Pauly has been under the weather lately, if any of you followers would like to write a blog (keep it clean) I will be more than happy to publish it as a "Guest Blog" just email cosentinosalvage@hotmail.com
Come on people sound off as Pauly would say!!!!!
Would someone please report on how the personnel board meeting went last night and the interviews went tonight? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJEFF, I NOMINATE YOU TO DO DO THIS JOB. BART HAS SECONED IT..BEV.
DeleteBev What could Jeff possibly have to say !!! LOL
DeleteI would say we an opening on the conservation commission that needs to be filled and we need to appoint the TESBC like now.
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DeleteInterviews went well tonight. Each candidate answers the same questions. The next round of candidate interviews will take place next Thursday at 690 Patriots Rd. Watch the postings!!!
ReplyDeleteHow many finalists are there? Does anyone know if the area Chief's will have an input since they know the job needing to be done or will it strictly be the BOS input?
DeleteThere are five candidates scheduled to be interviewed. Virginia Wilder and I met with Chief LaFreniere and Chief Rogowski to do the preliminary screening of the applicants. We selected five candidates to be interviewed.
DeleteI had hoped to include more people in the interview process, but it didn't work out that way. The next round of interviews will take place next Thursday. The candidates interviewed tonight were open about taking questions from the audience. Let's hope that trend continues...
Pauly,
ReplyDeleteWe missed you tonight. Get better soon. we need you!
Interviews that were conducted tonight by the selectboard for fire chief went well, we interviewed two of the five candidates and will do the other three next thursday.
ReplyDeleteThe personnel board meeting went well, the topic was whether to reccomend to the select board to allow the COA to use a formula grant monies to supplement the pay of the Director and social services coordinator. After discussion, the Personnel Board voted on motion to reccomend against this action. 3 reasons stand out, the grant guide states that grant funds should not be used to pay individuals at a rate above what the municipality would normally pay. second reason is an issue of fairness, not all departments have access to grant funds or filing fee accounts or other monies to use to supplement payroll. third, the personal policy states that all increases including step raises are to go to town meeting, use of grant funding to increase the directors pay was going to move her 2 grades and 2 steps, it was decided it was wrong to allow the use of grant monies to circumvent the personal policy as was allowed to happen with the former conservation agent, so the three voting members present voted to reccomend against this action and hopefully the board os selectmen will follow suit, as this grant money is actually a grant to the town from the state office of Elder affairs to be used by the COA for various things. We are just trying to establish that the town has rules and no matter what we think of them or how fair, we need to begin to follow them and ensure town employees know that the rules will be fairly enforced so the taxpayers know that their affairs should get and be in order in the future as we "evolve" forward.
Hope you feel better soon Pauly!!
ReplyDeleteI know a few people were upset at the recomendation we made at the Personnel Board. I think they have to understand, as Jeff has said, we are not doing business like it has been done in the past. I feel like we will have a good group, and a lot of work to do. Bev.
DeleteHas anyone asked the last cheif to join the process? Cheif Smith? Might be to the town's advantage. Very important position to fill. Should not be political.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Chief Smith pointed out that the next Chief needed to be very involved and certified in the medical process. With almost 80% or more of the calls being medical waiting until January for someone to become an EMT is ridiculous; especially since there is no guarantee someone will even pass.
ReplyDeleteDid any ask chief smith why his depty is not a EMT if so important.
DeleteDo Deputies need to be as long as the Chief is? Maybe different ranks have different job duties like it was when we were in the military.
Deleteit is not political, so far two candidates interviewed, one has no degree or medical certification at all, one has 2 degrees in fire science and is a paramedic. we will see what the next 3 have to offer next thursday.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Templeton need ambulance service? Patients are not cured by government workers. Why should we incur the liability and expense of bringing them to the place where they will or won't be cured? Sounds like Woods has more skill, more capability.
ReplyDeleteWoods is just licensed to the next level. ALS is not always available so Templeton having an ambulance is important. Hopefully in the future Templeton Fire will be taken to the next level (ALS) by the right person so higher care is closer. Plus this way all the money would stay in town.
