Reggie was not an insider or "career Hartford firefighter" as his detractors had complained. And I think that is part of the key to his success so far. Chief Freeman does not "owe" anyone.
Chief Freeman has been able to attack the "dirty little secrets" that have been around and well known by his predecessors for years, but they were always ignored. The drug dealing, drug use, alcohol abuse and the workers comp and sick time abuses. None of that is new, but the fact that people are being held accountable is new.
The joke in the Police and fire Department has always been employees making their annual appointments with Doctor "Summeroff" to get an extended vacation with pay and benefits.
Many firefighters were concerned with Chief Freeman when he came in as to how his leadership and accountability would affect their "part time jobs". One Lieutenant just found out the hard way
It cost him his career.
Lt. John Moree, a 21 year veteran of the Hartford Fire Department, was terminated for alleged Workers Compensation Abuse. Moree claimed he was unable to work due to an injury, but he was apparently caught on video lifting sheets of drywall at a Home Depot store.
Apparently, when Moree realized he had been caught like a rat going for the bait in the trap, he apparently quickly came up with an offer to retire. That would have allowed him to get of easy and maintain his paid healthcare for life and claim his unused sick and vacation time and the other benefits honorable and hardworking firefighters who retire from the City are allowed.
Moree was allegedly perpetrating a fraud on the people of Hartford and the Hartford Fire Department and to allow him the same benefits as firefighters that retire honorably would be a travesty and an injustice to employees that play by the rules. Moree was terminated and not allowed to retire.
Moree isn't the first to be accused of abusing the system. Ask any Hartford firefighter with integrity and they will probably rattle off a long list of names of abusers during their careers. And many of those names were most likely known to previous Chiefs who chose to ignore and in some cases enable the abusers.
Chief Freeman has also taken decisive action against other firefighters who failed to address their own issues and forced his hand. This past year has resulted in a couple of terminations for firefighters allegedly involved in drug use and one firefighter accused of an off duty drug transaction that resulted , allegedly, in his shooting, was also terminated by Freeman.
I had hoped that Chief Freeman was wrong on the termination of Jimmy Ngo, but according to law enforcement sources who have spoken to me on the condition that they remain anonymous, the layers of the onion may start getting peeled off as text messages and other electronic information exposes a wider problem within HFD.
I hope I am wrong, but I have every confidence that Chief Freeman will no longer cover for the "dirty little secrets" like his predecessors. It all goes back to the message of ACCOUNTABILITY that Reggie delivered to all of his firefighters from his first day on the job as Chief.
Reggie Freeman is definitely an Administrator and a true Gentleman. One thing he is not is a hose jockey who kissed enough political asses to rise to the top like his predecessors
ReplyDeleteHold up Kevin are more fire fighters in trouble??
ReplyDelete4:08pm
ReplyDeleteSadly, yes, that is the indication I am receiving.
Moree and Ngo are two FF's who got caught but the list of dirty FF's is a very long list
ReplyDeleteChief Freeman is a a badly needed breath of fresh air to the HFD. I hope he stays for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteChief Freeman is a a badly needed breath of fresh air to the HFD. I hope he stays for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteWorkers Comp should go back and check his injury history and match it to his tax claims for his business. One of the biggest pieces of @%#@ ever. Useless and uncaring from day 1. 100% what is wrong with the promotional system. Should never have been promoted with his history of missing work.
ReplyDelete5:45pm
ReplyDeleteSadly , that is what I am learning, I pray it is not true, but the sources I am talking to are usually very accurate
We Hartford residents are very lucky to have Chief Freeman at the helm.
ReplyDeleteWe Hartford residents are extremely blessed to have Chief Freeman at the helm.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Mancini is next. The kid is always flaunting his vaca's on Facebook while on A injury. With no care in the world.
ReplyDeleteGood God Kevin dont keep us in suspwnxw can we get a round about number of how many heads are gonna be on the chopping block
ReplyDeleteReggie came along 21 years to late, Moree was a fraud the minute he put an HFD uniform on, Never found 1 thing I could say positive about Moree. He took the drivers test while he was in a complete torso body cast, Dont really remember but I think he fell out of the chair on the watch desk with his feet up and hurt his back, well that might have been the story. Think that was him, anybody remember. One of our beauties fell out of a chair and wrote it up.
ReplyDeleteAs for Reggie, juries still out, on one hand he is able to make a decision and follow through, like Moree and Jimmy but he has not done so well keeping department spending down. Significant budget increases and over runs in last two years as compared to previous administrations. With the cities poor financial state, this is important.
