Pinehurst Volunteer Fire Department resigns after feud with city administration

[@DomManInT1]

City did not want to pay for "extra" service. Wait until they see the price tag for "normal" service from one of the neighboring cities.

[@johnfinner9187]

wait till the citizens see the homeowners insurance go up. A BIG factor is your location to nearest FD/EMS

[@Dawgsofwinter]

Wait till they see the bill to re-start what was turned off. It is often much more expensive to re-start a program, gear, service, ect, than it is to spend the money to keep it going or to spend just a little more to keep it working properly. Any new team they try to bring in would have to be completely re-certified and would have to rebuild any paperwork that that fire department had going. Even if that crew steps right back in a single day gone could mean weeks and cost tens of thousands more to undo them just being gone.

[@heyrod59]

@DomManin71 you sir are correct !

[@heyrod59]

@@Dawgsofwinter I was in ambulance service for 7 years after someone else ran it to the point of no return (the village hired out private ambulance services during the day) so we started with next to nothing but it got better as time went on. Volunteers are hard to come by nowadays so hard......

[@cricketcricket9749]

If I lived there and had to wait longer for out of town help, I'd sue the crap out of them!

[@sillieww]

For the fire department volunteers to quit doing something for free, it has to be a bad administration.

[@Rat-Builder]

I have dealt with small town elected officials before, it is a course in insanity. It is their way, or the hiway. The only way to git rid of these leaches in control is through money. If the fire insurance premiums go through the roof, then and ONLY then will they be kicked to the curb. The town that I am talking about was in Washington state. Need I say more?

[@mdpo6419]

Facts

[@janephillips3627]

Where I live the ALL Volunteer Fire Dept's pay $10. per hour. They Don't do this for the money, They have other jobs. Small town/country though.

[@Rat-Builder]

@@janephillips3627 Plus, they are proud of what they do.

[@janephillips3627]

@@Rat-Builder Yes, and we are Very Proud of them.

[@jamest1148]

If the city's administration had one of their homes catch fire, I'd do my civic duty and notify the neighboring city's fire department..........by mail.

[@normalcarrot6361]

I’d personally volunteer to put it out, one bucket at a time.

[@70sstreetracergal61]

AMEN!!!

[@ironroad5549]

That's great lol

[@tonyb4350]

and with insufficient postage

[@peterwright4647]

Carrier pigeon maybe?

[@keithc6370]

Sounds like the "city officials" need to be fired....immediately.

[@donraptor6156]

Why? Volunteers are a scourage of Professionalism!

[@keithc6370]

@@donraptor6156 Huh?

[@jayabsher4498]

Don Raptor What?

[@IrishAnnie]

Fired? They need to be FORCED out of office with petitions, protesting in front of their homes, whatever it takes.

[@_purge9488]

@@donraptor6156 volunteers don’t mean unqualified, you’re a moron

[@gateway8833]

I’m a retired Fire Chief, now I’m the Planning Department Chairman for my City. For a City to do this is Criminal.

[@ninabriesch4184]

Thank you for all what you and your coworkers have done. I'm not from the States but got lots of respect to First Responsers, never mind if they do it for free or they get paid... You all should get all you need to do the job. Calling Breathing problem, Chest pain and assault not fit to need response... Wait untill one of them gets some Chest pain or his sugar lvl drops.... "yes sir, we understand but you need to wait for the responsers from the next city.... try not to die .. "

[@pauldavis9387]

I bet if the city administrators had a heart attack or one of the other problems on the list, they would expect someone to show up as fast as humanly possible.

[@jtc1947]

@ Paul Absolutely correct!

[@robertgentry9436]

Of course they would...the Hypocrites.

[@TechGently]

Or tell people no large gatherings when you’re the Governor but hold large parties on your own. He got caught.

[@Renville80]

Like in Minneapolis or Portland.

[@glenturney4750]

I'd go to the other side of town, then say, "OOPS? What was that address again?" 😁

[@DavidThomas-ke7ih]

if all these politicians stopped giving them selves pay rises then emergency services would have the money needed. It is like this all around the world

[@rockstarofredondo]

Yes. And they get pension for life even if they only are seated one term. That needs to end.

[@Bobmcjoepants]

1:10 so... What's considered necessary? Nuclear warfare?

[@HEAVENLYSONGBIRD777]

Humm! Like Cuomo, gave himself a raise during a pandemic!! While NY citizens have lost income and ability to support their families... what kind of heart feeds himself while others are hungry? Sad state of things in the USA!