DeleteBefore ALS the town need to behind the fd all the way. Lots of rules with ALS the town not ready for. No madder who's chief. Tfd needs 100 % backing of the scelct board.
DeleteAll these here anonymous peeps be a confusin me. gots to be da numba system or sumfin. I be a doin sum figurin, ain't seen da numbers on how much it be a costn peeps for dem der things dat ever body gots ta have like dat insurance and dem perks in dem wall street stuff wit ah, oh yeah dem pensions and workin comp. anybody be a thinkin if dem cost can a be taken from dat ambulance account? way I be a seein it, if they ain't a covered from dat ambulance count, dat mean dem fellas and de ambulance do be a costin sumfin. any time peeps be a sayin it free an it be no cost to ya, always make me hair a stand up. does we hava to be a payin all dat stuff wit dat woods thingy? I gots ma shoes on so I can't be a doin dat numbas but sumbody out der could a be doin countin. what we be a needn is what it be a costin to own and what it be a costn to rent, den we see how much dem apples a be a costin for real. I don't be much carin if it be a rented amblance dat come get me, if I be a needed one, owned or rented don't much matta, ya follaw?
ReplyDeleteI be a wondern if n dat why dem big city folk in dat der gardner rents dem ambulances, de be a payin sum one lese cause all dem rules on dat als and if ya be a hurtin real bad, ya may be a wantin dat next level and what happens if dem big big city guys in dat there Bostone tell ever one ya gots to be als to be in dat ambulance service, what we a be doin then?
ReplyDeleteTo the anonymous who wonders why we need ambulance service. It seems as though you have been lucky so far in life & do not yet understand the importance of not only the "Golden Hour" but of golden Minutes & Seconds in the case of emergencies such as Anaphylactic shock (severe life threatening allergic reactions) where swift administration of an Epi-pen is essential, CPR, defibrillators for heart attacks, or Clot busters in the case of strokes, to name just a few serious medical conditions where response time is of the essence. These & many other emergencies require the utmost in speed & knowledge! I believe we should take Templeton to the next level of being a self-sufficient ALS service that can attend to those situations without the added expense or even more concerning the critical "golden time" that is lost waiting for another ambulance to arrive because we don't have certified paramedics to handle these cases. Much of this could be off-set by insurance reimbursement. There are certain things we need where the question should not be about the money & this is one of them. We are not talking about replacing worn out trucks, OT, new desks, etc but a scenerio where life could be lost because we weren't prepared. This is my strong recommendation, not only because of medical training but of personal experience. Thanks for considering my opinion.
ReplyDeleteas former chief smith states the ambulance pays for it self.in order to have als service you need full time people. look at surounding towns hubberston winch and west how much there als services bring in.not sure about hub but both other places have 2 amb .as a town we give woods amb alot of money that could be kept in house.but need fulltime people for this. but first things first. hire a new chief and let that person work with town officials on that. must be grants available for personal out there as well/
DeleteWhat's best for the taxpayers? There are many things to think about. Pensions, for example. Pay Woods and you're done. Have town workers running the ambulance and you have a pension liability.
DeleteThere a lot more to it. You still have to send out the fd on medical call just like Gardner. Weres that payroll come from. Yes the tax payers add to the buget.
Deletethe fire dept. does not respond to medical calls
Deleteif n the town go wit full time ambulance peeps and den we gots pension, dat health insurance, check out how much dat be a costin and tell me dat ambulance accout gonna pay for all insurance costs and pension cost. den I spose we be dealin wit another union, a buyin uniforms, wages holidays, all of em den we be a needin fillins for da holidays n vacation. som one better be a doin som math cause it always be a comin down to dollas n cents.
