most firemen in Peru have FIRE training. I spent 2 long years of my life getting my Paramedic license and still train every month to get the many many hours of CE credits to keep my license up to date as well as meeting the requirements of our local system. Don't get me wrong, the Peru firemen do a great job but they just that ...firemen. They don't want to be paramedics. Anyway I just thought that before you call us unprofessional as you did in anothernpost iwould just let you know how hard it is to get and keep aparamedic license. We don't just put in our time as you in the other post...we spend countless hours away from our families so when you or a loved one are lying on the floor no breathing we will be therenfor you...and we will do it professionally. I understNdthTbyou want the best fornyour community but itnis obvious thatbyou know nothing of how the EMS system works and arenunwilling tom learn but always at th ready to criticize. I only wishni could send a list of people whove lives have been save by our professional paramedics and emts.
Sorry about the last post. It was done on a phone and button pushed before the corrections were made. Big Thumbs little phone! Anyway many of us live out of the area and come here to work. Others have moved here and made Peru or at least the il valley their home. Point being ...we chose this profession and we love it. There are a select few that would like to be firefighter emts on a big city dept, but that is not the case with most of us. But we are professionals. And when your life is on the line....we will be there for you!
Whether or not Peru goes to a Fire based Ems or not should be thought over long and hard . And not just by the Chief and his henchman . When Liberty Fire went to be Part time city employees , the actual fireman had no say in that decision ! Now most of the hard working workers regret what was done . They have no say in anything ! They were told one day that starting on a specific day they were city employees . And now they wonder when the next change will happen that they have no say or imput on . Some took the time to become EMTs but most did not . The majority of Peru Fire's officers didnt even take the class . A select few make the decisions and now they have no say on who their officers are . Favoritism runs wild in Peru even to the point of guys quitting because they are just sick of it ! Imagine having giving up what you Love more than anything in the world because you just cant handle the BS anymore . The number of retired and ex-firefighters is growing faster than anyone nows . Can Peru Fire even think of handling a Fire based EMS ?
In responce to the last blogger this sounds like an x firefirefighter who could not handle chain of command. it is easy to complain on this blog or FACEBOOK and not follow his chain of command.Just because there is accountability in the firehouse certain people cant handle that so they fire off on this blog or facebook and fail to have a face to face talk. So continue to express yourself as you can BUT do not speak for other firefighters because i am one and i am pround to be a peru firefighter not a wanna be firefighter. A PERU FIREMAN
Everyone probly knows someone that is a fireman ... ask them how they feel on the topic . Most will say they are fireman not EMTs and it should be figured out how it can be done separately effiiently . Get their imput , this effect them .
After recieving several texts from many firefighters I feel obligated to respond. As for the fire based ems that is not up to me. If I am asked for input I will gladly give it, as for the anonymous blogger that feel that I have henchman i would have to disagree. Any buisness has to have accountability for the operation. The chief has that responsibility, this blogger has no clue as to what it takes to try and keep 22 firefighters happy all the time. It dont happen. So as he feels that Im not doing my job he has no clue until he walks in my footsteps and understand what it takes to run a professional dept.It is very easy to play quarterback in a game that he may think he knows.I encourage anyone to talk to any Peru firefighter and ask them for themselfs as you will be given a TRUE story of the operation of this Department not a discription from an disgruntled fireman who could not accept change.
Hey 8:13. Thats because its change. I`m positive the organization you belong to does not vote every year on its leadership by the very members who they manage.That system Peru Fire Department had was disfunctional. Example ( I am suspeding you from this department for wrong doing), (That`s fine go ahead, I will vote you out as chief in two weeks.) Is that the type of Mickey Mouse organization you want to have the Peru name on. Your wrong and you know it. Emergency services is not management by committee. Its a military type structure. If you are so worried about the rank and file having input into management decisions and selection of the leadership team, why are you not fighting the Board at PVAS. Members have no say in the make up of management and management decisions. I would bet if Peru fire took over the EMS responsibilities in Peru, the citizens will get top notch medics and continue to save lives. The difference would be in the management structure and consolidation of resources and personnel. I bet it would be run as a more efficient team concept for all large scale incidents. Consolidation is the sign of the times. It needs to be looked at as a proven way of simplifying the situation. I bet alot of members at PVAS would love to work at the Peru Fire Dept. If I remember, some are even taking classes in hopes that happens. I wonder if even some of the leadership at PVAS is hoping the same thing.
If you don't follow orders in a public safety job, you go to the firing squad. If you don't like working for the general maybe another job is more to your abilities. You could be a florist or greeter at the local chain store, someplace that wants your creative thinking. Again in public safety you follow orders or people get hurt. There is no room for the disgruntled self serving public safety employee. Time to man up and listen to the Chief, its not a democracy your job is public safety.
At 8:13. When Liberty members became City of Peru employees, it was because we couldnt get work comp insurance or Line of Duty Death benefits for our surviving familys if one of our members was killed on duty. I for one was very grateful for the change. Knowing my wife and kids would recieve benefits in the event something happenes to me for out weighs any benefit you think we had.
As for members quiting; I dont have the exact numbers in front of me but I'll bet our attrition rate is the same or better than it has been in years. Recently, we did have one member who got mad and "quit". This member was had been disiplined for inability to follow SOP/SOG. He was removed from his Officer position. A position assgined to him by Cheif King, so that debunks your favoritism arguement. He quit Liberty but stayed on as a City of Peru Firefighter, then moved out of state. The fact that he quit Liberty but stayed on as a City of Peru Firefighter still makes me laugh.
Chief King inherited the Fire Chief position during the first change in the Mayor seat in decades, and during the worst fincial time this generation. He has handled more changes than any Chief in the history of Liberty and done a fantastic job with it. The City of Peru Fire budget is a fraction of that of neighboring communitees, thats not a good thing, but he is able to manage it.
I'm not an Officer and was never asked to be an Officer. I dont have any doubt in my mind our Chief and Officers could handle Fire Based EMS.
Just so everyone knows, Im leaving the area and will be leaving PFD. I will not be quiting because "Favoritism runs wild in Peru even to the point of guys quitting because they are just sick of it !" I dont want any putting words in my mouth.
It is my understanding that the last member to quit was not removed from his position as an officer but quit that position because he was told by other officers that he had no authority !! And i know for a fact that he was not disciplined for not following orders but was rudely and arroganttly verbally abused by another officer in front of the other firefighters and 2 minor children who were his kids . The assaulting officer had no authority or right to discipline anyone on the fire department because the chief wasn't present . When the issue was brought up nothing was done by the chief and no apologies were made by anyone . That would be enough for anyone to quit caring .
I'm an Honorary Liberty Member and i can tell you there is favoritism in Peru Fire . And that is exactly why i left . The Fire Dept is headed down hill for the past 10 years . It is just a good ole boys club worse than anything you could imagine . As a member of Liberty you aren't allowed to break the flow or have an opinion . Everything is suppose to be a secret . Well maybe some guys are finally voicing their own opinions and dealing with the crap and the good ole boys are running scared .
What gives someone the right to assume they know what is going on in their department when they have a less than 10% attendance rate . Go to City Hall and look at the fire deptartment run report and see
Thats right I quit because no one respected the Safety Officer or listened to him. I left liberty because it did nothing for me. I stayed on Peru because it added to my income. I never got a copy of sops it was turned back in to make changes authorized by the chief, but was never returned. I moved out of town because my wife completed her masters degree and got hired out of state. As for following chain if command I brought it up at the last meeting after the fire call before I left,I did not make up training from April and I talked to the training officer which gave me a chapter to read and I was there the day he told me ready to test. He forget the test and said he would call me and never did. so I followed the chain of command and went to the head of training, as listed on the training paper passed out,to the assit. chief 2 weeks later nothing. So I went to the chief and he noted it on a piece of paper and 1 month later nothing. now its August and still no training for April. That what chain of command does for you.As the person wrote at 907pm how can you make 0% of the calls and know what goes on at the department
You will never honestly find out how the actual firefighters feel because there is a code of silence that is not to be broken if u like your job . They may call it a code of "honor" but ask the fireman that was punched in the kitchen during a party at the firehouse while wives were present because he spoke up to an officer , how he feels about "Honor" . The victim quit while the Officer had no action taken against him . That's why I left !
@ 4:06pm , Let me ask this , What do you mean Chief King inherited the position ?? It was in your garage that the meeting was held before the overthrow of the previous Chief took place ! Those that attended were all scrambling to get on his good side to get an officers spot . The select few were invited , but just enough to secure the vote , and the beer was flowing and the take over was planned . That's how he became Chief ! Crooked , Backwoods politics , backstabbing drunken firefighters . And then if i remember correctly there was a call that they all went to . Imagine That , That's why "I" left
I am amazed at how far off center the whole question wandered. The advantage of Fire Based EMS is that teh community gets two services from the same group of employees. In small towns like Peru, the employees are often asked to do multiple jobs. In this case, fight fires, respond to accidents and now provide a high level of care at an emergency scene. With improvements in fire safety and materials, the number of large dires are down. You still need fire fighters to respond but they will now be able to do other types of services. Fire Based EMS is a good wa to provide those services and increase the number of fire fighters on the department. That is a good thing for the Community of Peru. An additional side benefit is that the ambulance is a revenue generator. When fire fighters respond to a fire, there is no charge. When fire fighters respond to a medical emergency, the insurance company will cover some of the cost of the medical personnel.In these toug economic times, you should applaud the City of Peru for seeking out additional revenue rather than raising taxes
Okay really people??? Tom riordan needs to accepct himself as a in loyal fireman. U think if u tell personal stories noone will guess ??? Jeff king has done so many great things for peru. As ems staff I am very upset to see people bad mouth us. If u are someone who has bad mouthed the fd or pvas.. i sure hope its not your family member that get ill,injured or burned ??? Would we be good enough to do our job then ??? That's what I thought ... Everyone just needs to get along for once !!!!
It sounds like there is some seriuous issues going on in the pfd. Is that par for other departments also? If that is the case, any and all people invovled should be removed from their positions!!!
Scew this whole blog website and "lois" she is the cause for this and is a disgrace to the community. PA TH ET IC i understand that you wont post this..as long as you get my piece of mind
10:22 PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW LOIS IS THE CAUSE FOR THIS AND WHAT THIS IS? If there are problems within the fire department how is she responsible? Now you got my piece of mind and I think it's time to start acting like adults. She posts what others (like you) send in.
I sent a letter into the mayor two weeks ago advising him that an investigation must be done with the books and how firemen are being paid for volunteer services. Is it right that volunteers do special events on a volunteer basis and get compensated for calls they don't respond to? Example: Firefighter volunteers time and goes to the mall to hand out fire related materials,or helps out at a special event those same firefighters that helped out can be paid for firecalls they were not even on the scene or in town for. This is special treatment for certain firefighters. The Peru Fire Dept. is falling apart and losing good quality firefighters. Peru Fire Department has officers in place that do not have the proper state certifications. The assistant chief does not even have the basic certifications that the state requires to even be a firefighter, and he is a chief?? Peru is at risk!
You sound like a unhappy employee or former employee that was paid well for a job you may have or have not done. If you want a investigative hearing contact the Man in Charge(Mayor or Ald.Perez). I am sure both will massage your ego and tell you good things.
I have not posted several comments because whoever is making the comments cannot resist throwing in the last uncalled for word and believe me this is not one sided If you want your comments to be posted and read, please give them a second look and take the garbage out of it.
Anon;1:58 is it true that Alderman Perez is no longer on the Fire Department due to certain Officers, that actually run the department? The same Officers that ran out several other Fire Fighters?? What's the difference between Peru Fire Department and Liberty Fire Department anyway?
All this from wanting a professional fire service with full time employees that are capable and certified to perform more than one task? On the one side you have the PVAS employees - professional mind you - that are afraid the FD will put them out of work. On the other side, you have the FD employees / volunteers that.... what? don't want a professional FD? I wish I never brought it up.
Anonymous 12:02 You say Tom Riordon should accept himself as an unloyal Firefighter, but I believe it was Tom Riordon who a couple years back received the Firefighter of the year award. I believe that Tom Riordon has done so much for the Fire Department and is now being treated like he is the enemy. You say Jeff King has done so much for Peru and maybe he has, but I know that Tom Riordon has done a lot for Peru also, and yes I believe everyone should get along and everyone should be treated fairly. I don't believe certain Officers or Firefighters should be given special privileges.
Noone on the Peru Fire Department has Ever done as much as Pat & Tom Riordan !! Not only them , but their entire families are at ever function helping . Yes it is true Tom Riordan was the FIRST EVER Firefighter of the Year in Peru , and he got it because he is always there doing everything . And now it seems all this started because of an arguement from back in Winter when he demanded an Officer apologize for verbally assaultting his brother Pat in front of the whole department and his minor children . And Jeff King blew it off because Captain Abbott is too valuable to King covering for him and doing his paperwork when he is out of town so it seems like he is around more than he is . Captain Abbott is the same one who allowed his wife to park in the fire dept lot which is designated by a City Ordinance to be for fire department use only . The Fire Chief and Police Chief blew off the parking complaints allowing her to continue parking there . So They both got pist when Tom went over their heads to the mayor to get it fixed . Then all of a sudden Tom gets suspended for not following Chain of command . Hmmmm Sounds like crap to me !!
So the Person that is Rocking everyones Big Comfy Boat is finally revealled !!! Good job Tom ! Sounds like Peru better hire a real attorney to defend them .
I've known the Riordan boys,i believe there are 6, since i've worked withn their dad Joe when he was on the Peru Police.Their dad didn't give into corruption or favoritism , and tried to keep everyone on their toes and honest. I'm GLAD to see his boys following in his steps . When i found out the City of Peru was holding their paychecks this past wednesday and wasn't going to pay either Pat or Tom i called Tom and told him i'm sorry for what he's going through and told him to keep his chin up and offered to him money if he needed it to get by . He smiled and said "no thanks , i'll be okay" ! At that moment i saw Joe in Tom . Everytime i see the fire dept. anywhere , there are the Riordan Brothers . Keep up the battle and you will win through !