[@PointnShootMovies]

Politicians salaries aren’t that high to be blunt with you

[@HEAVENLYSONGBIRD777]

@ Reese Herrmann, Agreeed for the ones that work but for those the are con artist...They still need a reduction in salary and benefits and a cutting off of undercover backdoor money deals!!! What have criminals done lately to earn their paychecks?

[@MrSaemichlaus]

When emergency personnel quit just like that, you know something is pissing them off. They are there to help but they don't get the support they need.

[@johnfinner9187]

Espically volunteers

[@jessicamgallion8977]

Amen

[@chrisschaefer3863]

This isn't even their JOB.. these are volunteers!

[@johnfinner9187]

@@chrisschaefer3863 not sure the implication here. Im a vfd and I can tell you if we faced that kind of bs we would be on the news too. Restricting emergency services is nothing to joke about. Even a simple help ive fallen call is handled by 1st on scene whether Leo ems or fd ...why put peoples lives at risk like that. PINEHURST should be ashamed they pushed good citizens to this point

[@septegram]

@@johnfinner9187 I think the implication is that these people aren't upset about pay, because they're not getting paid. They're upset on principle because they're being told not to do their jobs. No, not their jobs; their *calling.*

[@sheldonmurray7019]

The insurance companies should revoke the city’s policies until they have a fire department

[@lestermount3287]

the insurance companies will not revoke their policies but it is going to be very expensive in the future.

[@valkyriefrost5301]

My first question is: When this is how the city treats its volunteer FFs, what does their Police budget look like?

[@rosekay5031]

Damn straight, should be the first question asked

[@colliecandle]

Police are way overpaid and overprivelliged - plus they are exempt from culpable liability

[@Po1itica11yNcorrect]

@@colliecandle Where are police overpaid?

[@scottbc31h22]

@@colliecandle ops are NOT overpaid. They are underpaid, and that's where the problem starts. Pay a better wage, attract a better class of employees. BUT I will agree that they are WAY, and I mean WAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY over privileged. And it also starts with TRAINING, of which nobody wants to pay for.

[@JackHGUK]

@@scottbc31h22 just like how a better wage for politicians makes them better? Ahahah.

[@pipersmitty87]

It’s the same everywhere. Administration has no clue how to run a city

[@patrickhenry948]

...........the people have control ultimately. They can fire these administrators and replace them with people who are responsive to the needs of the community. People have to start paying more attention to their government as well as who they put into office, ....apathy leads to ignorance and tyranny. Know who you are voting for..........and if you screw up, remedy the situation with a recall. Stop electing idiots and tyrants.

[@SeventhCereal]

Haha, they know exactly what they are doing.

[@adrionbaker3074]

Over paid and under worked. They are a f'n joke everywhere.

[@adrionbaker3074]

The Admin...not the Fire Dept. TRUMP 2020!!!

[@adrionbaker3074]

I have a tremendous amount of respect for firefighters and EMS workers. Great people.

[@bigt4636]

All of America needs to stand up like this, God bless everyone of them!

[@tanmay_6363]

Trump2020 T

[@briansaben5697]

@@tanmay_6363 The election was nearly a month ago. Your boy lost. 😂

[@tanmay_6363]

@@briansaben5697 but he will still win

[@briansaben5697]

@@tanmay_6363 Nope. The American people have spoken and Biden is our next President. Deal with it.

[@jeffsolomon425]

easy to walk away from a non paying job.

[@RIFFRAFF104]

I'm a paramedic. I am always thankful when volunteer fire departments assist on calls. This is shameful.

[@airplane312]

Thank you for your service as EMT, it hard to get a advance CPR for me and couple other people I know, even some my local EMT complain about it. I know their 2 class of CPR. They are normal level and advance ones.

[@chuckwilson6281]

As a EMT I support my fellow brothers and sisters. Good luck and be safe out there!

[@andrewmellen8092]

Only 2 of them are EMT’s the rest have nothing or EMR

[@tonyv8925]

Retired fire fighter here, 29 years of service to my community. We fought a movement in our municipality to merge with a local city, until residents discovered that response times would increase to around 20 minutes, minimum. Needless to say, we won the challenge, but it was a hard fought battle. A recall is in order when your local government puts money over life in your community. Stay firm and strong, my brothers and sisters!

[@Grayarea321]

Guess the city can see how much it would cost to hire full timers....that $100/month is cheap....

[@harriettedaisy2233]

@Jack Stucki They don't have volunteers anymore.