ReplyDeleteif you give woods the service you still have tp pay for there housing or gargaging whatever way you look at it and like person above stated still need to tone fire dept on medicals how much is that going to cost the town. first things first get them a fire chief first.and if you think woods is so great ask them how much they charge to cover gardners sporting events and how much does templeton fire or ambulance charge our schools. how much do they charge to teach all the town employees for cpr and first aid. maybe they should start charging for every thing and they could buy whatever they needed these members donate alot of time and energy to this town and all they get is grief.there equipment is the laughing stock. and yes pauly it has been taken to professionals to be looked at. if it wasnt for the people in town who do the inspections of the vehicles half wouldnt be road worthy.
DeleteAnonymous - it all comes down to "how much". For a town of 8,000 people, having a full-time ambulance service is a formidable task.
DeleteIf you think a full-time ambulance service is good for the town, my question is how much will it cost? Equipment, salaries, benefits and yes PENSIONS. Public sector employees get much more generous pensions than private sector. We have a very large unfunded pension plan in Massachusetts.
Every town in Massachusetts should not provide every service independently. Duplicated leadership, duplicated capital expenditures, duplicated administrative costs. If we had a private company providing ambulance service for two or three towns, how would the cost compare to every town having their own? Would the coverage be as good, taking into account that today people have to drive from their home or place of work to get the ambulance?
I don't know the answers to these questions. But as a taxpayer, it's going to take real numbers before I vote for a full-time fire department. The cost of pensions should be in every department's budget. Otherwise, we won't properly fund that department and we don't know how much it really costs.
I'm not anti-fire department. I just have questions about the viability of a full-time fire department or ambulance service in a town of 8000 people. And, as you state, the equipment is "junk".
dont have how much it would cost do recall former chief smith had all thows numbers and it was cheaper than hiring independant ambulance. and would you really want to share your amb service with three other communities hope there not on another call when you need them .i feel templeton amb does a good job responding to amb calls. is tough during day when people arnt around. thats why you need a couple of fulltime people. so woods isnt transporting during the day and that money leaving the town. also remember who put the town in the situation we are in not the fire dept not the police or highway or any other dept it was former selectman. how many fire fighters or police officers or teachers could we have if it wasnt for 252 baldwinville rd or all the other f ups like i have stated before they need to get a chief first than battle for every thing else.
DeleteWe need a chief that's a paramedic. The acting chief and the captain do not understand what it takes to be at the ALS level.
Delete"Revenue up at Winchendon transfer station"--article in TGN today. Hmmm...it makes sense if no one is there to steal.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to have an open discussion about whether the taxpayers support town operated ambulance service. All the pros and all the cons should be aired. Airing all the facts should build consensus, one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to stop this runaway train as far as public pensions go. Every employee should have to fund their own retirements like the rest of the general population has to. That is if the "average Joe" can even afford any extra to plunk into another account these days. The time of riding on that "gravy train" is long over!! Why should I have to fund a retirement for someone else when I can't even afford my own?? Are all these depts & personnel important, of course, but the salaries that they get are More than adequate to set up their own retirement accounts. I am tired of being made to feel like I should kiss the feet of certain depts. We are all just as important but few command the money that the public sector unions have gotten. There was a time when the unions were very much in line with the rest of the working population but they have put themselves on a pedestal & it is time that they got knocked off of it. Most cities & towns are going bankrupt mainly because they can no longer fund these inflated pensions. There are a few bold & brave governors of other states who have taken on this dilemma to try to get the state running in the black again. It needs to start on the local level & go right on up. Before someone bites my head off for stating what should now be the obvious, I am not saying I don't honor those who go out in the front lines for us, I do & (I did that type of work for a time myself) but, we need to be more sensible in a time when so many have lost their jobs all together. Also, I was a "public servant" once, minus the pension. I was part-time & had to fund my own, which is long gone due to this terrible economy. So, it is hard for me to feel sorry for those who are capable of adding to their own pension funds, as I had to. So many want everyone else to bail them out or pay for everything for them today. I wish some would stop whining when they are fortunate to have a good job already. They need to take care of themselves like the rest of us have to. If we did some of these things then I think we could easily support at least two on call paramedics & an updated ambulance along with enhanced rescue services & ALS license. My opinion.
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