Sounds like a soap opera! Pay Tom and Pat like they deserve to be. Tom is trying to get problems solved. He's a good guy and the Riordan boys don't deserve to be treated this way!
When we got Bernabei from the Valley they couldn't wait for him to leave . Since when is it right for a Police Chief to tell the fire department what trucks to bring , where to stage , or even if the fire department is needed to come . That's a safety issue . the police aren't trained as fireman . I want my fire department to decide when they are needed . The fire isn't going to get put out by shooting it with a gun like on The Simpsons (haha , that's for you Tom ) . How do the Union Firefighters in Peru feel about a Police Chief dictating their response protocal ? If anything happens and the fire department isn't there , who do you think is gonna be blamed ? Not Bernabei
Sounds to me like Dirty politics . Who's driving the ship ? Bernabei ? Where is the Mayor , why doesn't he control his Chiefs ? This town appears to be losing alot of qualified Firefighters . What's the current number of firefighters now ? There was a facebook comment a few weeks ago that said Peru couldn't send guys to Mendota for a fire because noone showed up at Peru station . Who is here is we have a fire ?
Thanks to everyone who support the Riordan brothers. My father spent 30 plus years serving the city of Peru as a Police Officer. As stated above he did not give into corruption or favoritism. He would tell me stories of prominent people in town being arrested for things like shoplifting or DUIs pushed under the rug. I know this because I served on the police department with him and saw the paperwork. I heard that my paycheck was being held I contacted the mayor this morning and as of this post did not hear back from him. Under Illinois Department of Labor section about wage payment and collection act chapter 56 of the Illinois administration code section 300.830 states an employer can not hold an employees check(wages) for not turning in uniforms, pagers, etc. When I left the message I said that if this matter is not taken care of I will be calling my lawyer. Sounds like 702 pm is right, the city better get a good lawyer
Pat and Tom are the best thong that has happened to this department since the real liberty fire company. We voted abbott out of his captain spot before and he hasn't changed.
anon 8:44 Is that a serious question, how do union employees feel? Think about it! Police dispatch doesnt call the fire dept that is less work for the union workers to do. they get paid the shift whether they go or not. Typical union workers, besides have you seen them lately? they sure aren't the fittest union firefighters. whatever happen to firefighters going to check hydrants or performing fire drills at commercial buildings. Do we really pay them 60,000.00- 70,000.00 per year to sit? Oh I forgot!! More of Harls Unionized workers.
Anon 5:23 Rod was being Harassed by Officer Rick Abbott and a couple other officers during his run for office, they told Rod he could no longer park his truck at the station or take to calls because he had campaign lettering on it. Rod resigned from Liberty but stayed on with the city. In retaliation for Rod being the first to resign from liberty he was not allowed to do anything but report to the station for several months. that goes to show that it is Abbott and his henchmen run that department.
and yes.. it is true a Lieutenant did not like what a firefighter said to him upstairs of the department so LT. TF went over and punched him in the chest and pushed him back. this was done in front of several firefighters and the Chief did nothing about it. That firefighter resigned a few months later.
Sounds like the City of Peru & it's fire department just dug there grave. Pay the Tom & Pat there money, I have know them both for several years. They are great people, ecspecially great firemen & good citizens. What ever happened to the " Peru It's The leader of The Illinois Valley". This don't sound like leadership at all....
Anon 11:15 sounds to me like one of these desk jockeys who have never got their hands dirty. j Just as you think union workers are no good, you are one of those people who don't like labor, until you need em! It amazes people the ignorance of the uninformed people like you, who give whitecollar people bad names! Think what you want about organized labor, I bet your one of those people who want to pay labor the lowest wage possible, so you can fatten your wallet with a big bonus at the end of the year!
Retaliation is a big thing if you don't follow the leader in Peru . We almost lost a Great firefighter when Rodney was being harassed by several members of PFD . How can someone tell him he can't drive his personal vehicle to a fire call because he has writing on it . That's just like the story above about the lady that won a lawsuit because she had something on her personal Facebook page and her boss didn't like it . Hmmm , sounds familiar like what is also going on in Peru . I support the Freedom of Speech and know Peru can't do that and hopes the person wins against Peru to show them they aren't THe All-Mighty , however can Peru afford to lose like every other employer and city that has challenged the Freedom of Speech/Facebook lawsuit ? Check the statistics Peru will lose .
We need Gary Ecclles back ! He ran a tight ship and there was no favoritism . Everyone was treated the same . Gary ran the Fire department way better than Bernabei , i mean King .
The Riordan boys did everything around there . When Tom would leave work to come to fire calls he would bring his crew and they would do all the yard work while he was on the fire call . Tom's employer allowed Tom to cut the back lot for the fire department the 5 or 6 years it was grass . That is untill Rick didnt like that the Riordan boys were getting too much praise for volunteering so much and said why doesnt the city cut it . How and why would someone push away volunteers working for free . Tom is a little OCD and likes stufff to look perfect so he didnt mind doing it . Pat and his boys came down on weekends and would trim bushes and clean up and do painting around the station . Tom did all the flowers and landscaping that has been given so much praise by the public , most of the plants were paid for by Tom . Tom would do all the CHristmas decorations with help from Pat and his boys and Toms Daughter. Not that that was abig thing for Tom cuz if you stop him on the street and look in his truck , i guarantee there will be some kind of Christmas lights somewhere in his truck (just in case of emergency he says) . Tom's funny like that . And look at it now , neither are there to take care of the stuff the bushes are overgrown , noone is weeding the flowers , and noone cares . Last week was a parade in Tonica . Where was Peru Fire ? I know for a fact if Tom wasn't on suspension Peru Fire would've been there , all shined up . Disgraceful how they treat there own only because some want honesty and fairness . Next saturday is Princeton Homestead Parade , Peru always goes ( well that is the Riordans take care of it ) i don't know if Tom will still be on suspension or not , but lets see if Peru shows up . I'll be there .
Why doesn't Peru follow the State Law ... Fire Department Promotion Act ( 50 ILCS 742 ) for fair promotions . That way there will be no favoritism and no adding additional spots so the Chiefs neighbor gets an officers position . One Lt always shows up after the call is over and still signs in to get paid but the chief can't say anything because his dad is an alderman . And this has gone on for years . There was an opening for the Safety Officers spot last spring and it was given to someone that won't rock the boat and is due to retire soon rather than give it to a dedicated , knowledgable up and coming fireman . These promotions are all illegal and something needs to be done . When the police department promotes they test and do interviews that way its fair . These are to be done by the Police and Fire Commission . Thats what they are there for . I dont want officers on my department in their spots because of who they drink with .
How are these posts anti labor ? It sounds to me like people fighting back against unfair acts and favoritism . This isnt new in Peru . Thats why people wanted change and elected Harl . But where is Harl ?? What is he doing to fix this ? That is what we wanted , someone to fix our town , not make jokes and beliitle citizens at council meetings and then not apologize . Oh wait , a post earlier said thats how all this got started at the fire department , someone that couldn't say 2 words ... I'm Sorry .
I was a union worker that volunteer my time to remodel the fire station and also i am a Peru tax-payer . I was appaulled that the city had a Thank-you cook-out for us at Washington Park and then never invited US ! Some workers got invites the night before and refused to go on such short notice . Most of us never heard anything untill after . But i did hear it was a great time for Fire and Police personell with steaks , shrimp , and beer . Thanks a bunch ! I've lost respect for all involved in that fiasco !
ANON 1:32 If what you say about the fireman whose father is an alderman is true, the Chief absolutely can and should speak up and take control. He's in charge, not the alderman. And, if the Chief cannot handle the situation he needs to take it to his boss - the Mayor. I'm tired of hearing about favoritism, nepotism, and it depends on who you know or who you are. HONESTY, EQUALITY, FAIRNESS. Those are the words I was hoping to hear and see put in use when we got a new administration. Appears I was wrong.
well its good to hear that the name Riordan is still known in Peru by some decent people.The bad thing is that it sounds like corruption and under the table dealings are still the only way the city of Peru can operate.Besides the alderman and the mayor, the Peru Fire Department is just as corrupt and crooked as the rest,check your other local fire departments and compare them.maybe Peru should take a step back and clean house and start from scratch.after reading these posts i really don't see how anyone would want to or choose to work for such a disgruntled and unhappy department.your suppose to be able to rely on your fellow firefighter in a fire to have your back if something should happen,sounds like it might be a little touchy subject unless you pucker up for the so called fire chief.remember when it was a simpler time and the fire and police were together in the same building and the police dept drove the fire truck to the scene?maybe the city of Peru needs to step back to a simpler time to re organize.on a side note:when is the police dept gonna get a new building?fire,ambulance<and the new city hall which was built to small.stop spending money on the fire dept and give the police dept something.thanks to everyone for the support for the Riordan's.the Riordan's will never support corruption or favoritism,it's the way we were raised by a great teacher.
it's just the typical city of Peru,you have one response from the so called fire chief and it offered nothing but garble.no solution to the problem or that he will try and resolve it in a timely manner.it just states i got 22 ff to keep happy you try doing that job.ever tried keep 37 people happy at one time and still getting the job done without the high school drama you created.here is an idea fire the chief and officers and remove the mayor from office cause its all dead weight.
To the person that has this Blog: Thank you!! This gives people an opportunity to speak out without being reprimanded by anyone. It is obvious that there are some serious issues going on at the PFD I'm a FF in a surrounding town and know mostly every FF on Peru. I'm a full time FF myself and am very disappointed with what I am seeing on this Blog. This is the first time on here and was linked over from FF Riordans facebook page.
I have worked with many of these Peru Fire Fighters and start seeing about 2 years ago that a ship was starting to sink.I Really started to see it more when a very professional officer Doug Thurman resigned after 15- 20 years on the department. I knew Doug was not ready to leave and could see the pain he had even before he did. As I read the above comments about how certain officers like Rick Abbott has treated others it became clear to me that He has been given to much power. From my understanding Abbott was voted out during an annual election by the majority of the FF because of Abbotts Bully and manipulating tactics. Rick was voted out and Thurman was voted in, after that all hell broke loose and from my understanding Abbott and others were out to get him, then 6 months later I heard Thurman was leaving the department due to the back stabbing and lack of leadership. Shortly after Thurman retired the Chief placed Abbott back in that position. I thought things were a bit scandalous but being I'm not from Peru I minded my own. I like and respect Chief King but from what I have heard and seen over the past couple of years over there I truly see a Leadership Issue and If this was my city the Mayor would have stepped in by now, especially if the poster above had sent a letter in as stated.
An above post also stated that the assistant Chief does not have the proper qualifications, I would imagine that Chief Duncan has at least the FF2 State certification and that is all one would really need to be an officer.
I'm sure he has this certification right? I feel someone should verify this to clear that comment.
I am a spouse of an ex peru fire fighter and well aware of the garage party meeting that at the time firefighter King had in his garage to plan the takeover of the department Chief Gary Eccles. At that time certain fire fighters and officers wanted a change because they thought that Jeff King would bring more freedom into the department. I guess they got their freedom but at what expense I guess the grass isn't greener on the other side.
There was a lot more respect when Gary was the chief. Over the last couple years you see the same few fire fighters doing anything, like Tom.
I also didn't agree that chief King created a new officer position without posting it or offering it to any other fire fighter and giving it to his roommate which at the time was only making one out of every ten fire calls.
Change can be good but not usually when it's decided with alcohol and friends involved.
City of Peru...... Peru Fire Dept..... What to say, what to say? Riordan boy are who are the ones who are at every sing event the can make it to! Even if it means missing christmas dinner I see them at firecalls! The riordans are verry well respected in my mind!
Tom Riordan ... where are you ?? Oh ya , i know Tom , and i am glad this happened to him . Only because of the fact i know he can't be pushed around and will never give up . Tom is like a sleeping tiger , he is the most loyal and dedicated employee or friend anyone would want , that is untill you try to screw him over , then you wish you were anywhere else . This isn't the first time someone didn't know him too well and tried screwing him over . That was a corporation bigger than Peru Il. . Alot of people lost out on that deal . And the great thing about him is its not about the money either , its the principle ! I don't live in Peru , but am glad to see that the leader of the valley is gonna get put in its place for once . And i know that alot of people are gonna be watching to see what happens . And where is Tom , he's probly sitting comfy at home testing christmas light bulbs or planning his holiday light show at his house . We all support you Tom ! p.s. thanks for the link from facebook , this is a hard site to find .
i am the wife of a current Peru fireman and would be shot if he found out i was writing this . These things are happening in Peru and aren't right . Im sorry this is happening to Pat and Tom but something needs to be done . That place causes way too much stress on all of them because of the favoritism . None of us wives want to go to any functions because we are scared that a incident will occur and we will have to pick sides . Doug Thurman retired because of the crap he was going through because of a few guys trying to run the show and getting pushed around . The most ignorrant thing that i've seen lately was at Pat's retirement Party , the chief never came , and Pat never got his helmet as a Thank-you . Every retiring guy up untill now got a helmet with his highest ranking positing held on the shield . That is just wromg .
It's wierd how all of this is happening now . I don't know the exact date but i do know Joe Riordan Jr. passed away shortly after 9/11 , 10 years ago . I remember everyone honoring the Riordans for their fathers service to the cities of Lasalle and his 30+ years in Peru . Not to mention his service to our country working with JFK . The funeral precession was almost 2 miles long as it carried Joe to his final resting place where he was laid to rest with a 21 gun salute . Law enforcement agencies from as far away as the Chicago suburbs attended because of the Respect that man earned . Now certain people call his son's "ungrateful firefighters" because they challenge what they know isn't right . Peru holds their paychecks to teach them a lesson . Pat doesn't recieve his honors as he retires from the fire dept. And all because they know right from wrong .
