On September 27, The Morning Call published a disturbing report about Allentown firefighter's sick-time abuse, which has inflated the city's overtime and pensions. Now, as this article is being written, Morning Call offices are being subjected to an aggressive investigation by the very firefighters whose abuse was just exposed.Is this payback by a city embarrassed by a little criticism? Is this an attempt to chill important First Amendment freedoms?
With two firetrucks parked outside, 8 or 9 firefighters are combing through the building, examining elevators, looking at sprinkler systems and blue prints. I understand they already caught Morning Call columnist Bill White smoking in one of the bathrooms, and threw him out the window.
Now the city is required to and does conduct annual inspections of facilities like The Morning Call, but does it usually do so on this scale? "The timing of it seems a bit odd," is what one staffer tells me.
I have called the city for comment, and if I get a response, will update this post with their explanation.
1:50 PM Update: An Allentown firefighter just called to say that The Morning Call is one of 60 or 70 "hazardous material" sites in the city that must be inspected by December. "They store a lot of ink there." He denies any intent to intimidate. I still find the timing very curious.
50 comments:
Yeah and look out the windows and you will see the black helicopters. What a bunch of paronoids.
They should focus on writing better factual articles than their shitty building.
I take the First Amendment a little more seriously than you, but hey, I don't live in King Edwin's Kingdom.
Well the first question is when did they LAST inspect the Call!
Second question, where did Bill White land?
Third, Yes!!! Does Fire Dept. want to stifle Second Amendment Rights? Absolutely.
Bernie,
If you have an hour, drive up to Allentown and check out just 3 apt. bldgs and see if each has been inspected annually by fire dept.
Pay backs are a bitch.
Keep in mind 'Paybacks' can be played on a two way street by the newspaper too!
Not smart at election time!
My first question is whether this is payback for a critical piece. My second question is whether all businesses get this treatment, or whether the MC is being singled out, as happens w/ other businesses that gert on King Edwin's DO NOT LIKE list.
Could be that everything is as it should be, but I'd like answers. I understand Bill White is still bouncing like a super ball and has not yet landed.
This was not an inspection. It was a haz mat preplan. Please get your facts straight. There was only 6 firefighters at the morning call in the 2 center city district trucks. They were not doing an "aggressive" investigation. Where do you come up with this crap???
Good for the AFD!! Im sick of all the negative press everywhere. These guys do a great job a job most wouldnt ever want to do. The men and women that are public servants should not be under the microscope as much as the press puts them there.
Now let us suppose for a moment The Morning Call decides to move out of town too and take it's taxes along with it?
Anon 12:25
Let me get this straight. Two firetrucks. Between 6 and 9 firefighters. Elevators, sprinklers, etc., all being carefully examined. Haz mat review that looks one helluva' lot like an inspection to me, no matter what it is called. I think I have most of facts right.
It certainly looks like intimidation and never helps when the city fails to respond to requests for information. I have not rec'd an answer to my call to the city and a fire official. You are anonymous and are telling me to get my facts straight. Why not help me in that regard?
Who is next on the Mayors list to get harrassed
should make a distinction: the mayor outed the fire company overtime abuse. he blasted the fire dept in the article and is ready to throw the fire fighters union under a bus to lower employment costs and balance the budget.
the inspection, if it is that, may be a hatchet job on the paper, but it didn't come from the mayor. it came from the union.
Who cares!!! Man everyday in the Lehigh Valley is a slow news day and this is the type of crap we end up with!! Stop typing this stuff.
Why? Will you "inspect" me, too?
Kudos to the AFD, doing their job of ensuring safety of everyone, including the MC who recently dumped on them. We know they love sensational bad press to sell papers, but where were they yesterday when our heroes received awards for saving our citizens' lives and property? I didn't see any press about that. Now who has a vendetta against who?
"the inspection, if it is that, may be a hatchet job on the paper, but it didn't come from the mayor."
Of course, we don't know that when neither the mayor nor the union chief respond to requests for information.
