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Monday, December 21, 2015

RESTORING PRIDE IN HFD AND SOME CHRISTMAS SPIRIT


The first in a new HFD tradition, Engine 8 /Tac 1 on Park St
The view from my bedroom window, Engine 5 on Sigourney St

The last few nights, I have noticed the view from my bedroom window has changed. My neighbor across the street, Hartford Fire Department Station, Engine 5 has been lit with bright Christmas lights. It seems as though more lights and decorations have been added for the last couple nights.

I never noticed the decorations in years past. On Saturday there was an accident by my driveway and Engine 5 was on scene providing EMS care. I noticed the engine was decorated showing holiday spirit, complete with a large wreath and tinsel.

My curiosity got the best of me and I started asking questions about the decorations. I was told that it was a social media campaign started by Hartford Fire Lieutenant Raul Ortiz on his Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/raul.ortiz.5494 After the decorations were complete on Lt. Ortiz's Engine 8 on Park Street. Lt. Ortiz threw out the challenge to the other  Hartford Firehouses  to start a friendly competition to show their Holiday Spirit and to build morale in the Department.

It seems to be catching on and it is amazing how little things can show leadership. The Hartford Fire Department has been through a couple of tough years. Maybe ideas by leaders like Lt Ortiz can jump start the rebuilding efforts (well, that and a new Chief)

Congratulations to Lieutenant Ortiz for your efforts and also for showing that Hartford does have pride.

The sad part is that the way this Department has been run recently and the poor decision making at  the top, Ortiz will probably get a 90 suspension for unauthorized  use of electricity.

If any other house would like to send me decoration pictures, e-mail them to me and I will post them.

16 comments:

Real firemen said...

Hey vinni, what does a union rat get for xmas?

Empty tanks said...

Yup. Write him up quick. I hope the chief gets a visit from the ghost of xmas future, holding the resignation letter in Mayor Bronin' s pocket ....

MarthaLubynsky said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Company 11 and Company 15 have been decorating for years. It's nice that others are as well

Anonymous said...

i think the friendly competition is a great idea and will hopefully give a much needed boost to the HFD morale.

Charlie's retirement said...

Wasn't Lt Raul Ortiz the guy who was Chief of Staff/PIO for a couple weeks but was transfered by Huertas because he talked to you Kevin?

Anonymous said...

Ortiz is a solid officer and a nice guy, intelligent too. Charlie is very intimidated by educated officers due to the fact that he has a simple intellect and pretends to have really gone to college like some scholar. He treats most of his officers with big educations like absolute dirt. Ortiz has experienced this first hand as have several other highly educated department leaders.

Anonymous said...

Hey Charlie, Lt. Ortiz is a class act and he will probably still help you write your farewell speech. I'm sure a college educated guy like Raul can somewhat polish your turd-like statements if only for a moment.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of company pride charlie can't be that bad, he let's only engine 8 drive around with a company logo on their new truck. No other truck in the city seems to be able to affix a logo. The guys have been seeking ways to show pride for years, they keep getting held down.

Anonymous said...

Everything aside for a moment I love riding through that section of Park Street every night and seeing all the pretty lights. The decorations on the fire house are very nice. Well worth the trip if you are out Christmas lights peeping.

Anonymous said...

The good thing about being on the job under bad administrations is if you hang long enough you get to see them come and go.
Huertas my only regret is I didn't hang to see you go. Didnt have much respect for you but when you clowned your way through the chiefs complex sucking in helium from ballons so you could talk like alvin the chipmuck I privately wept for you. Your dept crumbles and you wear the distinction of being the only chief in 40 yrs to loose a guy and yet you play the class clown for all to see. Enjoy your retirement every once in a while remember Kevin.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

11:04pm,

I think you did hang long enough. I am told Huertas was cleaning out his office today and change is in progress. More on this soon, but I am very hopeful and optimistic for the future of HFD.

Anonymous said...

Well, well, well.... At the end of the day it is clear that Charlie hitched his wagon to the wrong horse. Charlie you destroyed morale on this job with your favoritism, bad policy and weak leadership. How is your precious and overrated diversity working for you now? Why don't you tell the white guy who just fired you that he is not as significant as a person of color in this city? Is your hotline from the protected classes still ringing? Charlie, you could have been a savior in all this. Why didn't you just expose the council members that were illegally pressuring you to make corrupt promotions. All you had to do was call a reporter and tell the truth. Charlie, you went from hero to zero. oh yea, take drunk Helen with you.

Anonymous said...

We've heard he's not the only one cleaning out his desk, so is Rovella. Any idea what's going on Kevin?

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

Think there is anything going on . I believe Chief Revelo is under contract. Until September of 2016

Anonymous said...

Charlie and MITZY both leaving? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas