Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.


'In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.'

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Mayoral Quotes

"The new station will cover the north end of the city. Headquarters will cover center City and the other station will take care of the south. In turn, the residents of the city and firefighters who protect us will be safer and better equipped" & "I would love to have a fire station in every neighborhood but you have to remember, this is neglect of the past"
June 8, 2005. Whos neglect is it now? (WNEP)

March 13, 2006 about 2 simultaneous fires "I must emphasize that with their help, and the professionalism of our fire department we're able to save the entire block both on Carey Avenue and South Welles Street." What would happen now? (WNEP)

Oct 27, 2008 "With the location of three city fire houses - Hollenback at the city's north end, headquarters near center city and the Parrish and High Street station on the city's southern border - the department can respond promptly to all calls" So he was already aware that there will be delays with only 2 Engines! (The Times Leader)

Oct 5 2004 "I would never, never gamble with the safety of residents visitors or guests," (WNEP)

May 31, 2008 "just how important the safety of each firefighter was to me." & "I have great respect for the fire department. They do a great job and their safety is my number one concern" (The Citizens' Voice)

July 8 (WNEP) "It's very crucial that the fire department have adequate water pressure when they're fighting a fire so, we don't want to see any lives lost because water couldn't get on the fire"
But lives lost due to inadequate manning and cutting engines are OK?


Oct 26, 2007 (The Time Leader) "we need to protect our residents"
Reducing essential services is not protecting our residents


April 3 2010 (Citizens' voice) "As an elected official, you're sworn in to uphold an oath of office"

Mar 12, 2010 (Citizens' voice) "You left me with no choice, I'm not failing you, the city administration is not failing you and city council is not failing you. Your union is failing you."
Wrong, the union cannot replace people as they retire that is your responsibility and you are failing the public you took an oath to serve and protect.
22 Firefighters have retired without replacement, in the next 2 months that number is expected to be at least 25. And you blame our union instead of fixing the problem by hiring. Can you take responsibility for your bad decisions? Just once?

When too much power is concentrated in one person, the government loses touch with the citizens they are there to serve.

Tom Leighton

Don Quixote Strikes again.

Fireman vs. Councilman

The Firefighters Prayer

When I am called to duty, God, wherever flames may rage, give me the strength to save some life whatever be its age. Help me embrace a little child before it's too late, or save an older person from the horror of that fate. Enable me to be alert and hear the faintest shout, and quickly and efficiently, put the fire out. I want to fill my calling and to give the best in me, to guard my every neighbor and protect his property. And if according to my fate I am to lose my life, please bless with your protecting hand my children and my wife.

Thank You Ed

Cut in firefighters and engines could leave the city unprotected
Published: June 14, 2010


We are writing in response to Mayor Leighton's decision to reduce the number of firefighters and engines in Wilkes-Barre. What we need is more protection, not less. By putting the South Wilkes-Barre engine out of service, this leaves only two engines available. There will be one in central city and the other in North Wilkes-Barre. In 2009 firefighters answered 3,400 alarms. This includes fire, accidents, ambulance and public assist. This will affect the entire city of Wilkes-Barre. When firefighters respond to a fire alarm, two engines must respond. This will leave the rest of the city with no protection. There will be many times when one engine is at an accident and the other is at an ambulance or public assist. This will leave the city unprotected. We hope the citizens of Wilkes-Barre have the right smoke detectors in their home and know C.P.R. because the response time will be longer.

Wilkes-Barre Retired Firefighters Association

Edmund Hahn, President

Uncle Danny is FREAKIN' out!!

Yesterday my niece Alyssa graduated High school. How is that possible? I still remember fighting with a jerk Lieutenant to get leave to come home for her birth. It can't have been that long ago! Not 18 years!
I would go on about the day she was born but there is some chance people might read this so I'll avoid embarrassing her, for once.
Good luck, Tinkerbell

Luv,
Uncle Nite-Nite (Nanticokian for Dan)

grimlock movie cgi live transformers dinobot

Sumtin' new

While everyone else is running out of a burning building, firefighters are going in. They have a strong sense of commitment to their fellow man and are willing to risk their lives in order to save someone elses. They put others needs above their own. They understand that courage is not the absence of fear but rather its the knowledge that there is something more important than fear. (Ambrose Redmoon)

Firefighter wants city to hire more workers | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Firefighter wants city to hire more workers
Dan Emplit opposes decision to reduce minimum number of firefighters per shift.
BILL O ’ BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com




WILKES-BARRE – Dan Emplit said Thursday that he’s probably putting a “target on my back,” but the veteran city firefighter/EMT said he is committed to convincing the mayor and council to hire more firefighters.

“How long are you going to depend on luck to save lives?” Emplit asked council. Mayor Tom Leighton did not attend last night’s meeting.

Emplit cited recent calls that the fire department responded to. He said on Wednesday night, the response was to a grease fire on Gilligan Street and on April 29th, there was an apartment fire. In both instances, Emplit said the city had all three fire engines in operation; had it not, he said, the results could have been catastrophic.

Emplit opposes Leighton’s decision earlier this year to reduce the minimum number of firefighters per shift from 14 to 12. The mayor said he made the decision to cut down on escalating overtime costs in the fire department.