[@Brian-hd4rf]

NAW ! They are not that smart. When I was hourly I was told that every sheet of paper that a business produces could cost the company $8.00! Now that I own the company that cost is more like $10.00 a sheet. Takin a crap on company time can cost the company as much as 15.00 depending upon how long it takes you. That does not include the toilet paper.

[@MrBikercat]

@@Brian-hd4rf I guess anyone that works for you would be given a bottle of imodium. 😂

[@Brian-hd4rf]

@@MrBikercat I did tell a guy to punch out before going to take a shi... because it took him so long. Maybe I should put on the company job application! Can you take a shi.... in less than 10 minutes?

[@davidweston6653]

Was a paramedic for 18 years. Two guys in an ambulance can not adequately handle a serious ems call. You need all the help you can get. This is 2020

[@KENNETHCARNIE]

Beg to differ. 12 years in ems/fire and s.o. It's deffinatly a place of suck.. But 2 men in a truck, moving a pt. Is better than the patient not getting anywhere closer to definitive care. I agree that it's ideal to have multiple hands, but you do what you can with what you got. And 2 men & a truck moving see is better than nothing.

[@davidweston6653]

@@KENNETHCARNIE On your “beg to differ” - If you have or can change the system to have help at scene and during transport then that’s optimal for your patient. If the system your familiar with only has two people to transport then it’s better than nothing. On my first call was all by myself with two critically burned patients in the back of that ambulance. That was in 1971. That should not be the case today. I know there are areas of the country with limited resources, whether it’s personnel,equipment or just plain apathy. I hope that changes for the patients sake. Again, it’s 2020

[@Bryan-Hensley]

@@davidweston6653 there's not much you can do for a burn patient. I could handle 2 patients at the same time. I worked for EMS for over a decade.

[@davidweston6653]

@@Bryan-Hensley Your my hero

[@Bryan-Hensley]

@@davidweston6653 I had to do it quite often. We'd have wrecks with 15 injured with only one ambulance available sometimes. Well that was the worst one I've been on. All 15 patients were unconscious or just barely responsive. I was treating 2 patients at the same time, my partner had two, and I was having to respond to the helicopters coming plus 911 dispatch. And the volunteer fire departments and rescue squad coming.

[@lightning9279]

When we disengage from checking who we put in office, even at the local level, we end up paying the price eventually.

[@rockstarofredondo]

Cīty govs shouId be dīsbanded. They are useIess and a money sīnk.

[@armadillotoe]

Crap floats to the top.

[@TgWags69]

The problem always has been that "normal," intelligent, capable, social IQ capable people who we would like to be our local officials are too busy being successful in real life and too smart to step into such a quagmire. This leaves only the Narcissistic Psychopaths who are drawn to power like a moths to a flame to fill the position. They generally are not capable of understanding human needs and only act to preserve their selfish agendas. They will fail to see that they did ANYTHING wrong and will blame it on the emergency responders not being Team Players or some other such lable

[@Heart2HeartBooks]

People will die , unnecessarily.

[@lightning9279]

@@TgWags69 Wow, you nailed it.

[@SJ-oq1rb]

As a former volunteer Firefighter I stand with you my brothers and sisters people are far more important then money ❤️

[@allantinker6838]

This is one of those moments where you don't wish harm on someone, but also you kinda hope one of those city officials has one of those "non important" issues..

[@joewoodchuck3824]

Something is horrifically wrong to play games with volunteers who basically cost nothing.

[@badbatch974]

Volunteer does not mean free. But it goes to show where the city’s priorities lay. I’m pretty sure the licensing and permitting offices are still open. Because we all know they need to make sure you pay them to build anything on your own property.

[@christopherpuylara6355]

Nah....just 36 hour calls...firefighter classes sometimes 3 nights a week for 3 months, fight a nasty car fire and tell me it don't taste like shit. Sit in the backseat of a T-BONED 2 door trying to C-Spine a screaming teenager with gas leaking all over. By the way, I lived on the coast of North Carolina for 20 years and saw many a Hurricane/Tropical Storm (fought the Cherry Point General's building fire(35 alarms...18 hr call) during a Tropical storm. Ya....."basically cost nothing ".....by the way, all 10 years for free....

[@joewoodchuck3824]

@@badbatch974 Yup. That's what a building permit is for. Basically to ask them to send a tax bill. I pretty much ignore the building department. I don't let assessors in either. Yes, you can do that.

[@paladro]

@@joewoodchuck3824 do you carry insurance for your property?

[@joewoodchuck3824]

@@paladro Of course.