After reading through the previous posts it surprises me to find that two groups working towards the same cause are bickering back and forth to this extreme, as well as persons within the same organization doing the same. As a Paramedic in the area I feel that these actions are a bit uncalled for...especially on a public forum. I am a Paramedic in the area and I am not partial to where I am stationed out of because I do not pride myself in the type of house I'm pulling my rig out of. Instead I pride myself in my skills and education that I received and I perform my job without questions and diligence for the patient's I take care of. But what I am partial to is the fact that I will have competent co-workers with me on a scene who are willing to work together without discord.
In reading this forum I am embarrassed and appalled that individuals who are supposed to be respected in and around the community, and who call themselves professionals, are acting as such. Airing out the dirty laundry of your department is not a big image booster. Other departments who are bashing somebody else's department is uncalled for. You do not know what goes on in house at another station if you are not an employee, and until you are one, or show up at the door asking questions, you should keep your opinions and comments to yourself. You are not only falsely ruining the reputation of the department you are speaking harshly of, but you are making a fool of yourself.
What has started here is reflecting who we are to the public, and it is ruining our image, and some day it will come between us in an emergency. I ask that people in the public who are reading this forum take what they are reading with a grain of salt. If you have questions I ask that you find the truths and not follow the rumors and bickering here. The public needs to educate themselves in our profession, and the individuals who are displaying the negative conduct on here need to help educate the public without false pretense.
Finally, I believe that when you have an opinion or comment to a forum, you should sign your name instead of hiding behind anonymous. My name is Natalie and I am the Paramedic who will be working right alongside of you as an equal.
Natalie because much of this discussion relates to services that are being paid for by taxpayers, I do believe they have a right to know what may or may not be taking place within any department within the cities venue or when it is a service employed within the city that involves its residents.
Sounds to me like the PFD could use some Leadership. Perhaps the Mayor needs to advertise outside of the department for a new Chief. Whenever there is this much chaos in a department or low Moral like in this one It all starts and ends with the leadership. In this case it would be the Chief and Officers that should all go. The Mayor should advertise for a new Chief and that Chief should have a full time position with officers that are pure professionals and not beer drinking buddies with the Chief, Because what you now have is exactly that.
The City of Peru should be ashamed and Embarrassed.
Anonymous 8:13 I have been a Peru resident way before that beer drinking chief with poor leadership skills was hired. I have to agree with you a outside hire would be best for the residents of Peru. If the Mayor of our town has any leadership skills himself this will be done.
I understand, and agree, that the taxpayers of Peru should be privy to information about services they are supporting; however, I do not agree that they should be privy to interpersonal politics inside of a city service they are paying for. For example, the tax payers should know how their money is being utilized (which they have the access to if they ask the right individuals), but they should not be privy to the animosity displayed here.
I did not comment in order to drive the citizens away from this blog. In fact I feel that this blog is a great way to get information out to the citizens.
One thing I would like to question, which goes back to my previous thoughts, is the idea that this forum is based off of factual information for the public. And I quote right off the main page of the blog-
"In this blog, we are dedicated to serving the community of Peru by providing the most accurate insight and information available regarding the actions and decisions of our elected officials, city employees, contractors and consultants. We will research, document and present reports and opinions on all aspects of city business. If and when necessary, we will agitate for answers and accountability from our city leaders."
I would like to point out that the blog home page makes any reader understand that the information posted here is accurate and if it not deemed as such, research will be performed to bring the citizen's accurate information. I feel that this particular blog forum is not upholding these ideas as answers/comments have not been accounted for from the city leaders, individuals involved, or individuals spoken of in any manner.
I would also like to point out a line from the top of the forum, and I quote-
"You are welcome to agree or disagree but please do it in a manner that is respectful to those who are reading this blog and contributing their ideas or searching for answers."
Many of the posts on this forum have been rude, disrespectful and downright degrading to many. I understand that you, the writer, may be hurt and or upset, but how would you feel if someone tore you apart in such a way? This statement also implies that citizens will be searching for answers. After reading through this forum, I can find no answers-only angry individuals who took a simple ideology and turned it into a crusade.
As I stated in my previous post, take what you are reading with a grain of salt and I ask that the public does their own research to understand the truth and not be influenced by the writing of others who are upset.
I am not discouraging anyone from gaining information about their city through sites such as this, but I do encourage the citizens to do their own research by personally going to their city officials and service workers.
We definitely need somebody to take control of the wheel and turn this town around. We don't seem to have accountability or leadership. I think we absolutely, positively need a city manager and a city engineer on our payroll. I agree with you ANON 9:15 that we to hire from outside on many levels of our government.
12:31AM The statement you are referring to applies to Steve and I and information we present to the public. The information posted by others cannot be verified by us and largely is a matter of opinion and that is what a blog usually is...people giving opinions. Sometimes they know what they are talking about and have resources that are credible but at times it is strictly perception. Sometimes I personally venture into expressing my opinions also. As far as the interpersonal problems within the city, that was not something I planned on but after it started I realized that the opinions mostly were those of individuals who had no other place to express them and no one within the city who would listen. At that point I realized that the conversation needed to be allowed and it needed to be read by the public. Not something any of us would think was taking place but it is not good to suppress the problems either. Kind of a double edged sword, isn't it? Please be aware that not everything sent in is posted because it is either name calling only, vulgar or pointless to the topic. I do have limits and at times people get angry when I don't post what they have written. So I ask that people reread their comments, so I hope you do understand the reason the blog exists and that it is usually not a channel of current news. I may post city meetings etc and you are also welcome to add anything like that in your postings. If you read the N.T. blog you will find that pettiness is written there also along side of some great comments just like here on the Peru Town Forum.
That a problem is existing in the Peru Fire Dept. was a unpleasant surprise. In defene of the Mayor I question whether the Chief of the PFD is a position which he appoints or if it is a elected position of fellow firemen. Also in fairness to Mayor Harl I would like to venture into history to when he first came into office and had made a choice of two individuals from outside of town - one for city engineer and the other for SPW. He presented his plans of introducing these two individuals at the next council meeting at the meeting which was being conducted. Upon hearing this the Peru City Council reacted as if someone turned a skunk loose in the room. The Mayor showed his possession of strong leadership skills in this instance but the council in its attempt to stop any progress the Mayor attempted showed their short sightedness which has only achieved to put the city in the position it is in today. I do not always agree with Mayor Harl in his decisions but I don't agree with everyone all the time. One thing I will say for Mayor Harl, no matter if I agree with him or not, he does have leadership skills, presents programs whether they are popular, unpopular or controversial and is working for a better Peru. Because someone is MAYOR does not make them automatically aware of or empowered to control and enforce all situations.
All of a sudden many want the Mayor to make new appointments and criticize his leadership ability. Where were these individuals when he attempted to make appointments? If anyone truthfully knows please comment to the blog with the following information: What appointments can the Mayor make on his own and only with his own OK? What appointments can he make that need a approval vote of the city council to be approved? What city government positions does he not have the power to make? What positions does he have the authority to dismiss and which positions he need the approval of the city council - for example the consulting engineer, the city attorney, SPW, the Police Chief, the water treatment service? Who has the power to discipline or dismiss the Peru Recreation Director and/or the Library Director? Who has the responsibility of dismissing the Volunteer Ambulance Director, Airport Director, Insurance Consultant, and the Building Inspector? What OK's would it take to replace these positions?
Is the problem with the fire department created or enhanced by the fact that one of the present city officials would like a position created in the City of Peru titled Director of Public Safety in which he would be over both the Police Chief and the Fire Chief and they would answer to this official and he would be the Uno Nuno in the Chain of Command for both departments? Picture if you got on the wrong side of the city employee with that vast amount of power. This would not only be a new position but probably the highest paid position in the city. Remember where there is smoke there is fire (no pun intended)!
Firstly, I want to say that I do appreciate the existence of this blog as a place for people to share their OPINIONS on any and all aspects of the city. However, if this is a place for OPINIONS to be shared, it should be made known to the public.
As Natalie said, your forum claims to be based on fact and says that statements are researched to present the most factual information possible. In your most recent response to her, you further stated that this only applies to those things that you and Steve post. This is misleading to the general public, whether intentional or not. You need to make it clear that these are OPINIONS and, more importantly, not ALL opinions or sides are represented.
It may sound juvenile and may be considered common sense by many, but the fact is if you are going to be allowing people to post opinions, you need to let it be known that they are OPINIONS and not all of them can be researched for accuracy. They do this for actor's commentary on movies, it is nothing more than a simple disclaimer on your page. If it's not posted, people assume that everything here is true and you research every single posting for factual accuracy. Many of the later postings here reflect that people ARE taking all of this as fact and not opinion. If it's not true, we all know that it isn't, you need to say so, plainly, on your front page.
Secondly,
As Natalie pointed out, the forum rules call for respectful postings. While I appreciate the fact that you have not posted many submissions on both sides that resulted to nothing but petty name-calling or had nothing to do with the topic, you have allowed a large portion of name calling and off-topic posts to be posted. As Jim Schrepfer said on September 1st, this entire blog has gotten WAY off topic. The topic is supposedly about whether or not Peru would benefit from providing a fire-based EMS service. That's it. If you are concerned about allowing others to share their OPINIONS on the behind the scenes goings-on of the department, then I question if a public forum is the place to do so.
As this blog has demonstrated, only a very skewed, one-sided version of the situation is being presented by one or two people to the entire city. This is not a discussion, this is an accusation and an example of media manipulation at its worst. There are plenty of places for these kinds of comments and attacks- including but not limited to Facebook, as an earlier poster recommended. If you want to promote discussion, only one side is being presented, and you pride yourself on presenting fair, accurate arguments... then why is this STILL going on? Do not allow yourself to be taken off track in this blog. Those that come here looking for information about the topic find a small handful that actually pertain to the topic.
As far as respectful postings, you claim to be against name calling, but a large portion of the postings on here contain name calling. If I were a teacher and said "No Name Calling," and then allowed a student to call another student names as long as they said something that pertained to the topic, what is the point of the rule in the first place? NO name calling is NO name calling. Rude, disparaging comments made to or about specific people should ALL be removed. If you want to have an adult conversation, lets grow up.
I reiterate what many people have said but is being missed by a lot of people. If you want to know what is going on, ASK somebody, face to face. And any reasonable person would know to ask more than one person. If a reporter only asked one person what was going on, they would never find out the truth of the matter. Stop assuming that we are getting all of the facts be reading the posts of 2 or 3 people.
On a more personal note, I don't think Officer Riordan would be very proud of the bickering, name calling and finger pointing this blog has displayed. I knew him to be a respectful man that worked to solve a problem by finding out all of the facts. He was a true professional and never would have resorted to the sort of childish behavior displayed here.
Let's get back to what this post is supposed to be about. Would Peru be best served by a joint Fire and EMS organization? An anonymous poster said that this blog was difficult to find. It's not that its difficult to find, it's that it has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the topic.
That rumor has been around Peru for about 2 or 3 years that Bernabei wants to be in charge of both Fire and police . Well its been around our neighboring towns too that that is his ultimate goal to be in charge of both . then he will have a chief in each department that would report to him . Sounds like someone is on a power trip and thinks he needs more power and more ability to do Nothing all day . Listen to LINNCOM.COM , it picks up all radio traffic and will play it on your computer speakers . Bernabei doesnt do anything now , he calls other officers to write tickets and even to drive by somewhere he is at to talk to someone about grass in the street . Is our police chief too good to write tickets or talk to the public and enforce the laws . The citizens of Peru don't need another supervisory position in our town paying someone top pay to do less than what they do now . It's obvious he can't even enforce simple laws like parking complaints like stated in this blog earlier . Or maybe its not a matter of enforcing them but "who he knows , and what they or he can get away with". The notion of having one person in charge of Police and Fire is ridiculous . And the taxpayers won't pay for it . Sorry Bernie , why don't you go back to Florida , or wait , you can't .
Obviously, no body wants to air their dirty laundry in public on a blog. But when things get so bad and frustrating because they can't use the proper channels to get help, they turn to any means possible to get people to hear their problems. I sure hope that the mayor and those in charge are paying close attention. Sounds like some major cleaning up needs to be done. And soon. I want the best of the best providing public service. Not sure I have that anymore based on what I am reading. And yes, I do believe there is quite a bit of truth to what I am reading. Very, very sad day folks. Why do we always seem to get the leftovers?
Read the ordinance. The Mayor has the ultimate authority to appoint positions. And he has the authority to dismiss any position. Including city council decisions its called a veto. To say that these alderman have any power over any personnel is not valid.
There is another closed session listed on tomorrow's meeting agenda. If I'm interpreting it correctly it could be to discuss the situation in our fire department. I'd be curious to know how you would handle this situation if you don't know the facts. Would both sides be allowed to present their complaints and their side of the incident? Surely the aldermen do not have all the facts so how could they vote or make a decision on something like this? I would think it would be between the department heads and the mayor and maybe the city attorney.
ANON 11:12 We can't afford to add anyone to our payroll let alone top paying positions. I surely hope our Mayor would not allow a change like this to take place now after he promoted a sales tax increase to pay for roads. Also, what did you mean when you said Bernie can't go back to Florida?
Anon 9:16 With the co-operation of the city council the Mayor is in charge of the city, without it you have a environment of a tug of war. Peru government has been a example of this for Mayor Harls first two years in office. Anon 9:16 and Anon 9:58 Do you both sincerely believe that it is basically this simple because the last two years have shown evidence that it is not. The Mayor can veto but the council can over ride his veto, as was done with the application for the swimming pool grant. Can a city council impeach a Mayor?