Emplit referred to a study commissioned by the city in May 1995 by Stephen Lloyd Associates of Park Forest, IL, that set 17 per shift as a minimum for fire fighter staffing. A second study was conducted in March 2002 by the International Association of Fire Fighters, and was commissioned by the local union. That study recommended increasing the city’s fire fighting staff.

When Emplit joined the city department in 1993, he said there were 88 fire fighters and now there are around 65.

“This number – 17 – is not a number that the fire department came up with,” Emplit said. “The city’s own study quoted it as a minimum necessary for our goals of saving lives, incident stabilization and property conservation.”

Emplit said a successful fire fight means “everyone returns to their family safe and whole.”

“We are the citizens’ only defense against most life-threatening situations and manning is our only defense on that front line,” Emplit said. “We can not safely work with this low of a manning number.”

Council Chairman Bill Barrett said after the meeting that negotiations remain ongoing between the administration and the fire fighters union Local 104. He said commenting on Emplit’s remarks might jeopardize those talks.

“I will say that I would like to see a third engine staff at all times,” Barrett said.

The current contract expires at the end of 2010. Emplit said fewer men and slower response times could result in increased property damage and risk human life. He said fewer men also endanger firefighters who have more duties and other tasks to perform that normally require more personnel.

“Our job is never safe,” Emplit said. “We are talking about situations where minutes, if not seconds, are the difference between a save and someone’s incalculable loss.”

New Council Speach

Last night at 126 Gilligan St.
We were dispatched to an expanding grease fire.

Remember fire doubles in size every minute. In the time it took Engine 1 to get there, the fire would have been 4 to 8 times the size
An engines tank water lasts about three and a half minutes,
The closest hydrant over 500 ft away, too far to drag a supply line
Engine 2 ten to 12 minutes out.

Thank God we happened to have enough staffing to man Engine 3 because under the mayors current staffing minimums this would have gone from a destroyed stove to a room and contents or worse.

on Apr 29th, nine displaced by an apartment fire at 5 Mallory
Place. With our present reduced staffing this could have been a
catastrophe.
How long are you going to depend on luck to save lives?



You have heard Fire Dept members talk about the number 17 being the minimum for staffing.

The Lloyd study and its minimum staffing number of 17, a study the city commissioned, a study the city paid for, and a study the city has recognized, By ignoring this study you are opening the city to legal action. This is not responsible

The Lloyd study quoted a minimum of 17. This number is not an opinion, or the mayors guess, it is a scientific survey commissioned BY THE CITY.

17 is not a number that the Fire Dept came up with.
The City's own study quoted it as the MINIMUM.

17 is necessary for our goals of life saving, incident stabilization and property conservation.

With proper manning the dynamics of the emergency scene is much more manageable, Please remember our job is NEVER safe, just hopefully controllable.

A common misconception is that minimum staffing is simply the number of Firefighters on scene. It is not, It is the number of Firefighters on scene in a matter of minutes.

A successful fire fight means everyone returns to their family safe and whole. With adequate staffing, we have the most important tool to do that.

We are the citizens ONLY defense against most life threatening situations, and manning is our only defense on that frontline. We can not safely work with this low a manning number.

The list of things that can go wrong at a fire is too long to list and a fire scene is too unpredictable to try, it is one of the most Hostile enviroments known to man, so for our safety and to truly protect innocents we need proper manning

Remember Response times and adequate staffing are EQUALLY important to all Fire fighting and EMS operations, We are talking about situations where minutes, if not seconds, are the differences between a save and someone's incalculable loss

The fire service is the all threat responder, the Default responder to all threats.

If we don't have the right people there, doing the right thing, in the right amount of time then things will get worse, People and fire fighters will get injured and/or die.

"The Department responds to approximately 7,000 emergencies each year - providing assistance to roughly a third of the 20,374 homes throughout the City of Wilkes-Barre - as well as responding to emergency calls from businesses, accident scenes, and an assortment of other incidents."
a quote from the city's own web site


Once again I would like to end this by Quoting our mayor


May 31, 2008 (Citizens' voice) "I have great respect for the fire department. They
do a great job and their safety is my number one concern"
By cutting our manning and taking engines out of service?


July 8 (WNEP) "It's very crucial that the fire department have adequate water pressure when they're fighting a fire so, we don't want to see any lives lost because water couldn't get on the fire"
But lives lost due to inadequate manning and cutting engines are OK?


Oct 26, 2007 (The Time Leader) "we need to protect our residents"
Reducing essential services is not protecting our residents


April 3 2010 (Citizens' voice) "As an elected official, you're sworn in to uphold an oath of office"

Mar 12, 2010 (Citizens' voice) "You left me with no choice, I'm not failing you, the city administration is not failing you and city council is not failing you. Your union is failing you."
Wrong, the union cannot replace people as they retire that is your responsibility and you are failing the public you took an oath to serve and protect.
22 Firefighters have retired without replacement, in the next 2 months that number is expected to be at least 25. And you blame our union instead of fixing the problem by hiring.

And now one from the City Council

Oct. 25 2007 (The Time Leader) "They (the council candidates) favor better fire protection, some advocated a new fire house in the Heights section. And they all said the city's biggest asset is its people."
Yet you remain silent as the Mayor risks lives.


When too much power is concentrated in one person, the government loses touch with the citizens they are there to serve.
Council, your silence on this life threatening policy is deafening.