[@janettermach6189]

I don't blame these great people. Enough is enough. GOD BLESS

[@MrShwaggins]

It's like you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them...

[@scarling9367]

Not responding to choking or assaults...what's the point of first responders?

[@awdeveau]

Let's just hope it's one of the city's officials that needs the help first.

[@destree6348]

And you know it was a non-medical carpet walker that made that list. Disgusting

[@egomaniac247]

What they're saying is that the fire dept shouldn't respond, leaving it to EMS/Ambulance. Which is ridiculously stupid.

[@3Authoress]

@@egomaniac247 In many areas, the volunteer fire departments ARE the EMS and Ambulance services. This isn't always true, but I've found it does tend to be a rule of thumb. Whenever my family calls 911 for emergency medical help, they send the fire department which comes with a fire engine and an ambulance. The firefighters are also often EMS trained. So this city is basically no one should respond to those calls, at all. No one. Unacceptable.

[@davidbennett6190]

Assaults are for police Choking is for ambulance I don’t see fire in any of the above. The fire department doesn’t need to go on every single call the city has.

[@johncook9431]

Just wait till that area undergoes a inspection for the insurance ratting and property value tanks. And insurance rates increase

[@rupe53]

John Cook ... there is a rating system for fire department coverage (by the Insurance Service Office called ISO) and it might very well be they are already in the lowest bracket so no change for insurance costs.

[@Teekoness]

This is horrific. Those "unnecessary" calls make up the bulk of medical emergencies that I've dealt with a first aid attendant.

[@davidpippin3460]

When volunteer firefighters quit it speaks volumes about the incompetence of the city admins.

[@harrymills2770]

I grew up in a small town. Our VFD was a huge part of the community.

[@bornhunter2885]

Amen

[@MrSlim1959]

That money has to come from somewhere to pay for the new cars for the city council members.

[@johngalt2506]

Dont forget about the comfy chairs they plant their asses in all day.

[@m118lr]

‘Principles’ matter...NOT JUST “Rules”. Blessings on each of them for standing up for what’s right.

[@andrewmellen8092]

Only 2 of them are trained for medical calls that’s why they’re told to not respond

[@dobermanpac1064]

When the mayor or councilmen’s house burns or family member dies it will all be different and a major crisis.I’m for the fire fighters.

[@erikmoller2802]

18 years as a Volly, EMT Drive , pump operator, diver, and so much more, I stand behind you guys!!!!

[@phillhuddleston9445]

If the budget is that problematic why doesn't the city administrators work on a volunteer basis like these firefighters have done to save the city some money, these volunteer firefighters are putting their lives at risk at all hours of the day and night for zero pay, what have the city administrators done for the city!

[@rjmara]

Not a damn thing!

[@deafmusician2]

In very small towns, they ARE volunteer

[@rjmara]

@@deafmusician2 every town in our county is a volunteer department,10 stations,not one paid fireman

[@la_old_salt2241]

They killed the fire department is what they did for the community.

[@northernliving2387]

The residents should file a lawsuit against the city. Your paying for fire protection and they are collecting taxes to provide services.

[@CharmsDad]

Unfortunately they’re protected from this type of lawsuit (and most others).

[@milleb17020]

Can you think of a better way to raise taxes on your citizens? Without literally telling you we're going to raise your taxes? 🤔💪 You get what you vote. Vote 💩 get 💩 on.

[@sqike001ton]

Yes 2 things firstly they have protection for this secondly this is probably a helper volunteer company the city probably had a small paid fire Dept that they will say covers everything (which it probably does just the difference of a responder in 30ish minutes or hours) and lastly if you sue your city your pay both sides the city is going to use tax funds to fight it it's not like it's there personal cash

[@The_JEB]

@@CharmsDad if they are protected then they should all go down and light city hall on fire, and if they try to escape, throw them back in.

[@MarcStLouis-cr7yk]

I stand behind & with the chiefs decision. Good for him having the b_lls to stand up for his people. I was an EMT & resigned for similar situation. These people will abuse you if you don’t stand up to them.

[@andrewmellen8092]

Only 2 of them are EMT’s the rest have nothing other than a CPR card

[@littleblitz8239]

I was a volunteer in the 70's in Illinois We received $ 7 per call. Volunteer means just that, you don't have to respond. Remembert one thing, first in, last out. I support them 100 %

[@mmblue3986]

Watching this news item from Canada. 🍁 Shame on all the city officials. I hope the citizens of that city stand up for the volunteers.