I am a former paid on call firefighter for Peru. Thanks for this Blog. I would like to say that I am seeing comments about writing something and being anonymous. I can tell you this and if you think about it you might just get it. First, everything I'm reading about the accusations are true, although I haven't been a member for awhile I still have some very close friends that are. If I was to post here things that I have seen and sign my name to it what do you think would happen to me? perhaps tick off my good friends, be called a snitch,or if I go back to Peru and choose to apply again later down the road that they would actually hire me back? I don't think so. I will say that I would not re apply until I knew that a couple of officers were out of there like Rick A. because it was and is basically him that runs the show there,thats why the FD is facing what they are right now. It looks like it finnaly came to a head and if the city does nothing about any of this than shame on them. The one posting commented on Leadership, the FD has some great indians but no Chief. I'm sure your Mayor or city officials could go talk to every fire fighter down there and of course they will tell them things are great, its because everyone is running around like Indians including the Chief. I must say that when I started reading these blogs I was surprised because I have always known the Rirdon Brothers to be an asset to that department. There were only like five people that ever did anything extra down there. Tom, Pat, Bill K, Rod P. and Jake U. Now if they lost Tom, Pat, and Rod I feel bad for Bill and Jake. Wake Up Peru!!!
Why would anyone post a comment using their name . Look what this Blog is teaching us , you report something illegal and its immediate retaliation . Their are certain laws that protect those people though if you can deal with it untill your helped . I believe its called the "whistle blower law" . Also one is protected by "freedom of speeech" which their opinions cannot be used against them . And also everyone is protected under the law to work in an environment free from harassment and intimidation . Anyone of these violations will bankrupt this city and probably send a few people to jail and the taxpayers will demand they lose their jobs and pensions .
4:03PM Cassandra This is a community forum and we are looking forward to you the reader expressing your "opinions"on our comments and being a part of all our discussions. I will let Officer Riordan speak for himself. A blog is a blog and most blogs are opinions and not news sources. They are opinions on news.
@ 10:41 ... Arnold Schwarzenegger did a movie in 1986 called "Raw Deal" he discovered wrong doing by a law enforcement agent and told him to "resign or be prosecuted " .
Don't ask me anything about Tom Riordans FB page and if you have a problem with his language or comments please contact him directly as they do not concern this city. I suggest you remove yourself from his friend list if you have suddenly found out that comments he made months ago have suddenly become repulsive to you. This comment is directed to the poster of a comment I have received, just in case he is waiting for it to appear here.
Ive read toms page . I havent sen anything Repulsive , he is a little goofy and strange but thats "his" page . It actually makes me laugh at times . I've also read the post that is the one that got him in trouble . it's a post that tells someone isn't doing their job and that in turn affectted one of his relative homes . Also he is only looking out for the public it appears to me . and once again it was on his personal page . That's freedom of speech . The ogiginal post is still on there for anyone of his friends to see . He speaks his mind when what is right is not done . If i knew how to link that post on here i would . Friend request him and you be the judge . He's protected by the Bill of Rights . The date of his post is from the middle of august if u go looking for it .
I did not post the comment because I felt it was not relevant to the discussion. I also read it and thought some of the comments were funny, perhaps it was his manner of speech that bothered the person who wrote in but in that case, I don't know why they are Tom's friend. Well not really his friend anymore I would think.
The entire point of my post was missed. It is stated multiple times that offensive, rude and off-topic comments are not being posted. Of the 92 comments on here- only 19 have to do with the topic and at least 20 of these are disrespectful and slanderous. I truthfully just stopped counting the name-calling and slander.
How is this a fair and unbiased blog if these rules that are stated are not being enforced? By selectively following the stated rules, you are ruining the credibility and integrity of the blog.
I never said or implied to stifle Mr. Riordan or any individual's comments. All I asked was that you please follow your own rules when approving comments. No offensive or off topic posts means none at all, not the ones selectively chosen.
I repeat, again, to make it clear what I am saying. This discussion is about whether Peru would benefit from joint fire and EMS services.
19 posts are relevant. Do the math and tell me how this is a fair, unbiased discussion?
Cassandra, are you looking for a job with the City of Peru fire department? Will they pay more than PVAS? When individuals post comments about personnel people tend to take this as very personal and you create a them vs us attitude. Its not surprising that so many have made comments about this topic. Our society loves to get involved and spread gossip. As Lois stated many times that this is a form of entertainment and don't take everything to heart. Don't slam her or don't get upset if a person makes a statement about a friend,fellow worker,relative, or yourself. Its just a simple forum to express thoughts and maybe have some fun.
I don't think it's fun when you drag somebody's reputation thru the mud and try to create chaos within our fire department. Our fire department is strong, intact, and very happy with our fire chief. The comments on this blog have done Jeff King a huge injustice. Time to move on people and go after the next blog victim.
2:04 PM I really do think that it is time for people as yourself who are associated with the Peru FD start signing your names to your posts. That is the only way you will prove to people that you really know what you are talking about. Believe me your post will have much more significance than putting that anon at the end of your post.
It's ironic Lois when you want somebody from the fire department to sign their post with their name, but yet you don't suggest that for the people who are slamming the fire department. Why is it that you believe those anon posters who trash the fire department, but those that give compliments you think should have to post their name? Wouldn't a post with a person's name slamming the fire department also have more credence?
2:04 PM Strong, intact, and very happy with the fire chief! Glad that has been straightened out. By the remarks of a high percentage of the comments I was starting to reach a different conclusion.
2:52PM Reread my post I said for those who are associated with the fire dept. Some of what you consider pro comments were friends who may have spoke well of the Riordan family but were not necessarily bashing current members. I have not gone back through all the almost 100 posts and will not, so lets start fresh with what I said in mind.
I made a more substantial post in Lois' new blog, but felt the need to let everyone here know that I am not a member of any of Peru's emergency services. I can't answer any questions about the fire department, police department or PVAS because I don't know any more information about them than you. I came here looking for information about the joint FD/EMS services idea and was appalled at the inappropriate posts I was reading. I am just glad to see more though-provoking, well thought out posts.
I know you are moving on, but I cannot go without saying something. I will not comment on the recent accusations of my husband/family, and I will only speak for myself. I do believe that whether Earl was right or wrong, it was unprofessional to put particular situations on a blog (incorrect at that) and that is why my husband chose to post. Moving on...The firemen put many hours into training, public relations, fire calls, etc...Sometimes there is a lot of time spent away from family, leaving children's games, dinner, etc... Some firemen are very active at certain times and then there is a point in their family that they cannot be as active and then it swings back again, or not. Whatever their participation, I believe when they show up to your house for a fire call, CO call, accident or whatever they are called for-they do their job and they do it well. Although there seems to be some issues (which there is among most places of employment) you can feel safe knowing they will be there if they are needed. I felt like perhaps some of the comments might of sounded different. It would be great if it could be a perfect world, and no they are not perfect.
Alright I'll say it: I miss Gary. He treated everyone the same and he worked hard everyday to make the department the best it could be. There wasn't any of this bullshit with him as chief. I still can't believe that other firemen -PEOPLE WHO WERE HIS FRIENDS- stabbed him in the back like that. That's messed up guys and you should all be ashamed. Been wanting to say that for a long time.
sounds like the problem in peru revolves mostly around the union guys. If a POC gets involved everyone thinks they are trying to take their job. How about coverage for the benefit for Gary? Only union guys were asked to cover the station. Im a firefighter for a nearby department, but we were passed over for coverage. Instead, ottawa, mendota and other union guys were brought in to cover. whats up with that?
Fire-based EMS does not work!! Go look around and research the various EMS delivery models and you will see it is NOT the most effective. Hmmm....even the city of Rockford is privatizing its EMS because it will save taxpayers money. The only ones to blame for that decision is the fire department and more specifically the fire union. Kansas City....they went fire based and now the research is showing an increase in response times, a decrease in cardiac arrest saves, and a decrease in skills percentages. They are now looking at going back to a public utility model like they had before. Indianapolis...they merged Wishard Hospital EMS and the City EMS to form Indianapolis EMS..a third city service!! They are a true model of efficiency and service. Louisville...same thing..became a combination city/county third service. Let's look at Quincy, IL....Adams County EMS...one of the most professional "third services" around...only EMS. Carbondale...Jackson County EMS...same thing.
The point is...I don't why Brian Foster thinks he's an expert, and just because he was in the Navy doesn't make him a safety/security exptert. Heck...he doesn't even understand what the profession of EMS is.
EMS encompasses not only emergencies, but non-emergencies. It's inustrial EMS, tactical EMS, special events, critical care transfers, dispatch, ER, etc...
Brian and all others that belittle "transfers"...tell that family whose loved one is being sent by ground to Peoria, Joliet, Chicago, or the Quad Cities for an emergency procedure that their loved ones are considered "emergencies". Sending that chest pain patient to a cath lab is indeed an EMERGENCY, and many times it goes by ground because a helicopter is not available or can't fly due to weather. Fire EMS does not take care of these emergencies, but public utility models, non-profits, and third service agencies do because they are EMS!!!
I see talk about LaSalle...funny....their Chief isn't a paramedic, never been a paramedic, and only wants EMS so he can be like his brother who's the deputy chief of a busy suburban FD. The contract company will cost the LaSalle taxpayers much more in the long run that PVAS did or ever would. The contract company is in it for the profit...and they can't be faulted for that. The point is...the LaSalle Fire Chief is nowhere near qualified to run an EMS agency as most EMS Chiefs are not qualified to run a FD. They each have their specialties. The LaSalle Chief has done a great job building a solid FD...but stay in that lane...don't branch off into something you're not qualified to do.
I agree...PVAS has horrible management. There is no transparency,and it's been a corrupt organization. PVAS can be fixed and it can be a model for others to follow, but it won't change until the current board is replaced with citizens from the community, and the director is fired. A true non-profit ambulance service should be giving more info to the municipalities it serves and it should not hide anything. It is very common for non-profit models to get a tax subsidy from the municipalities they serve, but in return they show what they've accomplished.
I would encourage readers, or Lois, to file a FOIA request with the IL Attorney General's office on financial records for PVAS. They are to be audited yearly and those audit results turned over the IL AG office. This may help shed some light on the financial situation of PVAS.
Please...I just ask that everyone stop bashing PVAS as a whole. They have strong EMT's and Medics that I as a citizen do trust with my live. I can't blame the rank and file for the poor leadership they've been given. The staff tries, and they need to be thanked and not chastized. Stand behind them and help them get leadership.
6:53 PM I really don't know how you break the stranglehold that is in place on the ambulance service. It was set up in such a way that no citizen has a way to influence the by laws. The one recent change came when the controlling individuals realized they would not have all the good old boys in place after the election, so the by laws were changed so that previously elected Peru individuals could take their place on the ambulance board. That allowed them to put Don Piano, former aldermen and not sure but believe former Alderman O'Beirne is still on the board. So if the Peru FD is not in a position to take over, then it would require another better managed ambulance service to come into Peru.
Lois....do you think a new, local, non-profit ambulance service could start up? I would envision a board made up of a member of the Peru city council (as they pay a subsidy), a member from Dimmick Township, a member from IVCH, and two citizens at large. This would go along with how other non-profit EMS agencies are set up.....
9:30 PM The information is available on line in the Illinois Atty Generals office. Brian Foster had posted directions on how to get there and perhaps he will do so again or I can try and figure it out. From what I read there was nothing in it that would bring up any red flags. I'm sure it was filed by their Accountant.
And their accountant was caught falsifying their audit records to the state...look at the permanent reprimand on the IDFPR website...
Information found on: RORIE J SCHWEICKERT, 65010899, Peru, IL Action Discipline Start Date Discipline End Date Reason For Action Reprimand 10/05/2005 Failed to maintain the necessary level of independence in conducting audits for a non-profit organization.
112 comments:
Brian Foster found this video while doing research on the possibility of doing FD EMS in Peru.
As someone who works as a paramedic in a non-fire-based EMS agency, I take great offense at this piece. The film implies that non-fire-based services are not trained or equipped as well, arrive much later than fire-based services, and may choose to not show up at all! These are all profound lies.
There are several things that they did not mention in this piece. First, training to become a paramedic is quite intensive as it is to become a top-level firefighter. Requiring people to do both is equivalent to requiring your accountant to also be your car mechanic. The end result is that many paramedics in fire-based systems have no interest in EMS. They became paramedics simply to get on the department. As soon as many medics have enough seniority, they transfer to a position where they will not have to run EMS calls. This system ensures that the newest, youngest personnel are the ones treating patients.
Second, while certainly not universally true, fire department systems often spend much more on equipment. Many private services spend $90K-120K on a brand new ambulance. There are many nearby fire-based services that spend $200K and up on a new ambulance. These trucks are not any better in serving the patient. They are mostly bigger and use a commercial truck chassis rather than a van chassis. Plus, they replace them much more frequently (negating the argument that the commercial truck units last longer). I should note that the LaSalle FD bought used examples of the smaller, van-based rigs and saved a lot of money.
Fire-based services run on tax revenues PLUS the revenue that they get from patient's insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Generally, it is a more expensive system. It is possible, however, to run a fire-based service very efficiently. It takes some work and self-control to NOT spend more money just because you can.
Contrary to what this film states, non-fire-based services provide very cost-effective care with dedicated professionals who actually WANT to be there using the same equipment with the same response times. For a local service in the Illinois Valley, I think either approach can work. In smaller systems like we have here, success or failure is much more dependent upon the quality of personnel. Leadership is required and is not easy to come by. There is a reason that MANY EMS professionals who live in the area choose to work elsewhere.
Not sure why my post was not approved and posted. If you are going to smear honest, hard-working EMS personnel, the least you can do is give them the opportunity to respond.
10:00 PM It appears that you are also the 4:48 PM both of the same date Aug 30, 2011. Computers are a lot like some human beings, with both it takes a little time for things to happen. Please do not feel personally offended as your 4:48 post went astray for awhile and than was found and posted. Since you were kind enough to make a second posting in the blog could you really go all out and explain what is the standard operating procedure of taking meal breaks at your EMS location?
Sorry, I got a little cranky there. I've worked a number of places, and meals are handled differently in different places. At one service, you spend your entire shift in the truck. You never return to the station. There are places around the district where you are "posted" between calls. These are usually public parking lots. There, we grab food to go whenever we can. We eat in the truck.