So much for Pawlowski's vaunted transparency.
" Now who has a vendetta against who?"
That's easy. The city has a vendetta against anyone who is critical.
A few contributions to "Friends of Ed Pawlowski" should take care of any problems.
It might be a legitimate inspection. I was told they had a mysterious flooding of their basement there a while back. Allegedly, a lot of important business and circulation records were destroyed, which always draws attention when a company is struggling and their parent is in bankruptcy.
"Of course, we don't know that when neither the mayor nor the union chief respond to requests for information."
So you, neither a citizen or a newspaper report, naturally jump to a conclussion and start sniping.
Talking heads still bobbing and saying what they want without regard to fact. You're no different than Glenn Beck, Rush, Ed Schultz and the rest of the hot air spewers. Sensationalism without substance.
"So you, neither a citizen or a newspaper report, naturally jump to a conclussion and start sniping"
Not at all. I've reported factually what occurred. I've questioned whether this is routine or an attempt to intimidate, and noted I had no answer from the "transparent" Pawlowski administration. Who is at fault for that?
I'll answer O'Hare just as soon as I get off of sick leave. I feel a little queazy right now.
This was a routine hazmat pre plan, nothing more!!! The person that does inspections would be the fire marshall. Was he there? No. It would take alot longer than 45 mins to do an inspection on a building that size. So again please get your facts straight!
I can do that when city officials retunr calls. Haz mat or inspection, it is a little weird to have all these firefighters stomping thru the building after a critial article.
What a whore! Ohare, you're just trying to sensationalize something. Get a life already.
Hey, we all aim to please. But I'm no whore. I charge for my services.
We don't really know if this is some kinda payback (from the fire dept, I would imagine, not nec. the city) OR if this is just standard operating procedure from the AFD. What other businesses undergo these inspections, and how do they compare? Was this inspection announced or comletely a surprise?
The Call will probably not live much longer. At least, that's my guess. And what happens to that building matters a LOT to downtown business owners and workers. It is (well, was) a major source of customers for the dwindling restaurant (and other) market.
If that building goes empty, it will be a major psychological blow to the area. And, I would imagine the AFD has a major ax to grind with the paper. But, I would need more facts to believe this particular theory. Looking forward to hearing more on this if there is more to hear later!
If they threw White out the window that makes it all worth it.
SO, 3:53... You want to destroy Bernie for NOT deleting something?
You really are over the edge.
Get some help. You're sick.
I welcome your thoughts and love to argue. Feel free to disagree. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks.
This is Bernie's Blog. You don't like it, get lost! Enough already.
On first glance, you have to question the timimg. Did they hit the Butz Building or PP&L Tower this hard? I doubt it.
Monkey Momma
Rumors have been floated for a few years about the demise of the Call. Even with much editorial input being handled out of state, the paper still makes a profit. Now, will it need to keep that huge building and parking deck.
Perhaps not. But it is to the corporate officials benefit to publish something here.
Dear Chris,
Aren't they dining at the new Butz restaurant?
Flooded basement news to us. Very interesting post, especially the comments about rare documents that might be called upon for inspection by future court officials.
I think it was Mark Twain who cautioned never to pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.
Which begs the question. Does The Morning Call still have the circulation to warrant, and/or the finances to pay for ink - by the barrel?
Big government?
:)
This is what happens when ohater hears what he wants to hear and runs with it. Please do not believe the things this lunatic writes.
No. Believe another lunatic who won't identify himself. He's much more credible.
I would suggest that questions get asked first and the the buzz gets created. Now a whole bunch of people have it in their heads that the Allentown fire fighters were going tit for tat with the Call. And no amount of truth will correct their belief in the first impression.
Happened to us with the photo thing the other month.
The Allentown guys say it was a hazmat safety tour not an inspection.
Dude, I think these are questions that should always be asked. N government should ever be trusted, and the timing here is very suspicious. Hazmat tour or inspection, it is suspicious.
And questions about what happened in Easton were legitimate, too. That's the price you pay for being a public servant.