[@brianwilson8119]

All it will take is for one of the city administrator's loved ones to suffer an event listed on the "do not respond" list.

[@Iwilldestroyyoo]

One can only dream.

[@scottrjmatmsncom]

Better yet the mayor's house burns down with him inside and no one comes to rescue him

[@Rat-Builder]

@@scottrjmatmsncom Now THAT would be JUSTICE!!!!

[@tejasfelix5577]

It's called greedy office official's, they'll give themselves a raise before they help anyone.. That town needs to stand up and go to city hall and have them all removed.. There is no reason for this..

[@janasimon7780]

Unfortunately...they will wait until a few people die first if they act at all. Most communities are complacent and lack a leader to make that happen. Someone who can deal with the retribution that comes when you stand against the evil.

[@13BGunBunny]

Remove them at the point of bayonet.

[@nscobar1435]

People are getting sick and tired of government overreach!

[@jimmiller5600]

people elected this government. vote better.

[@toddpod5244]

Amen

[@HonestTakeOnStupid]

Where is the overreach?

[@jimmiller5600]

@@HonestTakeOnStupid It's parrot-talk.

[@slunasaurusrex]

More like under-reach in this case...

[@luckyx16]

Having had a very personal scare in late July of last year, (I woke up barely able to breath and my chest felt like it just caught a falling log), I was never so happy to see the volunteer first responders showing up. Later in the ER, I discovered if they had not shown up when they did and took actions to remedy my situation, I probably would not have made it through the day. The next closest responders to where I live are 30 minutes away! If these guys felt compelled to resign for not getting what they wanted people all over in my community would be actively livid, and there would not be an empty town hall meeting until every thing was set right!

[@blitzkrieg3546]

Volunteers should really be paid something $$$$ . It’s a dangerous job

[@ddegn]

Most are. The average in the US is $14.45 per hour.

[@albeit1]

These people were VOLUNTEERS! You DO understand what that means, right?

[@nicholasdautel1228]

Your taxes will go up and it will take 4 years of training for every person you recruit to become a new fire fighter. Good luck, especially when 3/4 of the U.S population could never pass the physical requirements to become a Trained fire fighter.

[@The105ODST]

@@nicholasdautel1228 None of those volunteers look like they would pass the physical requirements either.

[@originalbillyspeed1]

@@The105ODST Looks can be decieving

[@iamandyrich]

So what’s going on with this? Would love an update

[@kimpulsipher647]

According to a news report I found, one guy did not quit and is now the new fire chief. What isn't said here is the original ffs signed a new contract for dispatch that cost 1100 more than the original contract. The rest is right.

[@Erik-pr2rf]

If any of those types of calls they CANT answer to ends in a death(s) the fault falls onto those city idiots who put that rule in effect which will cost them MORE money then what it will cost to keep that dept and members in service to serve their community. Pencil pusher politicians can be most biggest Jerks in the world .. money over lives ... people need to get a grip in reality . life is more important period

[@stevejh69]

Why are people NOT holding the councillors and politicians accountable! Fire them and there will be enough money!

[@markmidkiff7048]

I didn't hear it in the video. But there are 17 cities or towns in the US named Pinehurst. Where did this take place?

[@CharmsDad]

Not only are the city officials refusing to pay for needed services, they’re also expecting nearby communities to assume the cost and provide those services.

[@buckhorncortez]

The local cities won't "assume the cost." They'll bill the city for the services. We have a county hospital. It's supposed to be for our county only, and I pay a tax assessment every year to support it. However, since it is the largest local hospital, they accept indigent patients from surrounding counties with the understanding that the other counties reimburse for the cost.

[@davidcox3076]

That's not an unusual situation, for one city to contract with another for emergency services. However, it usually takes a while for a deal to be negotiated and a contract to be approved by both jurisdictions. And the costs will probably be much higher than maintaining the existing volunteer department.

[@aholegunner]

Good for those Volunteer Firefighters! I support them.

[@esquire9445]

Volunteers quit... as in free labor quits because the city wants them to do less, haha dumb admins.

[@rajdeepsingh8368]

They actually do get paid

[@amandabilger2235]

@@rajdeepsingh8368 Volunteers do not get paid.

[@jonkreiser7757]

@@amandabilger2235 A lot of departments similar to the Department I was on. Have what they call Paid on Call, so your training and practice is all Volunteer but if you have a call you are paid per call as well as paid per hour worked. The reason for that was that allot of us were working other jobs and you don't get paid when you leave for a fire call. So its just a kind gesture to help cover time lost at work and makes it more likely for more fire fighters to show up.