At other services, you are in the station between calls. These are typically 24-hour shifts. The stations usually have a kitchen. We might bring food from home or go to the store at some point. If we go to the store, we take the ambulance since we have to be ready to respond at any time. You will often see fire trucks parked outside of grocery stores in larger cities for the same reason. Sometimes, we will get food to go at a restaurant. If the service does not get a high call volume, we might actually eat at the restaurant. However, we have to be ready to respond immediately, and that sometimes means leaving the food behind.
I don't think that one policy or another is good or bad. No matter what you do, you have to be ready to respond immediately. I know that some folks don't like to see ambulances out and about if they are not on a call. Generally, most services keep that to a minimum.
The key factor is response time. That is measured in every system. The director of the EMS system (and of each agency) should be able to look at the response times and determine if there is a problem. There are national standards in place, and if some agency is not meeting them, they need to take a look at the reason.
I come from another community to work here, and I love it. As a matter of fact many of the emts and paramedics do the same. I have just as much if not more EMS training as most firemen in Peru have FIRE training. I spent 2 long years of my life getting my Paramedic license and still train every month to get the many many hours of CE credits to keep my license up to date as well as meeting the requirements of our local system. Don't get me wrong, the Peru firemen do a great job but they just that ...firemen. They don't want to be paramedics. Anyway I just thought that before you call us unprofessional as you did in anothernpost iwould just let you know how hard it is to get and keep aparamedic license. We don't just put in our time as you in the other post...we spend countless hours away from our families so when you or a loved one are lying on the floor no breathing we will be therenfor you...and we will do it professionally. I understNdthTbyou want the best fornyour community but itnis obvious thatbyou know nothing of how the EMS system works and arenunwilling tom learn but always at th ready to criticize. I only wishni could send a list of people whove lives have been save by our professional paramedics and emts.
Sorry about the last post. It was done on a phone and button pushed before the corrections were made. Big Thumbs little phone! Anyway many of us live out of the area and come here to work. Others have moved here and made Peru or at least the il valley their home. Point being ...we chose this profession and we love it. There are a select few that would like to be firefighter emts on a big city dept, but that is not the case with most of us. But we are professionals. And when your life is on the line....we will be there for you!
Whether or not Peru goes to a Fire based Ems or not should be thought over long and hard . And not just by the Chief and his henchman . When Liberty Fire went to be Part time city employees , the actual fireman had no say in that decision ! Now most of the hard working workers regret what was done . They have no say in anything ! They were told one day that starting on a specific day they were city employees . And now they wonder when the next change will happen that they have no say or imput on . Some took the time to become EMTs but most did not . The majority of Peru Fire's officers didnt even take the class . A select few make the decisions and now they have no say on who their officers are . Favoritism runs wild in Peru even to the point of guys quitting because they are just sick of it ! Imagine having giving up what you Love more than anything in the world because you just cant handle the BS anymore . The number of retired and ex-firefighters is growing faster than anyone nows . Can Peru Fire even think of handling a Fire based EMS ?
In responce to the last blogger this sounds like an x firefirefighter who could not handle chain of command. it is easy to complain on this blog or FACEBOOK and not follow his chain of command.Just because there is accountability in the firehouse certain people cant handle that so they fire off on this blog or facebook and fail to have a face to face talk. So continue to express yourself as you can BUT do not speak for other firefighters because i am one and i am pround to be a peru firefighter not a wanna be firefighter. A PERU FIREMAN
Everyone probly knows someone that is a fireman ... ask them how they feel on the topic . Most will say they are fireman not EMTs and it should be figured out how it can be done separately effiiently . Get their imput , this effect them .
After recieving several texts from many firefighters I feel obligated to respond. As for the fire based ems that is not up to me. If I am asked for input I will gladly give it, as for the anonymous blogger that feel that I have henchman i would have to disagree. Any buisness has to have accountability for the operation. The chief has that responsibility, this blogger has no clue as to what it takes to try and keep 22 firefighters happy all the time. It dont happen. So as he feels that Im not doing my job he has no clue until he walks in my footsteps and understand what it takes to run a professional dept.It is very easy to play quarterback in a game that he may think he knows.I encourage anyone to talk to any Peru firefighter and ask them for themselfs as you will be given a TRUE story of the operation of this Department not a discription from an disgruntled fireman who could not accept change.
Hey 8:13. Thats because its change. I`m positive the organization you belong to does not vote every year on its leadership by the very members who they manage.That system Peru Fire Department had was disfunctional. Example ( I am suspeding you from this department for wrong doing), (That`s fine go ahead, I will vote you out as chief in two weeks.) Is that the type of Mickey Mouse organization you want to have the Peru name on. Your wrong and you know it. Emergency services is not management by committee. Its a military type structure. If you are so worried about the rank and file having input into management decisions and selection of the leadership team, why are you not fighting the Board at PVAS. Members have no say in the make up of management and management decisions. I would bet if Peru fire took over the EMS responsibilities in Peru, the citizens will get top notch medics and continue to save lives. The difference would be in the management structure and consolidation of resources and personnel. I bet it would be run as a more efficient team concept for all large scale incidents. Consolidation is the sign of the times. It needs to be looked at as a proven way of simplifying the situation. I bet alot of members at PVAS would love to work at the Peru Fire Dept. If I remember, some are even taking classes in hopes that happens. I wonder if even some of the leadership at PVAS is hoping the same thing.
If you don't follow orders in a public safety job, you go to the firing squad. If you don't like working for the general maybe another job is more to your abilities. You could be a florist or greeter at the local chain store, someplace that wants your creative thinking. Again in public safety you follow orders or people get hurt. There is no room for the disgruntled self serving public safety employee. Time to man up and listen to the Chief, its not a democracy your job is public safety.
At 8:13. When Liberty members became City of Peru employees, it was because we couldnt get work comp insurance or Line of Duty Death benefits for our surviving familys if one of our members was killed on duty. I for one was very grateful for the change. Knowing my wife and kids would recieve benefits in the event something happenes to me for out weighs any benefit you think we had.
As for members quiting; I dont have the exact numbers in front of me but I'll bet our attrition rate is the same or better than it has been in years. Recently, we did have one member who got mad and "quit". This member was had been disiplined for inability to follow SOP/SOG. He was removed from his Officer position. A position assgined to him by Cheif King, so that debunks your favoritism arguement. He quit Liberty but stayed on as a City of Peru Firefighter, then moved out of state. The fact that he quit Liberty but stayed on as a City of Peru Firefighter still makes me laugh.
Chief King inherited the Fire Chief position during the first change in the Mayor seat in decades, and during the worst fincial time this generation. He has handled more changes than any Chief in the history of Liberty and done a fantastic job with it. The City of Peru Fire budget is a fraction of that of neighboring communitees, thats not a good thing, but he is able to manage it.
I'm not an Officer and was never asked to be an Officer. I dont have any doubt in my mind our Chief and Officers could handle Fire Based EMS.
Just so everyone knows, Im leaving the area and will be leaving PFD. I will not be quiting because "Favoritism runs wild in Peru even to the point of guys quitting because they are just sick of it !" I dont want any putting words in my mouth.
8:13 is clearly a disgruntled employee.
Thanks
Earl Hocking
Peru Fire Fighter
Theres nothing worse than an anonymous poster
It is my understanding that the last member to quit was not removed from his position as an officer but quit that position because he was told by other officers that he had no authority !! And i know for a fact that he was not disciplined for not following orders but was rudely and arroganttly verbally abused by another officer in front of the other firefighters and 2 minor children who were his kids . The assaulting officer had no authority or right to discipline anyone on the fire department because the chief wasn't present . When the issue was brought up nothing was done by the chief and no apologies were made by anyone . That would be enough for anyone to quit caring .
I'm an Honorary Liberty Member and i can tell you there is favoritism in Peru Fire . And that is exactly why i left . The Fire Dept is headed down hill for the past 10 years . It is just a good ole boys club worse than anything you could imagine . As a member of Liberty you aren't allowed to break the flow or have an opinion . Everything is suppose to be a secret . Well maybe some guys are finally voicing their own opinions and dealing with the crap and the good ole boys are running scared .
What gives someone the right to assume they know what is going on in their department when they have a less than 10% attendance rate . Go to City Hall and look at the fire deptartment run report and see
Thats right I quit because no one respected the Safety Officer or listened to him. I left liberty because it did nothing for me. I stayed on Peru because it added to my income. I never got a copy of sops it was turned back in to make changes authorized by the chief, but was never returned. I moved out of town because my wife completed her masters degree and got hired out of state. As for following chain if command I brought it up at the last meeting after the fire call before I left,I did not make up training from April and I talked to the training officer which gave me a chapter to read and I was there the day he told me ready to test. He forget the test and said he would call me and never did. so I followed the chain of command and went to the head of training, as listed on the training paper passed out,to the assit. chief 2 weeks later nothing. So I went to the chief and he noted it on a piece of paper and 1 month later nothing. now its August and still no training for April. That what chain of command does for you.As the person wrote at 907pm how can you make 0% of the calls and know what goes on at the department
You will never honestly find out how the actual firefighters feel because there is a code of silence that is not to be broken if u like your job . They may call it a code of "honor" but ask the fireman that was punched in the kitchen during a party at the firehouse while wives were present because he spoke up to an officer , how he feels about "Honor" . The victim quit while the Officer had no action taken against him . That's why I left !
@ 4:06pm , Let me ask this , What do you mean Chief King inherited the position ?? It was in your garage that the meeting was held before the overthrow of the previous Chief took place ! Those that attended were all scrambling to get on his good side to get an officers spot . The select few were invited , but just enough to secure the vote , and the beer was flowing and the take over was planned . That's how he became Chief ! Crooked , Backwoods politics , backstabbing drunken firefighters . And then if i remember correctly there was a call that they all went to . Imagine That , That's why "I" left
I am amazed at how far off center the whole question wandered. The advantage of Fire Based EMS is that teh community gets two services from the same group of employees. In small towns like Peru, the employees are often asked to do multiple jobs. In this case, fight fires, respond to accidents and now provide a high level of care at an emergency scene. With improvements in fire safety and materials, the number of large dires are down. You still need fire fighters to respond but they will now be able to do other types of services. Fire Based EMS is a good wa to provide those services and increase the number of fire fighters on the department. That is a good thing for the Community of Peru. An additional side benefit is that the ambulance is a revenue generator. When fire fighters respond to a fire, there is no charge. When fire fighters respond to a medical emergency, the insurance company will cover some of the cost of the medical personnel.In these toug economic times, you should applaud the City of Peru for seeking out additional revenue rather than raising taxes
Okay really people??? Tom riordan needs to accepct himself as a in loyal fireman. U think if u tell personal stories noone will guess ??? Jeff king has done so many great things for peru. As ems staff I am very upset to see people bad mouth us. If u are someone who has bad mouthed the fd or pvas.. i sure hope its not your family member that get ill,injured or burned ??? Would we be good enough to do our job then ??? That's what I thought ... Everyone just needs to get along for once !!!!
Sorry auto correct.... I ment unloyal fireman !!!
It sounds like there is some seriuous issues going on in the pfd. Is that par for other departments also? If that is the case, any and all people invovled should be removed from their positions!!!
Scew this whole blog website and "lois" she is the cause for this and is a disgrace to the community. PA TH ET IC i understand that you wont post this..as long as you get my piece of mind
10:22 PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW LOIS IS THE CAUSE FOR THIS AND WHAT THIS IS? If there are problems within the fire department how is she responsible? Now you got my piece of mind and I think it's time to start acting like adults. She posts what others (like you) send in.
I sent a letter into the mayor two weeks ago advising him that an investigation must be done with the books and how firemen are being paid for volunteer services. Is it right that volunteers do special events on a volunteer basis and get compensated for calls they don't respond to?
Example: Firefighter volunteers time and goes to the mall to hand out fire related materials,or helps out at a special event those same firefighters that helped out can be paid for firecalls they were not even on the scene or in town for. This is special treatment for certain firefighters.
The Peru Fire Dept. is falling apart and losing good quality firefighters.
Peru Fire Department has officers in place that do not have the proper state certifications. The assistant chief does not even have the basic certifications that the state requires to even be a firefighter, and he is a chief?? Peru is at risk!
You sound like a unhappy employee or former employee that was paid well for a job you may have or have not done. If you want a investigative hearing contact the Man in Charge(Mayor or Ald.Perez). I am sure both will massage your ego and tell you good things.
10% attendance rate, how do you stay employed? It must be a city paid position. How do you get a gig like that? And you complain?
I have not posted several comments because whoever is making the comments cannot resist throwing in the last uncalled for word and believe me this is not one sided If you want your comments to be posted and read, please give them a second look and take the garbage out of it.
Anon;1:58 is it true that Alderman Perez is no longer on the Fire Department due to certain Officers, that actually run the department? The same Officers that ran out several other Fire Fighters?? What's the difference between Peru Fire Department and Liberty Fire Department anyway?
All this from wanting a professional fire service with full time employees that are capable and certified to perform more than one task? On the one side you have the PVAS employees - professional mind you - that are afraid the FD will put them out of work. On the other side, you have the FD employees / volunteers that.... what? don't want a professional FD? I wish I never brought it up.
Anonymous 12:02 You say Tom Riordon should accept himself as an unloyal Firefighter, but I believe it was Tom Riordon who a couple years back received the Firefighter of the year award. I believe that Tom Riordon has done so much for the Fire Department and is now being treated like he is the enemy. You say Jeff King has done so much for Peru and maybe he has, but I know that Tom Riordon has done a lot for Peru also, and yes I believe everyone should get along and everyone should be treated fairly. I don't believe certain Officers or Firefighters should be given special privileges.