Lets try this one last time. There are many haz mat sites in the city of Allentown. Each year the sites are preplanned, weather it be a walk thru or a drive by. Each platoon has so many of them to do in their fire districts. Today it was the morning call. There are 2 center city fire trucks E-4 and
E-9. there are 3 men on each of those trucks 1 captain, 1 LT, and 4 firefighters. They do walk thru's to get familiar with the building. Standpipe, fire dept connection, exits and all other hazards that are there.
Once again someone speaks and has not one clue what they are talking about. Once again someone's trying to stur the pot. Please if you have any questions please visit one of the 6 firehouses in allentown. Then you can really see what goes on.
Regardless of the whom you believe, I hope the last guy was simply communicating in blog-ese. The quality of the communication makes me wonder who the hell's being hired.
In ohara land all government can't be trusted except for the Stoffa Administration. Whatever those clowns say, ohare runs out and claims it is more truthful than any Bible or other religious work.
Bernie,
It is a bit ironic that the paper that enabled the current powers that be(including police and fire contracts)is now being bullied(?) by them?
Scott Armstrong
"On first glance, you have to question the timimg. Did they hit the Butz Building or PP&L Tower this hard? I doubt it." Are they haz-mat sites? And by hit hard, what do you mean. Was anything damaged? How long did the haz-mat preplan take? Are other businesses preplanned? Yes, including all city owned swimming pools (chlorine storage), US Foods Service, Mack Trucks test facility, ACME cryogenics, Verizon, Air Products on Vultee Street, AERC, and about 40 other buildings that use, store, or distribute hazardous materials. EVERY YEAR a crew of firefighters will walk through to PRE PLAN the building in case something does happen.
See when there is a fire or other emergency at a building that has hazardous materials, it's much safer for those that might fight the fire or handle that emergency if they are familiar with the hazards, where they are, what they are, and where resources in the building are to handle situations, like stairways, emergency exits, sprinkler systems and their shut off valves, sprinkler system stand pipes, etc.
It's too bad the fella supplying the rather detailed insider type information is Anonymous. I think his explanation sounds genuine; I wish he would feel comfortable just stating his name as his contribution is noteworthy.
Other than using the word "weather" (instead of "whether"), he's communicated rather genuinely, factually, and articulately.
I believe it was just a Pre-Plan and it sounds like a responsible thing for our local Fire Dept. to be doing. Good for them.
I applaud LVR for continually monitoring/overseeing the possibility of abuses & intimidations though; we do live in an age of skepticism, retribution and political shenanigans.
WhetherVain (purposefully misspelled ;-)
Yes the PPl was done this year by the same amount of firefighters and it took over an hour and a half to do. As with the Morning call a building rep at all times was with the fire crews answering questions.
The problem was not with the MC building rep but with a supervisor who was not with them and the complaint turned out to be unfounded. Why are you not reporting that?
I just came across this blog, so exuse me if I am repeating some things my brother FFs have already stated.
Preplans are done in dangerous builings by firefighters who would have to go in there during an emergency. It is for our benefit. The preplan is led by someone familiar with the building. Some guides want to show every little detail, and and others just want to get it over with and go on with their day. I either case, we are just checking where hazards are and what safety features are in place to protect us and the workers. Obvious life safety issues are rarely found, but if they are we ask they be corrected before we leave. It is not an inspection by any means-- We have Fire Marshals to to that (It was done by FM4 three weeks before the preplan).
While you may not like the timing, I assure you it was a coincidence.
Speaking of coincidences, funny how after they wrote their SLANTED, LAUGHABLY INCORRECT ARTICE, our community newspaper did not report a word about the Fire Dept award ceremony. I guess showing us in a good light would not sell as many papers.
For a rebuttal to their article (which we submitted and was ignored)go to www.local302iaff.org. While you are there, you can also see who were recognized for their outstanding service this past year. Take time to recognize the heroes of the community the Mourning (sic) Call felt were not not important enough to waste their ink on.
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