[@mihaiinhd6801]

It's the same in Switzerland. We get paid less per hour when we have training, but when there is a call, we get paid a decent sum per hour because most calls happen during working hours and i have to leave from work. And trust me, it's a good incentive to get some money when you have to get up at 2am, in winter, and work/get wet for 3 hours. Oh yeah, and at 7am you have to get to your normal job so....that's a good nights sleep😅

[@JDSWeather]

@@amandabilger2235 actually Volunteer Firefighters do get paid it's known as a Stipend

[@rupe53]

I was in a department that quit serving the town back in the late 80s. The beef wasn't all about money because we already had a workable reimbursement system. It was about removing the pride that kept the volunteers doing what they do. We had a 20 man crew (20 working people plus another 20 in a social context) that actually operated independent of the career staff within the same building. We had our own rank / file for engine, truck, and brush fire operations, along with state certified instructors. Our chief was equal in rank to the career Dep Chief. (or in charge of the scene on nights / weekends) The town wanted to merge our efforts with the career dept so our officers all fell below the rank of career firefighter in the chain of command. They said it was to streamline things, but the reality was after a few months of fighting about it we all quit because we lost everything we earned.

[@papabones-p8o]

The crazy thing is as I watch this our fire whistle is going off, and we have volunteers also! Don't blame them!

[@Minuteman75]

Replace the city administration!

[@JawTooth]

Nobody double checks anything. At 1:11 they misspelled the words "Unnecessary and Breathing". C'mon man!

[@mrredpill3121]

YouTub iz hay speeelin bee cuntest!

[@michealshelton2133]

Since they misspelled the name o the list it's bunk😉

[@Doyle18able]

Who f@$%ing cares???

[@deckerrm]

Good catch......yup....sign of the times. Attention to details are watered down while lazy people cut corners.

[@johns9652]

@Jeremy devries So, Flat Earthers and Grammar Notsees are in opposition? GPS also stands for "GLOBAL Positioning System.

[@SoCalDad]

City officials like those should be votes out, or at least recalled. It's amazing to see and for city officials to publish a list of type of called that should not be responded too. That is scary. Providing medical care to anyone should not be a bargaining tool. Provide the funds you out dated officials. They are the first responders and know what they are talking about. Listen to your front line men and women.

[@Cogzed]

I'm sure the city officials are elated! They can all get those raises they've been wanting!

[@imichael2411]

Why? Because "Politicians" do not give a damn about us.

[@BIGTAYLORNI]

This is disgusting by city representatives... Which are meant to be there to help the community ot tear it apart.. But it's ok they have their big pay rises....

[@jordansamson6071]

My man in the blue shirt gets it.

[@billparker244]

They should start a private fire department so the citizens can pay them instead of taxes to the city.

[@bobsnyder3309]

That's what we have where i live.

[@stormspotter67]

My first dept I was on, was exactly that. Only thing that we took from the city, was funds and name only. City had no jurisdiction over us. Was actually pretty nice.

[@bobsnyder3309]

@jim spurlock Explain how a fire dept that takes no tax money will ruin the towns finances.

[@stormspotter67]

jim spurlock what private FDs have pensions? Mine didn’t. I wasn’t paid the other, was an HOA dept. I was volunteer paid on call. $3 per call. And yeah.. no pensions..

[@billparker244]

@jim spurlock Gov't employees have pensions too. In fact, I believe the vast majority have them. More than the private sector does. Private businesses have the option of not having them. I edited that so it didn't sound like ALL gov't employees were evil lol

[@sirdan5229]

I'm sorry to say I can't blame this guy at all and his fellow firefighters no, but thank you for your service. God bless.

[@tommyknockers_8608]

I need an update to this story. :)

[@vengefulelf659]

They got to pay 10% to the big guy gotta make some cuts!

[@alebuisq7]

Paid department coming soon... filled with mayor and council family members.

[@tomcat7843]

When government fails to meet these ends it is the INDEFEASABLE right of the people to alter or abolish it, Declaration of Independence

[@NQTOD]

As a Volly/Paid This shit never ends NEVER we are always fighting for everything always

[@GeekRex]

People need to be aware as well that Pinehurst is not a poor rural community. The wealth on display in Pinehurst is stunning.

[@ChrisEdwardsk4pvz]

It’s not really surprising. A lot of small towns are the same way. Expect fire protection for free and literally do nothing to help the Fire department.Just because it’s “ always been that way” doesn’t mean things don’t change with time.