Noone on the Peru Fire Department has Ever done as much as Pat & Tom Riordan !! Not only them , but their entire families are at ever function helping . Yes it is true Tom Riordan was the FIRST EVER Firefighter of the Year in Peru , and he got it because he is always there doing everything . And now it seems all this started because of an arguement from back in Winter when he demanded an Officer apologize for verbally assaultting his brother Pat in front of the whole department and his minor children . And Jeff King blew it off because Captain Abbott is too valuable to King covering for him and doing his paperwork when he is out of town so it seems like he is around more than he is . Captain Abbott is the same one who allowed his wife to park in the fire dept lot which is designated by a City Ordinance to be for fire department use only . The Fire Chief and Police Chief blew off the parking complaints allowing her to continue parking there . So They both got pist when Tom went over their heads to the mayor to get it fixed . Then all of a sudden Tom gets suspended for not following Chain of command . Hmmmm Sounds like crap to me !!
So the Person that is Rocking everyones Big Comfy Boat is finally revealled !!! Good job Tom ! Sounds like Peru better hire a real attorney to defend them .
I've known the Riordan boys,i believe there are 6, since i've worked withn their dad Joe when he was on the Peru Police.Their dad didn't give into corruption or favoritism , and tried to keep everyone on their toes and honest. I'm GLAD to see his boys following in his steps . When i found out the City of Peru was holding their paychecks this past wednesday and wasn't going to pay either Pat or Tom i called Tom and told him i'm sorry for what he's going through and told him to keep his chin up and offered to him money if he needed it to get by . He smiled and said "no thanks , i'll be okay" ! At that moment i saw Joe in Tom . Everytime i see the fire dept. anywhere , there are the Riordan Brothers . Keep up the battle and you will win through !
Sounds like a soap opera! Pay Tom and Pat like they deserve to be. Tom is trying to get problems solved. He's a good guy and the Riordan boys don't deserve to be treated this way!
When we got Bernabei from the Valley they couldn't wait for him to leave . Since when is it right for a Police Chief to tell the fire department what trucks to bring , where to stage , or even if the fire department is needed to come . That's a safety issue . the police aren't trained as fireman . I want my fire department to decide when they are needed . The fire isn't going to get put out by shooting it with a gun like on The Simpsons (haha , that's for you Tom ) . How do the Union Firefighters in Peru feel about a Police Chief dictating their response protocal ? If anything happens and the fire department isn't there , who do you think is gonna be blamed ? Not Bernabei
Sounds to me like Dirty politics . Who's driving the ship ? Bernabei ? Where is the Mayor , why doesn't he control his Chiefs ? This town appears to be losing alot of qualified Firefighters . What's the current number of firefighters now ? There was a facebook comment a few weeks ago that said Peru couldn't send guys to Mendota for a fire because noone showed up at Peru station . Who is here is we have a fire ?
Thanks to everyone who support the Riordan brothers. My father spent 30 plus years serving the city of Peru as a Police Officer. As stated above he did not give into corruption or favoritism. He would tell me stories of prominent people in town being arrested for things like shoplifting or DUIs pushed under the rug. I know this because I served on the police department with him and saw the paperwork. I heard that my paycheck was being held I contacted the mayor this morning and as of this post did not hear back from him. Under Illinois Department of Labor section about wage payment and collection act chapter 56 of the Illinois administration code section 300.830 states an employer can not hold an employees check(wages) for not turning in uniforms, pagers, etc. When I left the message I said that if this matter is not taken care of I will be calling my lawyer. Sounds like 702 pm is right, the city better get a good lawyer
Pat and Tom are the best thong that has happened to this department since the real liberty fire company. We voted abbott out of his captain spot before and he hasn't changed.
anon 8:44 Is that a serious question, how do union employees feel? Think about it! Police dispatch doesnt call the fire dept that is less work for the union workers to do. they get paid the shift whether they go or not.
Typical union workers, besides have you seen them lately? they sure aren't the fittest union firefighters. whatever happen to firefighters going to check hydrants or performing fire drills at commercial buildings. Do we really pay them 60,000.00- 70,000.00 per year to sit?
Oh I forgot!! More of Harls Unionized workers.
Anon 5:23 Rod was being Harassed by Officer Rick Abbott and a couple other officers during his run for office, they told Rod he could no longer park his truck at the station or take to calls because he had campaign lettering on it. Rod resigned from Liberty but stayed on with the city. In retaliation for Rod being the first to resign from liberty he was not allowed to do anything but report to the station for several months. that goes to show that it is Abbott and his henchmen run that department.
and yes.. it is true a Lieutenant did not like what a firefighter said to him upstairs of the department so LT. TF went over and punched him in the chest and pushed him back. this was done in front of several firefighters and the Chief did nothing about it. That firefighter resigned a few months later.
Sounds like the City of Peru & it's fire department just dug there grave. Pay the Tom & Pat there money, I have know them both for several years. They are great people, ecspecially great firemen & good citizens. What ever happened to the " Peru It's The leader of The Illinois Valley". This don't sound like leadership at all....
Anon 11:15 sounds to me like one of these desk jockeys who have never got their hands dirty. j
Just as you think union workers are no good, you are one of those people who don't like labor, until you need em! It amazes people the ignorance of the uninformed people like you, who give whitecollar people bad names! Think what you want about organized labor, I bet your one of those people who want to pay labor the lowest wage possible, so you can fatten your wallet with a big bonus at the end of the year!
Retaliation is a big thing if you don't follow the leader in Peru . We almost lost a Great firefighter when Rodney was being harassed by several members of PFD . How can someone tell him he can't drive his personal vehicle to a fire call because he has writing on it . That's just like the story above about the lady that won a lawsuit because she had something on her personal Facebook page and her boss didn't like it . Hmmm , sounds familiar like what is also going on in Peru . I support the Freedom of Speech and know Peru can't do that and hopes the person wins against Peru to show them they aren't THe All-Mighty , however can Peru afford to lose like every other employer and city that has challenged the Freedom of Speech/Facebook lawsuit ? Check the statistics Peru will lose .
We need Gary Ecclles back ! He ran a tight ship and there was no favoritism . Everyone was treated the same . Gary ran the Fire department way better than Bernabei , i mean King .
The Riordan boys did everything around there . When Tom would leave work to come to fire calls he would bring his crew and they would do all the yard work while he was on the fire call . Tom's employer allowed Tom to cut the back lot for the fire department the 5 or 6 years it was grass . That is untill Rick didnt like that the Riordan boys were getting too much praise for volunteering so much and said why doesnt the city cut it . How and why would someone push away volunteers working for free . Tom is a little OCD and likes stufff to look perfect so he didnt mind doing it . Pat and his boys came down on weekends and would trim bushes and clean up and do painting around the station . Tom did all the flowers and landscaping that has been given so much praise by the public , most of the plants were paid for by Tom . Tom would do all the CHristmas decorations with help from Pat and his boys and Toms Daughter. Not that that was abig thing for Tom cuz if you stop him on the street and look in his truck , i guarantee there will be some kind of Christmas lights somewhere in his truck (just in case of emergency he says) . Tom's funny like that . And look at it now , neither are there to take care of the stuff the bushes are overgrown , noone is weeding the flowers , and noone cares . Last week was a parade in Tonica . Where was Peru Fire ? I know for a fact if Tom wasn't on suspension Peru Fire would've been there , all shined up . Disgraceful how they treat there own only because some want honesty and fairness . Next saturday is Princeton Homestead Parade , Peru always goes ( well that is the Riordans take care of it ) i don't know if Tom will still be on suspension or not , but lets see if Peru shows up . I'll be there .
Lois funny how you post anti-labor posts, but not pro-labor posts!!!
Why doesn't Peru follow the State Law ... Fire Department Promotion Act ( 50 ILCS 742 ) for fair promotions . That way there will be no favoritism and no adding additional spots so the Chiefs neighbor gets an officers position . One Lt always shows up after the call is over and still signs in to get paid but the chief can't say anything because his dad is an alderman . And this has gone on for years . There was an opening for the Safety Officers spot last spring and it was given to someone that won't rock the boat and is due to retire soon rather than give it to a dedicated , knowledgable up and coming fireman . These promotions are all illegal and something needs to be done . When the police department promotes they test and do interviews that way its fair . These are to be done by the Police and Fire Commission . Thats what they are there for . I dont want officers on my department in their spots because of who they drink with .
How are these posts anti labor ? It sounds to me like people fighting back against unfair acts and favoritism . This isnt new in Peru . Thats why people wanted change and elected Harl . But where is Harl ?? What is he doing to fix this ? That is what we wanted , someone to fix our town , not make jokes and beliitle citizens at council meetings and then not apologize . Oh wait , a post earlier said thats how all this got started at the fire department , someone that couldn't say 2 words ... I'm Sorry .
I was a union worker that volunteer my time to remodel the fire station and also i am a Peru tax-payer . I was appaulled that the city had a Thank-you cook-out for us at Washington Park and then never invited US ! Some workers got invites the night before and refused to go on such short notice . Most of us never heard anything untill after . But i did hear it was a great time for Fire and Police personell with steaks , shrimp , and beer . Thanks a bunch ! I've lost respect for all involved in that fiasco !
ANON 1:32 If what you say about the fireman whose father is an alderman is true, the Chief absolutely can and should speak up and take control. He's in charge, not the alderman. And, if the Chief cannot handle the situation he needs to take it to his boss - the Mayor. I'm tired of hearing about favoritism, nepotism, and it depends on who you know or who you are. HONESTY, EQUALITY, FAIRNESS. Those are the words I was hoping to hear and see put in use when we got a new administration. Appears I was wrong.
well its good to hear that the name Riordan is still known in Peru by some decent people.The bad thing is that it sounds like corruption and under the table dealings are still the only way the city of Peru can operate.Besides the alderman and the mayor, the Peru Fire Department is just as corrupt and crooked as the rest,check your other local fire departments and compare them.maybe Peru should take a step back and clean house and start from scratch.after reading these posts i really don't see how anyone would want to or choose to work for such a disgruntled and unhappy department.your suppose to be able to rely on your fellow firefighter in a fire to have your back if something should happen,sounds like it might be a little touchy subject unless you pucker up for the so called fire chief.remember when it was a simpler time and the fire and police were together in the same building and the police dept drove the fire truck to the scene?maybe the city of Peru needs to step back to a simpler time to re organize.on a side note:when is the police dept gonna get a new building?fire,ambulance<and the new city hall which was built to small.stop spending money on the fire dept and give the police dept something.thanks to everyone for the support for the Riordan's.the Riordan's will never support corruption or favoritism,it's the way we were raised by a great teacher.
it's just the typical city of Peru,you have one response from the so called fire chief and it offered nothing but garble.no solution to the problem or that he will try and resolve it in a timely manner.it just states i got 22 ff to keep happy you try doing that job.ever tried keep 37 people happy at one time and still getting the job done without the high school drama you created.here is an idea fire the chief and officers and remove the mayor from office cause its all dead weight.
To the person that has this Blog: Thank you!!
This gives people an opportunity to speak out without being reprimanded by anyone.
It is obvious that there are some serious issues going on at the PFD I'm a FF in a surrounding town and know mostly every FF on Peru. I'm a full time FF myself and am very disappointed with what I am seeing on this Blog. This is the first time on here and was linked over from FF Riordans facebook page.
I have worked with many of these Peru Fire Fighters and start seeing about 2 years ago that a ship was starting to sink.I Really started to see it more when a very professional officer Doug Thurman resigned after 15- 20 years on the department. I knew Doug was not ready to leave and could see the pain he had even before he did. As I read the above comments about how certain officers like Rick Abbott has treated others it became clear to me that He has been given to much power. From my understanding Abbott was voted out during an annual election by the majority of the FF because of Abbotts Bully and manipulating tactics. Rick was voted out and Thurman was voted in, after that all hell broke loose and from my understanding Abbott and others were out to get him, then 6 months later I heard Thurman was leaving the department due to the back stabbing and lack of leadership.
Shortly after Thurman retired the Chief placed Abbott back in that position. I thought things were a bit scandalous but being I'm not from Peru I minded my own.
I like and respect Chief King but from what I have heard and seen over the past couple of years over there I truly see a Leadership Issue and If this was my city the Mayor would have stepped in by now, especially if the poster above had sent a letter in as stated.
An above post also stated that the assistant Chief does not have the proper qualifications, I would imagine that Chief Duncan has at least the FF2 State certification and that is all one would really need to be an officer.
I'm sure he has this certification right? I feel someone should verify this to clear that comment.
I am a spouse of an ex peru fire fighter and well aware of the garage party meeting that at the time firefighter King had in his garage to plan the takeover of the department Chief Gary Eccles. At that time certain fire fighters and officers wanted a change because they thought that Jeff King would bring more freedom into the department. I guess they got their freedom but at what expense I guess the grass isn't greener on the other side.
There was a lot more respect when Gary was the chief. Over the last couple years you see the same few fire fighters doing anything, like Tom.
I also didn't agree that chief King created a new officer position without posting it or offering it to any other fire fighter and giving it to his roommate which at the time was only making one out of every ten fire calls.
Change can be good but not usually when it's decided with alcohol and friends involved.
WWGD [What Would Gary Do]
City of Peru......
Peru Fire Dept.....
What to say, what to say?
Riordan boy are who are the ones who are at every sing event the can make it to! Even if it means missing christmas dinner I see them at firecalls! The riordans are verry well respected in my mind!
