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SDCERS Rejects Looser Accounting. Victory for Frye, DeMaio
I'm not 100% sure of the makeup of the board. Some are the mayor's appointees, some are voted in by the various unions. Who voted in Meyer. I know who Bych answers to.— September 20, 2009 8:07 p.m.
SDCERS Rejects Looser Accounting. Victory for Frye, DeMaio
Thanks. So now we know who the mayor's Bych's are, eh? Interesting that most of the union reps voted against the proposal. Which group does Meyer represent?— September 19, 2009 9:43 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Don, According to the Social Security Administration, the average SS recipient begins receiving benefits at age 62. I think we can safely call that "retirement age". According to SDCERS, the average retirement age of a safety member is 57. I didn't look up the age of a general member, but it's older. So safety members are retiring 10% earlier than the general population and general members less than that, if earlier at all. Not quite the "much, much earlier" that you claim.— September 19, 2009 5:58 p.m.
SDCERS Rejects Looser Accounting. Victory for Frye, DeMaio
So who voted which way? That might provide a little more insight into this story.— September 19, 2009 5:51 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Paul, The additional 20 engines I referred to are needed for day-to-day usage. I have no designs on staffing daily to meet the needs of a catastrophe. On the day of the Witch Fire, SDFD managed to put 60+ engines on the road up from the normal 46. Even to this day, we routinely have only 3-5 spares that we can put in service to boost the current 47 engines. The fire service in California has been promoting a concept called, "Ready, Set, Go". The idea is that citizens can save their own homes -- if they have prepared themselves and their homes. Unfortunately, few have done either. I support the use of volunteers, but only if they have received the same initial basic wildland firefighting training that firefighters receive. People have to realize when they have to go and where they cannot stay. Witness what happened to the two very experienced LA County firefighters a couple of weeks ago. Further, witness what happened in Australia last winter. What was it? 200 dead? Remember, our first mission is to save lives. If we let people stay and one is killed, we have not done our job.— September 16, 2009 7:11 a.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Johnny, my intent is not to discredit Mr. Johnston in the least. My intent is to discredit your numerous claims that people without degrees aren't worth as much money. What's your claim? GED educated welfare queens? Guess what. So is Mr. Johnston.— September 15, 2009 9:57 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Paul, when I said that Sheriff's helicopters had not been thought of yet, I was referring to firefighting helicopters capable of carrying 350 gallons or so of water. You witnessed what they're capable of first hand in the PQ fire. Now imagine that instead of that big Bell (Huey) you were trying to drop on the fire with 75 gallons. Only 20% as much water. Think you'd do much good? There may be light that time of night, but not a lot and it creates shadows in the canyons. Very dangerous flying. I don't wholesale defend CDF or local agencies. I think some huge mistakes were made during the Cedar Fire. But one of the biggest problems is a lack of funding. If investor saved 40 homes singlehandedly, what do you think an additional 20 engines could have accomplished? Don, there's no need to keep pilots on for 24 hours when the aircraft they are given to fly are not capable of flying at night.— September 15, 2009 9:32 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Paul, Sorry if my statement confused you. I meant that CDF did not have night vision on their helicopters. For that matter, they didn't (and still don't) have a helicopter in this county. Why not? The county helicopters had not yet been even thought of in 2003... at least not by the supervisors. Likewise, my apologies for misinterpreting your comments about FSSP. Nonetheless, it does help set the record straight. As far as chiefs vs indians on each individual fire engine? Well, each engine needs someone to be in charge, someone to drive it and some firefighters. At a fire, the most efficient staffing is five, allowing two teams of two and one to pump. However, we recognize that there aren't all that many fires. I'd prefer to see more engines opened for better response times, while maintaining a reasonable four per apparatus.— September 15, 2009 6:33 a.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Paul, one other misconception I noticed in one of your earlier posts. You wrote about pension + FSSP. Safety members are not eligible for the city's SPSP matching system.— September 14, 2009 8:25 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
Johnny, you mean this guy? http://davidcayjohnstonwatch.blogspot.com/ Aren't you the one who claims that people without degrees aren't worth a squat?— September 14, 2009 8:24 p.m.