But know this, if you mess up big and go before Chief Freeman, probably not gonna get a slap on the hand, word is Reggie isn't buckling under Vinny either.
Brookman...you are so skilled in pointing out the handful of abusers we have in our midst on the HFD, but what of the vast majority of dedicated employees at HFD who have courageously served this city and dedicated their careers to firefighting? One thing we never hear is the opposing side of the situation...how does Hartford treat its firefighters? Well, let me tell you.
ReplyDeleteThe department is basically busier than I have seen it in my career, yet the city has cut our pay and benefits. More work, less pay and benefits. The firehouses we live in and operate from are often a hundred years old and badly in need of repair, exterminators, and mold specialists. The furniture in the firehouses is often so old and dirty that a sheet must be placed before sitting in a chair. The grounds of some of the houses must be policed multiple times daily for the trash that piles up outside. All this and you get to come to work and be told "you are not doing your job", which seems to be the latest strategy at accountability around here. But you know what, the truth of the matter is that the vast majority of HFD members have been doing their job well for years. The city of Hartford should be the one who makes sure they are keeping their end of the bargain by treating dedicated firefighters like valued city assets.
above? Not going to happen, recently we even found out what your life is worth, $350 K minus attorney fees, so what 2-250 grand? thats all it takes to pay off the losers to make the law suits go away.Nolan got double that for bad publicity and a year without a job. F in Shame. Young guys, know this, you are a number and like any other tool in the shed you have a value, and a shelf life.
ReplyDeleteKevin, what's with HPD LT Laureano calling a HFD deputy chief a turd for parking a marked fire expedition on Main St in front of the DD stadium and telling him he has to move. When he didn't move, HPD motorcycles blocked him in front and rear. Then after that Laureano and traffic units joked and made fun of HFD on the traffic channel. Tapes have been pulled of the traffic channel. HFD command staff isn't going to Rovella because they know he won't take action. This is how professionalism is displayed at HPD? Traffic supervisors should be ashamed of themselves and need to grow up. Check into this Kevin, you'll be shocked.
ReplyDeleteOnly difference between HPD and HFD is that HPD keeps it quiet when one of their own gets arrested. When a firefighter gets arrested it is immediately leaked to the media.Both departments are a bunch of useless parasites.West Hartford does it better!!!!
ReplyDeleteWest Hartford does it better? West Hartford can't put out a campfire without calling Hartford. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them throwing water through a window to extinguish a cigarette in an ashtray. What a joke
DeleteThe only picture you could find to post of Freeman was in a non Hartford uniform??
ReplyDeleteThe problem starts with city of Hartford personnel department and the Hartford Fire Training academy. They both have the power to eliminate recruits or potential recruits who will not contribute anything to the department. Many of these behaviors can be spotted during the first several days of a recruits training. I have seen the behavior displayed in public by some of these firefighters while on duty in uniform. I must say it's very embarrassing. The way they talk,the way they act,even the way they wear the uniform . It starts from the upper chain of command. When you have a deputy chief in District 2 on C-Tour who wears his shirt hanging out or wears non department issue clothing while on duty and filthy worned out boots and non issue department hats and walks around calling the fire chief "KID" at a chiefs meeting ,then you know anyone else below the chain of command will not respect the rules and regulations of the department. I have seen the embarrassing and childish and ghetto behavior of many members while on duty and in the public eye. A very small portion of the Hartford Fire Department behaves accordingly in public.It is very embarrassing to wear this uniform , especially after many years of firefighters getting arrested for doing stupid activities when off duty and on duty.Public image can be improved with simple things as having regular haircuts and wearing your uniform correctly and not acting like a fool or ghetto in public.Most importantly elimination of trash during the hiring and training process. Hartford Police seems to do a better job of keeping their house cleaner and actually running a more rigid academy than Hartford Fire Academy. When was the last time you saw a Hartford police officer responding to a call with his shirt untucked or having dreadlocks or acting ghetto in public?? In my many years as a Hartford firefighter I have never seen this behavior from a Hartford police officer,at least not in public.
ReplyDeleteChief Freeman should start the disipline process on those who continue to embarrass the department starting with wanna be thugs on the fire department. Sometimes I feel like I am working next to gansters that belong in prison.