Tom Riordan ... where are you ?? Oh ya , i know Tom , and i am glad this happened to him . Only because of the fact i know he can't be pushed around and will never give up . Tom is like a sleeping tiger , he is the most loyal and dedicated employee or friend anyone would want , that is untill you try to screw him over , then you wish you were anywhere else . This isn't the first time someone didn't know him too well and tried screwing him over . That was a corporation bigger than Peru Il. . Alot of people lost out on that deal . And the great thing about him is its not about the money either , its the principle ! I don't live in Peru , but am glad to see that the leader of the valley is gonna get put in its place for once . And i know that alot of people are gonna be watching to see what happens . And where is Tom , he's probly sitting comfy at home testing christmas light bulbs or planning his holiday light show at his house . We all support you Tom ! p.s. thanks for the link from facebook , this is a hard site to find .
i am the wife of a current Peru fireman and would be shot if he found out i was writing this . These things are happening in Peru and aren't right . Im sorry this is happening to Pat and Tom but something needs to be done . That place causes way too much stress on all of them because of the favoritism . None of us wives want to go to any functions because we are scared that a incident will occur and we will have to pick sides . Doug Thurman retired because of the crap he was going through because of a few guys trying to run the show and getting pushed around . The most ignorrant thing that i've seen lately was at Pat's retirement Party , the chief never came , and Pat never got his helmet as a Thank-you . Every retiring guy up untill now got a helmet with his highest ranking positing held on the shield . That is just wromg .
It's wierd how all of this is happening now . I don't know the exact date but i do know Joe Riordan Jr. passed away shortly after 9/11 , 10 years ago . I remember everyone honoring the Riordans for their fathers service to the cities of Lasalle and his 30+ years in Peru . Not to mention his service to our country working with JFK . The funeral precession was almost 2 miles long as it carried Joe to his final resting place where he was laid to rest with a 21 gun salute . Law enforcement agencies from as far away as the Chicago suburbs attended because of the Respect that man earned . Now certain people call his son's "ungrateful firefighters" because they challenge what they know isn't right . Peru holds their paychecks to teach them a lesson . Pat doesn't recieve his honors as he retires from the fire dept. And all because they know right from wrong .
After reading through the previous posts it surprises me to find that two groups working towards the same cause are bickering back and forth to this extreme, as well as persons within the same organization doing the same.
As a Paramedic in the area I feel that these actions are a bit uncalled for...especially on a public forum. I am a Paramedic in the area and I am not partial to where I am stationed out of because I do not pride myself in the type of house I'm pulling my rig out of. Instead I pride myself in my skills and education that I received and I perform my job without questions and diligence for the patient's I take care of. But what I am partial to is the fact that I will have competent co-workers with me on a scene who are willing to work together without discord.
In reading this forum I am embarrassed and appalled that individuals who are supposed to be respected in and around the community, and who call themselves professionals, are acting as such. Airing out the dirty laundry of your department is not a big image booster. Other departments who are bashing somebody else's department is uncalled for. You do not know what goes on in house at another station if you are not an employee, and until you are one, or show up at the door asking questions, you should keep your opinions and comments to yourself. You are not only falsely ruining the reputation of the department you are speaking harshly of, but you are making a fool of yourself.
What has started here is reflecting who we are to the public, and it is ruining our image, and some day it will come between us in an emergency. I ask that people in the public who are reading this forum take what they are reading with a grain of salt. If you have questions I ask that you find the truths and not follow the rumors and bickering here. The public needs to educate themselves in our profession, and the individuals who are displaying the negative conduct on here need to help educate the public without false pretense.
Finally, I believe that when you have an opinion or comment to a forum, you should sign your name instead of hiding behind anonymous. My name is Natalie and I am the Paramedic who will be working right alongside of you as an equal.
Natalie because much of this discussion relates to services that are being paid for by taxpayers, I do believe they have a right to know what may or may not be taking place within any department within the cities venue or when it is a service employed within the city that involves its residents.
The ship has sunk fire Jeff King and get someone who knows how to lead. Maybe hire Lois she seems to know a lot. :)
Sounds to me like the PFD could use some Leadership. Perhaps the Mayor needs to advertise outside of the department for a new Chief.
Whenever there is this much chaos in a department or low Moral like in this one It all starts and ends with the leadership.
In this case it would be the Chief and Officers that should all go.
The Mayor should advertise for a new Chief and that Chief should have a full time position with officers that are pure professionals and not beer drinking buddies with the Chief, Because what you now have is exactly that.
The City of Peru should be ashamed and Embarrassed.
Anonymous 8:13 I have been a Peru resident way before that beer drinking chief with poor leadership skills was hired. I have to agree with you a outside hire would be best for the residents of Peru. If the Mayor of our town has any leadership skills himself this will be done.
Lois,
I understand, and agree, that the taxpayers of Peru should be privy to information about services they are supporting; however, I do not agree that they should be privy to interpersonal politics inside of a city service they are paying for. For example, the tax payers should know how their money is being utilized (which they have the access to if they ask the right individuals), but they should not be privy to the animosity displayed here.
I did not comment in order to drive the citizens away from this blog. In fact I feel that this blog is a great way to get information out to the citizens.
One thing I would like to question, which goes back to my previous thoughts, is the idea that this forum is based off of factual information for the public. And I quote right off the main page of the blog-
"In this blog, we are dedicated to serving the community of Peru by providing the most accurate insight and information available regarding the actions and decisions of our elected officials, city employees, contractors and consultants. We will research, document and present reports and opinions on all aspects of city business. If and when necessary, we will agitate for answers and accountability from our city leaders."
I would like to point out that the blog home page makes any reader understand that the information posted here is accurate and if it not deemed as such, research will be performed to bring the citizen's accurate information. I feel that this particular blog forum is not upholding these ideas as answers/comments have not been accounted for from the city leaders, individuals involved, or individuals spoken of in any manner.
I would also like to point out a line from the top of the forum, and I quote-
"You are welcome to agree or disagree but please do it in a manner that is respectful to those who are reading this blog and contributing their ideas or searching for answers."
Many of the posts on this forum have been rude, disrespectful and downright degrading to many. I understand that you, the writer, may be hurt and or upset, but how would you feel if someone tore you apart in such a way? This statement also implies that citizens will be searching for answers. After reading through this forum, I can find no answers-only angry individuals who took a simple ideology and turned it into a crusade.
As I stated in my previous post, take what you are reading with a grain of salt and I ask that the public does their own research to understand the truth and not be influenced by the writing of others who are upset.
I am not discouraging anyone from gaining information about their city through sites such as this, but I do encourage the citizens to do their own research by personally going to their city officials and service workers.
We definitely need somebody to take control of the wheel and turn this town around. We don't seem to have accountability or leadership. I think we absolutely, positively need a city manager and a city engineer on our payroll. I agree with you ANON 9:15 that we to hire from outside on many levels of our government.
12:31AM
The statement you are referring to applies to Steve and I and information we present to the public. The information posted by others cannot be verified by us and largely is a matter of opinion and that is what a blog usually is...people giving opinions. Sometimes they know what they are talking about and have resources that are credible but at times it is strictly perception. Sometimes I personally venture into expressing my opinions also.
As far as the interpersonal problems within the city, that was not something I planned on but after it started I realized that the opinions mostly were those of individuals who had no other place to express them and no one within the city who would listen. At that point I realized that the conversation needed to be allowed and it needed to be read by the public. Not something any of us would think was taking place but it is not good to suppress the problems either. Kind of a double edged sword, isn't it?
Please be aware that not everything sent in is posted because it is either name calling only, vulgar or pointless to the topic. I do have limits and at times people get angry when I don't post what they have written. So I ask that people reread their comments, so I hope you do understand the reason the blog exists and that it is usually not a channel of current news. I may post city meetings etc and you are also welcome to add anything like that in your postings. If you read the N.T. blog you will find that pettiness is written there also along side of some great comments just like here on the Peru Town Forum.
That a problem is existing in the Peru Fire Dept. was a unpleasant surprise. In defene of the Mayor I question whether the Chief of the PFD is a position which he appoints or if it is a elected position of fellow firemen.
Also in fairness to Mayor Harl I would like to venture into history to when he first came into office and had made a choice of two individuals from outside of town - one for city engineer and the other for SPW. He presented his plans of introducing these two individuals at the next council meeting at the meeting which was being conducted. Upon hearing this the Peru City Council reacted as if someone turned a skunk loose in the room. The Mayor showed his possession of strong leadership skills in this instance but the council in its attempt to stop any progress the Mayor attempted showed their short sightedness which has only achieved to put the city in the position it is in today. I do not always agree with Mayor Harl in his decisions but I don't agree with everyone all the time. One thing I will say for Mayor Harl, no matter if I agree with him or not, he does have leadership skills, presents programs whether they are popular, unpopular or controversial and is working for a better Peru. Because someone is MAYOR does not make them automatically aware of or empowered to control and enforce all situations.
All of a sudden many want the Mayor to make new appointments and criticize his leadership ability. Where were these individuals when he attempted to make appointments?
If anyone truthfully knows please comment to the blog with the following information:
What appointments can the Mayor make on his own and only with his own OK?
What appointments can he make that need a approval vote of the city council to be approved?
What city government positions does he not have the power to make?
What positions does he have the authority to dismiss and which positions he need the approval of the city council - for example the consulting engineer, the city attorney, SPW, the Police Chief, the water treatment service?
Who has the power to discipline or dismiss the Peru Recreation Director and/or the Library Director?
Who has the responsibility of dismissing the Volunteer Ambulance Director, Airport Director, Insurance Consultant, and the Building Inspector? What OK's would it take to replace these positions?
Is the problem with the fire department created or enhanced by the fact that one of the present city officials would like a position created in the City of Peru titled Director of Public Safety in which he would be over both the Police Chief and the Fire Chief and they would answer to this official and he would be the Uno Nuno in the Chain of Command for both departments? Picture if you got on the wrong side of the city employee with that vast amount of power. This would not only be a new position but probably the highest paid position in the city. Remember where there is smoke there is fire (no pun intended)!
Lois,
Firstly, I want to say that I do appreciate the existence of this blog as a place for people to share their OPINIONS on any and all aspects of the city. However, if this is a place for OPINIONS to be shared, it should be made known to the public.
As Natalie said, your forum claims to be based on fact and says that statements are researched to present the most factual information possible. In your most recent response to her, you further stated that this only applies to those things that you and Steve post. This is misleading to the general public, whether intentional or not. You need to make it clear that these are OPINIONS and, more importantly, not ALL opinions or sides are represented.
It may sound juvenile and may be considered common sense by many, but the fact is if you are going to be allowing people to post opinions, you need to let it be known that they are OPINIONS and not all of them can be researched for accuracy. They do this for actor's commentary on movies, it is nothing more than a simple disclaimer on your page. If it's not posted, people assume that everything here is true and you research every single posting for factual accuracy. Many of the later postings here reflect that people ARE taking all of this as fact and not opinion. If it's not true, we all know that it isn't, you need to say so, plainly, on your front page.
Secondly,
As Natalie pointed out, the forum rules call for respectful postings. While I appreciate the fact that you have not posted many submissions on both sides that resulted to nothing but petty name-calling or had nothing to do with the topic, you have allowed a large portion of name calling and off-topic posts to be posted. As Jim Schrepfer said on September 1st, this entire blog has gotten WAY off topic. The topic is supposedly about whether or not Peru would benefit from providing a fire-based EMS service. That's it. If you are concerned about allowing others to share their OPINIONS on the behind the scenes goings-on of the department, then I question if a public forum is the place to do so.
As this blog has demonstrated, only a very skewed, one-sided version of the situation is being presented by one or two people to the entire city. This is not a discussion, this is an accusation and an example of media manipulation at its worst. There are plenty of places for these kinds of comments and attacks- including but not limited to Facebook, as an earlier poster recommended. If you want to promote discussion, only one side is being presented, and you pride yourself on presenting fair, accurate arguments... then why is this STILL going on? Do not allow yourself to be taken off track in this blog. Those that come here looking for information about the topic find a small handful that actually pertain to the topic.
As far as respectful postings, you claim to be against name calling, but a large portion of the postings on here contain name calling. If I were a teacher and said "No Name Calling," and then allowed a student to call another student names as long as they said something that pertained to the topic, what is the point of the rule in the first place? NO name calling is NO name calling. Rude, disparaging comments made to or about specific people should ALL be removed. If you want to have an adult conversation, lets grow up.
To everyone
I reiterate what many people have said but is being missed by a lot of people. If you want to know what is going on, ASK somebody, face to face. And any reasonable person would know to ask more than one person. If a reporter only asked one person what was going on, they would never find out the truth of the matter. Stop assuming that we are getting all of the facts be reading the posts of 2 or 3 people.
On a more personal note, I don't think Officer Riordan would be very proud of the bickering, name calling and finger pointing this blog has displayed. I knew him to be a respectful man that worked to solve a problem by finding out all of the facts. He was a true professional and never would have resorted to the sort of childish behavior displayed here.
Let's get back to what this post is supposed to be about. Would Peru be best served by a joint Fire and EMS organization? An anonymous poster said that this blog was difficult to find. It's not that its difficult to find, it's that it has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the topic.
That rumor has been around Peru for about 2 or 3 years that Bernabei wants to be in charge of both Fire and police . Well its been around our neighboring towns too that that is his ultimate goal to be in charge of both . then he will have a chief in each department that would report to him . Sounds like someone is on a power trip and thinks he needs more power and more ability to do Nothing all day . Listen to LINNCOM.COM , it picks up all radio traffic and will play it on your computer speakers . Bernabei doesnt do anything now , he calls other officers to write tickets and even to drive by somewhere he is at to talk to someone about grass in the street . Is our police chief too good to write tickets or talk to the public and enforce the laws . The citizens of Peru don't need another supervisory position in our town paying someone top pay to do less than what they do now . It's obvious he can't even enforce simple laws like parking complaints like stated in this blog earlier . Or maybe its not a matter of enforcing them but "who he knows , and what they or he can get away with". The notion of having one person in charge of Police and Fire is ridiculous . And the taxpayers won't pay for it . Sorry Bernie , why don't you go back to Florida , or wait , you can't .
Obviously, no body wants to air their dirty laundry in public on a blog. But when things get so bad and frustrating because they can't use the proper channels to get help, they turn to any means possible to get people to hear their problems. I sure hope that the mayor and those in charge are paying close attention. Sounds like some major cleaning up needs to be done. And soon. I want the best of the best providing public service. Not sure I have that anymore based on what I am reading. And yes, I do believe there is quite a bit of truth to what I am reading. Very, very sad day folks. Why do we always seem to get the leftovers?
