Dear Editor,
The Gilroy gangs and drug dealers will be thrilled when the City
Council shuts down the medical cannabis dispensary.
More business for them!
Perfect – shut down the marijuana dispensary, prop up drug dealers
Dear Editor,
The Gilroy gangs and drug dealers will be thrilled when the City Council shuts down the medical cannabis dispensary.
More business for them!
Marnie Regen, Gilroy
Councilman’s helping hand made a difference at funeral services
Dear Editor,
Upon the recent death of Sadiee Frassetti, who won the award for designing the City of Gilroy flag a few years back, I went to City Hall to get the flag for display at her funeral. I did not realize it was one of the “closed all day” Fridays that are in effect now, so I went over to the police department to see if they had a flag I could borrow.
Unfortunately, they could not help me, so I turned to my friend City Councilman Craig Gartman. Craig immediately contacted City Administrator Tom Haglund, obtained the flag and delivered it to the Habing Family Funeral Home. It was displayed at the funeral home on Sunday, Nov. 8 and on Monday, Nov. 9 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church for burial Mass. Thank you again Craig for a job well done.
Richard Janisch, Gilroy
The truth behind the phantom ‘4 firefighters per engine’ standard
Dear Editor,
I see Councilman Craig Gartman is raising the issue of four firefighters per truck. I don’t usually agree with Craig, but he’s onto something here. I was involved in Tri County Apartment Association at the time the four firefighters on a truck “requirement” came into existence, and I know some people who were on the National Fire Protection Association Standards Setting Committee, so I thought a little background info might be helpful.
NFPA is a $100 million per year nonprofit membership organization that creates standard codes and training programs – they’re basically a chamber of commerce for firefighters and fire equipment manufacturers. They exist to help their members’ interests. Period.
In the case of fire-fighting unions, their interests are more members paying dues. NFPA standards are then sold to state and local governments, who then voluntarily adopt them into their local codes. NFPA does have an extensive code-setting process, and it usually works well, but it is definitely possible to “game the system” and that is what happened to create the 4-per-truck standard.
NFPA 1710, the standard that set four firefighters per truck, was highly controversial when it was passed – and it remains so today. NFPA 1710 was adopted at NFPA’s 2001 annual convention in Anaheim. I know some people who were there, and the firefighter unions flew in more than 1,000 people specifically to vote for 1710 and cram it through – it was quite the circus, and definitely a case of the fox guarding the hen house. Once passed, local unions could then go to their councils and say “but this is the standard.”
While 4-per-truck is not a legal requirement, 2-in, 2-out is. The union tries to tie the two together, but 4-per-truck is a voluntary NFPA standard, and 2-in, 2-out is an OSHA safety requirement. OSHA says nothing about how the four people get to a fire scene – if you have a commander, chief or second truck respond, you have plenty of people on the scene for 2-in, 2-out without having to staff 4-per-truck.
The Dispatch reported 4-per-truck in Gilroy was a result of binding arbitration – I believe that is technically inaccurate, and practically true. As I understand it, Gilroy adopted 4-per-truck as part of the city’s regular contract negotiating process, but since that process is heavily influenced by the threat of arbitration, the city agreed to 4-per-truck so they wouldn’t get stuck with even worse in arbitration.
As a result, the cost of “fire protection” in Gilroy has gone up astronomically, the Sunrise station was not staffed when it was initially completed, and the station is now going through so-called brownouts when it is not staffed again.
I used quotes around fire protection because of the huge percentage of medical calls that Gilroy Fire Department responds to. Reverting to three firefighters per truck is a great start, even if it’s only temporary. But if you really want to cut costs, perhaps the city should look at contracting for EMS services and stop sending fire trucks (regardless of how many are on board) to every fender bender and heart attack. Send paramedics and medical experts who can stabilize and even transport those people needing further medical attention, and save the firefighters for, well, fire fighting.
I know these issues require meet and confer with the union, but with the proper attention and public awareness, it could be possible.
Terry Feinberg, Gilroy
$9 million for bullet train PR? Wake up California, it’s a nightmare
Dear Editor,
When former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon debated me on the bullet train at the Gilroy and Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce’s joint election-issues forum, he said the bullet train would make Gilroy the South Bay “hub,” and that they would use BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) tracks.
Well, the closest BNSF tracks are in the San Joaquin Valley. Diridon also predicted that the bullet train would be “profitable.” But will it be profitable for anyone other than the promoters and builders? The construction cost estimates for the bullet train in the last year have risen about $20 billion. By the time they start construction, what will the price tag be?
And now, the “voracious high speed rail octopus” has decided to spend $9 million on the huge public relations firm, Ogilvy. Why does a government agency which has no competition need a $9 million PR budget?
Joe Thompson, Gilroy