ReplyDeleteI was a Cpt. and did regular tours in the Red Car, wish that had been me because I would have shoved the bikes over, or called the State police to the scene and had them arrested for impeding and emergency vehicle. See if they laugh on the radio when their bike is dripping oil and fuel in a big heap. DC's, grow some balls, don't put up with that shit from HPD. Should get along but that's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAnd to whoever did that, grow up, really unprofessional. You have any idea how many cruisers were parked in front of fire buildings when I pulled up with a ladder truck only to find out I couldn't get access because the cop was out sight seeing or trying to be a hero?
might need to call the tac to the scene and cut that debris up and have it move out of the way of the red car, now that would be a great picture for the news.
2:40am
ReplyDeleteSorry, totally missed the patch. The picture has been changed
8:32PM
ReplyDeleteAs usually turns out, the truth lies somewhere in between the version you laid out and what actually happened. The whole thing was ridiculous from the bginning. The D/C has a driver so if the DC wanted to go inside, instruct the driver to pull around the corner and if you need him you will call him. A pretty simple solution, especially after a HPD officer requested them not to park there since the team buses would be coming up shortly to load there. It is said you have to choose your battles, and neither HFD or HPD chose wisely. Did anyone win?
And Chief Rovella and Chief Freeman were involved from the very beginning, contrary to your statement. I did hear the conversation from the start on the Traffic Channel and I didn't hear "Laureano and traffic units joked and made fun of HFD on the traffic channel." as you stated, if "the tapes were pulled" and indicate otherwise, please send me a copy an i will post the recordings here.
Again, a stupid incident that should never have escalated once the D/C was asked to move the vehicle in the first place. Unless there is a fire emergency, HPD was running the scene and it was their call, not a D/C that wanted to watch a baseball game during his shift and he should have complied with their requests which were reasonable. Your claim of anyone being caled a "turd" is the first I have head of that, from anyone that was there at the time.
The D/C has since submitted his retirement papers from what I am told
5:19PM
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have overlooked some important facts. Who in their right mind would settle a wrongful death claim for $350,000, unless of course time was of the essence to get a settlement amount and a deal to name a firehouse before the toxicology reports came out in the media? Also, where is the application for the Federal Death benefit for a line of duty death? Oh that's right, the application requires a toxicology report from the ME to be attached I think that benefit alone is somewhere around $500,000. I doubt any family would settle a LODD claim for such a small amount if they knew the City was liable and the tox screen was clean.
So please don't try to scare or undermine good/clean firefighters.
Wow alot of secrets revealed on this thread
ReplyDelete3:11am
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in your assessment of the HR problem with one major exception. HPD hiring is governed by State Statutes with standards that are set and monitored by POST (Police Officer Standards and Training Council) no such statuatory requirements exist for the hiring of firefighters , hence the possibility of political hacks and less than qualified applicants being dumped into the fire department as Hartford's history has shown. Ask Dan Nolan what happened when he failed unqualified applicants out of the Fire Academy. Luckily the current Chief is not bowing down to the political pressure to bury less than stellar applicants and friends of politicians in the HFD. Current applicants need to actually be able to do the job
Front of Dunkin Donuts park is a fire lane . Game was in 5th inning. Why would an on duty deputy chief have to move his department vehicle while on duty just because HPD is having a power trip as usual.The team bus was not near the scene ,as the game was right in the middle. It's all a bunch of bull from HPD. I have driven off duty through their DUI check points countless of times, as soon as they see it's a Hartford firefighter they start acting like a-holes. Meanwhile the guy behind me with the Maine license plate who doesn't pay city property tax gets cleared in two seconds. I live in the city and work in the city and own property in the city. I have dealt with HPD on several occasions for break-ins in my properties and only one time I had an officer that treated me with respect. It seems like when someone calls 911 HPD treats the victims like the criminals. HPD has many good officers ,but the majority don't want to be bothered. By the way that hasn't been the only incident at DD Park between police and fire,this is just one of many incidents.
ReplyDeleteFrustrations are high between PD and FD maybe in part because HFD always runs in and cuts a deal for a contract that PD feels weakens there bargaining position. They may be right in part, but also may have lost touch with todays harsh realities.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 5:18PM
ReplyDeleteIt has been said over the years that HFD was a Top Rated Department because of it's personnel and fire suppression abilities. I will concur with that statement but that was a long time ago. HFD has become nothing but problematic for the last 30 years as it became a dumping ground for inept city residents/employees. The most devastating aspect about that fact is that the good, honest, dedicated firefighters have to worry when they are working with or for the likes of John more or Kevin Bell, etc. Always looking over their shoulders depending on who their crew was.