The Mayor is in charge of the City. Defense that!
Read the ordinance. The Mayor has the ultimate authority to appoint positions. And he has the authority to dismiss any position. Including city council decisions its called a veto. To say that these alderman have any power over any personnel is not valid.
There is another closed session listed on tomorrow's meeting agenda. If I'm interpreting it correctly it could be to discuss the situation in our fire department. I'd be curious to know how you would handle this situation if you don't know the facts. Would both sides be allowed to present their complaints and their side of the incident? Surely the aldermen do not have all the facts so how could they vote or make a decision on something like this? I would think it would be between the department heads and the mayor and maybe the city attorney.
ANON 11:12 What did you mean when you stated that Bernie couldn't go back to Florida?
ANON 11:12 We can't afford to add anyone to our payroll let alone top paying positions. I surely hope our Mayor would not allow a change like this to take place now after he promoted a sales tax increase to pay for roads. Also, what did you mean when you said Bernie can't go back to Florida?
Anon 9:16 With the co-operation of the city council the Mayor is in charge of the city, without it you have a environment of a tug of war. Peru government has been a example of this for Mayor Harls first two years in office.
Anon 9:16 and Anon 9:58 Do you both sincerely believe that it is basically this simple because the last two years have shown evidence that it is not. The Mayor can veto but the council can over ride his veto, as was done with the application for the swimming pool grant. Can a city council impeach a Mayor?
I am a former paid on call firefighter for Peru. Thanks for this Blog. I would like to say that I am seeing comments about writing something and being anonymous. I can tell you this and if you think about it you might just get it. First, everything I'm reading about the accusations are true, although I haven't been a member for awhile I still have some very close friends that are. If I was to post here things that I have seen and sign my name to it what do you think would happen to me? perhaps tick off my good friends, be called a snitch,or if I go back to Peru and choose to apply again later down the road that they would actually hire me back? I don't think so. I will say that I would not re apply until I knew that a couple of officers were out of there like Rick A. because it was and is basically him that runs the show there,thats why the FD is facing what they are right now. It looks like it finnaly came to a head and if the city does nothing about any of this than shame on them. The one posting commented on Leadership, the FD has some great indians but no Chief. I'm sure your Mayor or city officials could go talk to every fire fighter down there and of course they will tell them things are great, its because everyone is running around like Indians including the Chief. I must say that when I started reading these blogs I was surprised because I have always known the Rirdon Brothers to be an asset to that department. There were only like five people that ever did anything extra down there. Tom, Pat, Bill K, Rod P. and Jake U. Now if they lost Tom, Pat, and Rod I feel bad for Bill and Jake. Wake Up Peru!!!
Why would anyone post a comment using their name . Look what this Blog is teaching us , you report something illegal and its immediate retaliation . Their are certain laws that protect those people though if you can deal with it untill your helped . I believe its called the "whistle blower law" . Also one is protected by "freedom of speeech" which their opinions cannot be used against them . And also everyone is protected under the law to work in an environment free from harassment and intimidation . Anyone of these violations will bankrupt this city and probably send a few people to jail and the taxpayers will demand they lose their jobs and pensions .
4:03PM Cassandra
This is a community forum and we are looking forward to you the reader expressing your "opinions"on our comments and being a part of all our discussions. I will let Officer Riordan speak for himself.
A blog is a blog and most blogs are opinions and not news sources. They are opinions on news.
@ 10:41 ... Arnold Schwarzenegger did a movie in 1986 called "Raw Deal" he discovered wrong doing by a law enforcement agent and told him to "resign or be prosecuted " .
Don't ask me anything about Tom Riordans FB page and if you have a problem with his language or comments please contact him directly as they do not concern this city. I suggest you remove yourself from his friend list if you have suddenly found out that comments he made months ago have suddenly become repulsive to you. This comment is directed to the poster of a comment I have received, just in case he is waiting for it to appear here.
Ive read toms page . I havent sen anything Repulsive , he is a little goofy and strange but thats "his" page . It actually makes me laugh at times . I've also read the post that is the one that got him in trouble . it's a post that tells someone isn't doing their job and that in turn affectted one of his relative homes . Also he is only looking out for the public it appears to me . and once again it was on his personal page . That's freedom of speech . The ogiginal post is still on there for anyone of his friends to see . He speaks his mind when what is right is not done . If i knew how to link that post on here i would . Friend request him and you be the judge . He's protected by the Bill of Rights . The date of his post is from the middle of august if u go looking for it .
6:59 PM
I did not post the comment because I felt it was not relevant to the discussion. I also read it and thought some of the comments were funny, perhaps it was his manner of speech that bothered the person who wrote in but in that case, I don't know why they are Tom's friend. Well not really his friend anymore I would think.
Lois,
The entire point of my post was missed. It is stated multiple times that offensive, rude and off-topic comments are not being posted. Of the 92 comments on here- only 19 have to do with the topic and at least 20 of these are disrespectful and slanderous. I truthfully just stopped counting the name-calling and slander.
How is this a fair and unbiased blog if these rules that are stated are not being enforced?
By selectively following the stated rules, you are ruining the credibility and integrity of the blog.
I never said or implied to stifle Mr. Riordan or any individual's comments. All I asked was that you please follow your own rules when approving comments. No offensive or off topic posts means none at all, not the ones selectively chosen.
I repeat, again, to make it clear what I am saying. This discussion is about whether Peru would benefit from joint fire and EMS services.
19 posts are relevant. Do the math and tell me how this is a fair, unbiased discussion?
Cassandra, are you looking for a job with the City of Peru fire department? Will they pay more than PVAS? When individuals post comments about personnel people tend to take this as very personal and you create a them vs us attitude. Its not surprising that so many have made comments about this topic. Our society loves to get involved and spread gossip. As Lois stated many times that this is a form of entertainment and don't take everything to heart. Don't slam her or don't get upset if a person makes a statement about a friend,fellow worker,relative, or yourself. Its just a simple forum to express thoughts and maybe have some fun.
I don't think it's fun when you drag somebody's reputation thru the mud and try to create chaos within our fire department. Our fire department is strong, intact, and very happy with our fire chief. The comments on this blog have done Jeff King a huge injustice. Time to move on people and go after the next blog victim.
2:04 PM
I really do think that it is time for people as yourself who are associated with the Peru FD start signing your names to your posts. That is the only way you will prove to people that you really know what you are talking about. Believe me your post will have much more significance than putting that anon at the end of your post.
It's ironic Lois when you want somebody from the fire department to sign their post with their name, but yet you don't suggest that for the people who are slamming the fire department. Why is it that you believe those anon posters who trash the fire department, but those that give compliments you think should have to post their name? Wouldn't a post with a person's name slamming the fire department also have more credence?
2:04 PM Strong, intact, and very happy with the fire chief! Glad that has been straightened out. By the remarks of a high percentage of the comments I was starting to reach a different conclusion.
Cassandra, how about seeing if the PVAS website could be completed?
2:52PM
Reread my post I said for those who are associated with the fire dept. Some of what you consider pro comments were friends who may have spoke well of the Riordan family but were not necessarily bashing current members. I have not gone back through all the almost 100 posts and will not, so lets start fresh with what I said in mind.
PVAS website is being worked on. I know they were taking pictures for it. Pics of Staff and ambulances.
I made a more substantial post in Lois' new blog, but felt the need to let everyone here know that I am not a member of any of Peru's emergency services. I can't answer any questions about the fire department, police department or PVAS because I don't know any more information about them than you. I came here looking for information about the joint FD/EMS services idea and was appalled at the inappropriate posts I was reading. I am just glad to see more though-provoking, well thought out posts.
I know you are moving on, but I cannot go without saying something. I will not comment on the recent accusations of my husband/family, and I will only speak for myself. I do believe that whether Earl was right or wrong, it was unprofessional to put particular situations on a blog (incorrect at that) and that is why my husband chose to post.
Moving on...The firemen put many hours into training, public relations, fire calls, etc...Sometimes there is a lot of time spent away from family, leaving children's games, dinner, etc... Some firemen are very active at certain times and then there is a point in their family that they cannot be as active and then it swings back again, or not. Whatever their participation, I believe when they show up to your house for a fire call, CO call, accident or whatever they are called for-they do their job and they do it well. Although there seems to be some issues (which there is among most places of employment) you can feel safe knowing they will be there if they are needed. I felt like perhaps some of the comments might of sounded different. It would be great if it could be a perfect world, and no they are not perfect.
Lois said...
Thank you Erica and I believe that most people wish you and your husband and family the best of luck in your new venture in life, I know that I do.
Alright I'll say it: I miss Gary. He treated everyone the same and he worked hard everyday to make the department the best it could be. There wasn't any of this bullshit with him as chief. I still can't believe that other firemen -PEOPLE WHO WERE HIS FRIENDS- stabbed him in the back like that. That's messed up guys and you should all be ashamed. Been wanting to say that for a long time.
10:00PM
Your sincerity is written all over that blog post.
sounds like the problem in peru revolves mostly around the union guys. If a POC gets involved everyone thinks they are trying to take their job. How about coverage for the benefit for Gary? Only union guys were asked to cover the station. Im a firefighter for a nearby department, but we were passed over for coverage. Instead, ottawa, mendota and other union guys were brought in to cover. whats up with that?
Fire-based EMS does not work!! Go look around and research the various EMS delivery models and you will see it is NOT the most effective.
Hmmm....even the city of Rockford is privatizing its EMS because it will save taxpayers money. The only ones to blame for that decision is the fire department and more specifically the fire union.
Kansas City....they went fire based and now the research is showing an increase in response times, a decrease in cardiac arrest saves, and a decrease in skills percentages. They are now looking at going back to a public utility model like they had before.
Indianapolis...they merged Wishard Hospital EMS and the City EMS to form Indianapolis EMS..a third city service!! They are a true model of efficiency and service. Louisville...same thing..became a combination city/county third service.
Let's look at Quincy, IL....Adams County EMS...one of the most professional "third services" around...only EMS. Carbondale...Jackson County EMS...same thing.
The point is...I don't why Brian Foster thinks he's an expert, and just because he was in the Navy doesn't make him a safety/security exptert. Heck...he doesn't even understand what the profession of EMS is.
EMS encompasses not only emergencies, but non-emergencies. It's inustrial EMS, tactical EMS, special events, critical care transfers, dispatch, ER, etc...
Brian and all others that belittle "transfers"...tell that family whose loved one is being sent by ground to Peoria, Joliet, Chicago, or the Quad Cities for an emergency procedure that their loved ones are considered "emergencies". Sending that chest pain patient to a cath lab is indeed an EMERGENCY, and many times it goes by ground because a helicopter is not available or can't fly due to weather. Fire EMS does not take care of these emergencies, but public utility models, non-profits, and third service agencies do because they are EMS!!!
I see talk about LaSalle...funny....their Chief isn't a paramedic, never been a paramedic, and only wants EMS so he can be like his brother who's the deputy chief of a busy suburban FD. The contract company will cost the LaSalle taxpayers much more in the long run that PVAS did or ever would. The contract company is in it for the profit...and they can't be faulted for that. The point is...the LaSalle Fire Chief is nowhere near qualified to run an EMS agency as most EMS Chiefs are not qualified to run a FD.
They each have their specialties. The LaSalle Chief has done a great job building a solid FD...but stay in that lane...don't branch off into something you're not qualified to do.
I agree...PVAS has horrible management. There is no transparency,and it's been a corrupt organization. PVAS can be fixed and it can be a model for others to follow, but it won't change until the current board is replaced with citizens from the community, and the director is fired. A true non-profit ambulance service should be giving more info to the municipalities it serves and it should not hide anything. It is very common for non-profit models to get a tax subsidy from the municipalities they serve, but in return they show what they've accomplished.
I would encourage readers, or Lois, to file a FOIA request with the IL Attorney General's office on financial records for PVAS. They are to be audited yearly and those audit results turned over the IL AG office. This may help shed some light on the financial situation of PVAS.
Please...I just ask that everyone stop bashing PVAS as a whole. They have strong EMT's and Medics that I as a citizen do trust with my live. I can't blame the rank and file for the poor leadership they've been given. The staff tries, and they need to be thanked and not chastized. Stand behind them and help them get leadership.
6:53 PM
I really don't know how you break the stranglehold that is in place on the ambulance service. It was set up in such a way that no citizen has a way to influence the by laws. The one recent change came when the controlling individuals realized they would not have all the good old boys in place after the election, so the by laws were changed so that previously elected Peru individuals could take their place on the ambulance board. That allowed them to put Don Piano, former aldermen and not sure but believe former Alderman O'Beirne is still on the board. So if the Peru FD is not in a position to take over, then it would require another better managed ambulance service to come into Peru.
Lois....do you think a new, local, non-profit ambulance service could start up? I would envision a board made up of a member of the Peru city council (as they pay a subsidy), a member from Dimmick Township, a member from IVCH, and two citizens at large.
This would go along with how other non-profit EMS agencies are set up.....
anon 6:53 I agree. Lois could you file a FOIA request that is what this blog is about finding the truth. File and post info thank you and good night
9:30 PM
The information is available on line in the Illinois Atty Generals office. Brian Foster had posted directions on how to get there and perhaps he will do so again or I can try and figure it out. From what I read there was nothing in it that would bring up any red flags. I'm sure it was filed by their Accountant.
And their accountant was caught falsifying their audit records to the state...look at the permanent reprimand on the IDFPR website...
Information found on:
RORIE J SCHWEICKERT, 65010899, Peru, IL
Action Discipline
Start Date Discipline
End Date Reason For Action
Reprimand 10/05/2005 Failed to maintain the necessary level of independence in conducting audits for a non-profit organization.
Any comments using the F word will not be published.
Abbot Abbot Abbot Abbot Abbot Abbot!!! GET A LIFE! people hate you!!!
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