[@chief3839]

Time to get rid of the city government!!!!

[@DOC-Jake-]

Something has to show them the commitment & danger can’t be expected for free. I’m with all of you ! I give you respect. I’m a paid 33 year veteran ff & medic started as a call Dept. Enough is enough. Let it all fall where it may. On their head !

[@harryhicks404]

Get rid of city administrators, problem solved.

[@aquickchatwith...245]

Any reason why your opening graphic had “VPD” and not “VFD”?

[@abingham3747]

God Bless these firefighters. Its sad that politics and a little bit of money take precedence over the well-being of the residence. Stand up and demand what you need. And next time a house burns down...watch it burn.

[@dodgerblue7381]

It doesn't say where Pinehurst is but many volunteer fire departments across the country are facing the same thing. Many rely on local community fund raisers that have had to be cancelled because of CovId. Tough situation but Thank You to the firefighters for their efforts.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Idaho

[@pkorns1892]

I thought it was in Texas

[@dodgerblue7381]

Well wherever it is located I hope and Pray it works out for all involved.

[@kenhaight7774]

Stand with these heroes!!!

[@rhinous1199]

Is that second type of “Unncessary” call listed supposed to be “breathing problems” or “breeding problems”? I’m dying! Lol.

[@dchawk81]

Breeding problems. Sometimes you need someone to get in there and give you a push.

[@pauljamison3340]

Anyone know what the final outcome was?

[@marzinjedi6437]

One life isn’t worth losing over money 💵 a people who volunteer are the life blood of small towns and they deserve more !

[@larrydawson3881]

Just wait till one of the city council people suffer from one of these unnecessary responses then the tides will change

[@ltmundy1164]

There once was a time in my community: Elected officials were expected to go through volunteer training, and were also expected to respond to calls. Leadership from the front is a dying art.

[@la_old_salt2241]

@@ltmundy1164 Leadership period, is a dying art.

[@ltmundy1164]

@@la_old_salt2241: *REMF* - rear echelon motel foxtrot. One of most appropriate/underused military acronyms, right up there with SNAFU, FUBAR; and another personal favorite, BOHICA - bend over, here it comes again.

[@la_old_salt2241]

@@ltmundy1164 Yep

[@mightymystery9204]

@@la_old_salt2241 That is true. In the civilian world, goverment or corporate, leadership is a misused word. The word ought to be manager (mismanager) or controller or powerholder or placeholder or even better, title holder. Leadership is based internally, depending on integrity, unselfishness, and other qualities and principles. It is not about being "right" and having your way, but about doing right and following the right way. Real leadership breaks trail and takes risk for everyone first. This new thing, ego-ship, thinks they are in front so everyone may kiss something unmentionable. That is unacceptable, and the source of so much disaster.

[@deckerrm]

Send in the therapists and counselors......that seems to be the growing trend to handle EVERYTHING.

[@juliemosley3814]

Every council member who stood in the way should be ousted and held accountable for the results of their choices.

[@harperwelch5147]

I just looked up "12 News", looks like Texas. To the workers, I'm very sorry that your State and community is not supporting you in the way they absolutely ought to.

[@MizGizma]

79% Republican city.

[@gordonpaulson7670]

I will pay the extra $1000.

[@johnsisk6912]

You already do. Its called taxes

[@ethbri49781]

Really confused here. I'm trying to understand what the correlation is between an increase in contract price for the dispatch company and the medics not being allowed to run only certain types of calls??? And the calls that were deemed "unnecessary" all seemed like more critical ALS calls like breathing problems, unresponive, cardiac and whatnot. If you were cutting back, wouldn't those be the ones you WOULD go to no matter what? Is there some other agency at play here? This just doesn't add up to me.

[@cdjhyoung]

It may very well fall on what the training level of the local Volunteer Fire Department is. Those sounded like critical calls to me also, but if the VFD members don't have the proper training to deal with those issues, or the proper equipment, why dispatch them? Without training, they would only be there to handle crowd control and if it is an accident, sweep up the mess. I think there is more to this issue than is being presented in this video. It is a shame no one from the City Counsel was willing to appear on camera.