To besmirch WHFD shows how clueless you are. When WHFD has a large fire that quickly overwhelms their resources they call for assistance, normal procedure when a department staffs for "normal days" as most do. One of the main reasons for HFDs success at fires is that HFD throws a high number of firefighters at the fire, it's bound to go out eventually. Long gone are the days when a city or town will
" overstaff " even if its the safest thing. I'm sure HFD will find that out as the city money woes continue. But to besmirch another department just shows what a horses a$$ you are.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSo let me get this straight. You (or one of your guys) comes on a post that has nothing to do with WHFD and refers to my brothers and I as "useless parasites" but I'm a "horses a$$" for throwing a shot at WH? Ok buddy. If you guys can't handle a couple comments maybe you shouldn't come on our city blog pounding your chests. But thanks again for the lecture on manpower, I really needed that.
DeleteLt. Laureano here:
ReplyDeleteI had a long productive conversation with Chief Freeman. We both agree that whats been said has been said and whats in the past is in the past. I look forward to working with Chief Freeman and all the members of HFD to strengthen and build upon the relationship between HPD and HFD. After all, we are all out here essentially doing the same thing, serving Hartford. The people benefit when HPD and HFD have a great relationship. Im here for the cause.
To the West Hartford Fire member that posted here, Hartford has had it's troubles but has really maintained that High level of performance at fire scenes despite our troubles. As far as being overwhelmed at scenes it seems West Hartford is often overwhelmed at even the smallest incidents. I have been personally handed a hoseline at a door way of a burning building when those firefighters did not enter. Not looking for a war here but let me spell that out in a time frame. WH companies arrive on scene and determine they need more resources, they call additional WH resources and then Hartford. By the time we get there, and even find the address in a town we are not familiar with, how is it in all that time , no one has yet gone in and knocked down the fire, the volume of fire doubles with each 18 degrees of temperature increase, do you see where i'm going with this, if you got in earlier and actually put some water on it you would not need us so often,"HFD has become nothing but problematic for the last 30 years" that is your quote, Who is besmirching who?
ReplyDeleteKevin, I wrote the quote on the 350K settlement, I haven't overlooked any of the details you mentioned, but there's so much more to peel off of this onion than you know. The sad thing here is as a guy who did this , I had a family and small children coming through my career, you always wonder or worry if your number were to come up, what would happen to my family. I always believed no matter what happened even with the city cover ups , the federal investigation would bring out the truth, NIST or Federal OSHA, NFPA , somebody would reveal the truth. I have read and re read that final report and it is so generic, so lacking, so unwilling to find fault or blame, hell, it doesn't even mention the name Hartford Fire Department. It says a career dept. in the Northeast. It is just a total disappointment that in the end many of us will never know the whole truth. And as far as trying to scare anyone, thats not the point, the point is exactly what I said, at the end of the day your just a number, And Kevin, you may print this , you may not, but you are a blogger, an outsider, I did this long enough to retire as captain, I think I have more insight than you, even with your multiple sources you still haven't lived it. As far as bell running out of air, I don't need a 2 yr long investigation to tell me he died with his mask on after running out of "breathing gas". Like I said, myself and many others were patiently waiting for that report to come out and reveal facts and explain some questions, it was seriously lacking.
ReplyDeleteWith all the power of the organizations , Federal agencies, State Police, how is it the tox report stayed surrpressed so long, the whole thing just stinks of organized cover up.
Say what you want about Bell, he was not my favorite, but he died in the building near the end of a hoseline, only could have got there unless he was trying, that might not have been the case for the guy that should have been with him.
Lt.Moree is like O.J Simpson. He got away with murder but got caught for larceny !!!
ReplyDeleteThe juice is not loose any more ������!!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWest Hartford does it better? West Hartford can't put out a campfire without calling Hartford. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them throwing water through a window to extinguish a cigarette in an ashtray. What a joke
July 23, 2017 at 5:18 PM
Blogger Anonymous said...
So let me get this straight. You (or one of your guys) comes on a post that has nothing to do with WHFD and refers to my brothers and I as "useless parasites" but I'm a "horses a$$" for throwing a shot at WH? Ok buddy. If you guys can't handle a couple comments maybe you shouldn't come on our city blog pounding your chests. But thanks again for the lecture on manpower, I really needed that.
July 24, 2017 at 12:10 PM
Who took the first shot?
Nobody said anything about "useless parasites" except you.
Really? Do me a favor, scroll up, put your glasses on and read anonymous at 10:07. Lol you guys crack me up
Deletepretty clear, he said "Parasites"
ReplyDeleteWest Hartford Firefighters? no "I'm a fire monitor, theres a fire , better call Hartford"