[@jamesb2291]

The real answer is because in most jurisdictions the volunteer fire departments receive some type of pay (aka a stipend) when dispatched to actual emergency calls for service. There is also a not insignificant cost associated with the equipment use each time it leaves the station. The important thing this news story fails to mention is all of those call types listed will also have EMS (paramedics in an ambulance) or law enforcement also responding. The fire department response is largely redundant if there isn't an actual fire or rescue needed. Fire Departments often respond to calls such as "chest pain" and overdoses etc., because it helps boost the number of "emergency/priority calls" they are dispatched to. This fluffed up number is then used to justify a larger budget for the fire department in subsequent years. I have nothing against fire departments and I agree they should be funded better, but the news story is missing crucial information and there's more at play here.

[@alant5757]

Maybe they should change the name to... “ Your on Your Own”

[@BastekF76]

Is there a follow-up to this story?

[@PapaKryptoss]

Where is this town at? We have a pinehurst in Montgomery county Texas

[@cheryldahl9192]

When volunteers quit you know somethings wrong!

[@tallthinkev]

When the local taxes are due, don't pay the extra!

[@WestTexasSirens]

This is one of the rare moments where you need to say FRICK THE CITY IM GOING TO THE COUNTY

[@rickyjoehaynes3989]

Being a volunteer firefighter this just hurts. Seeing my brothers and sisters quit just hurts

[@armymobilityofficer9099]

The Volunteer Spell Checker also resigned. In other news, PINEHURST is now known as PINEHURTS. Not sure if that is a typo or not.

[@48grainsoffreedom]

"To save money, please stop respond to emergency. Respond only to city officials emergency calls".

[@timoamsbeck9959]

From some comments I get the feeling that many don't know what first respond is and why in many countries fire department does it. First responder is a group of people that are because of them being in that town the people that will be the fastest there. So in small towns you don't have a hospital and so the ambulance might need to drive 10 miles or so to get to you. But if your have a heart attack waiting 15 20 minutes for ambulance is deadly. So in my country people of the fire department that are in town get some extra training to do the most needed medical things in the first few minutes. They being on scene after 5 to 8 minutes will save life's until the ambulance shows 10 20 minutes later.

[@mikegaskin5542]

This isn't as bad as it sounds. The city has determined that it's unnecessary for this VFD to respond to medical calls, and that's probably true. Especially if the VFD members are not EMTs or Paramedics, which is very likely. In my part of the country, we have volunteer fire departments and volunteer ambulance corps. Fire departments are generally not requested to respond to medical calls unless it's a lift assist or something. Works fine for us.

[@battleboat12]

Pretty sure this place ONLY has a volunteer fire department encompassing fire and ems

[@mikegaskin5542]

@@battleboat12 No, there is a nearby city that provides ambulance service.

[@battleboat12]

@@mikegaskin5542 so again when seconds count help is minutes away..... what a relief.

[@Bryan-Hensley]

@@battleboat12 just call your neighbor or someone at McDonald's if you don't mind untrained people helping you. We have several cities in this county that is covered under one EMS service. No volunteer fire departments are paid anything by the government except part of the liability insurance. Our volunteers aren't required to respond on medical either. It would run them into bankruptcy.

[@battleboat12]

@@Bryan-Hensley so you just assume they have no training? Where I’m from volunteers had the same amount of training medical or otherwise as full timers if your county can’t pay for that then they need someone to audit their books.

[@hiredgoon242]

defund bureaucrats and politicians. they're how we ended up here. if 100$ a month is the problem I bet a financial audit would be interesting.

[@lookinthemirror7987]

I stand with this fire department and completely support this. My father was the chief of the volunteer fire department of his town and The assistant chief for their EMT service and he ran into many problems identical to this. He came to realize very quickly that in a lot of towns, town management views itself as the elite and behaves with impunity. Often giving themselves lofty raises And bonuses by coming together and voting on it privately themselves without the people of the town getting a say in it. Also mismanagement of the towns money I would say is probably on the exact same level is that if not above it. Things like ensuring your family members or friends are the ones who wins the bid on a job for a town or constantly throwing them unnecessary work to be done so they can become financially wealthy. Embezzling happens the list goes on and on. Sounds like something unfortunate is going on in this town and it should be investigated. I doubt the town manager would keep his job if a thorough investigation was done.

[@13BGunBunny]

Could you imagine this scenario? 911: 911 what is your emergency? Caller: [describes emergency] 911: Oh well. [click!]

[@Nivasi]

total shame

[@hphillips7425]

This is what happens when you sit behind a desk and don’t have a clue.

[@michaelsmyrychynski52]

Sorry if I missed it, but which Pinehurst is this? NJ? Cali?

[@josephbordelon5635]

Texas . I used to live 5 miles from that fire station .

[@Zobbtuna]

Anyone have any updates on this story?