A proud moment for the Hartford Fire Department as they continue to rebuild under the efforts of Chief Reginald Freeman. Congratulations to the Probationary Firefighters who will graduate tomorrow. Please show your support to the men and women of the Hartford Fire Department as the newest members embark on honorable careers serving the people of Hartford. Stay safe to all , and best of luck in your careers.
Hartford Fire Department Recruit Class 23 Graduation by on Scribd
Under the leadership of Fire Chief Freeman our new Hartford Fire Fighters will have outstanding guidance. Congratulations! Hartford is proud to have you. Stay safe and God Bless.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I don't think Freeman is all of what you make him out to be. He only hired 7 white men for this graduation class and only another 7 white men in the upcoming recriut class of 45. He had skipped over 60 white men to accommodate the racial politics of the city. Freeman is starting to align himself with the past dirty fire chiefs. It's disappointing we thought he would be different but history has a habit of repeating itself.
ReplyDeleteKevin, I don't think Freeman is all of what you make him out to be. He only hired 7 white men for this graduation class and only another 7 white men in the upcoming recriut class of 45. He had skipped over 60 white men to accommodate the racial politics of the city. Freeman is starting to align himself with the past dirty fire chiefs. It's disappointing we thought he would be different but history has a habit of repeating itself.
ReplyDeleteWaaaaaaahhhhh freeman only hired 7 whitemen and how many people of color get hired by surrounding towns !??? Man stfu we want a PD that reflects our community the same way Avon West Hartford Farmington and other surrounding towns have fire departments that reflect theirs
ReplyDeleteHere with go with the race fixing again at HFD. Just when we thought Reggie was playing semi fairly he announces on the news how the class reflects the city demographics. He is definately color picking these recruit classes. I guess he's not the straight shooter he tries to appear to be. So much for hiring the highest scorers.
ReplyDeleteI guess Freeman is no better than the past Chiefs.
Bye-bye Fusco
ReplyDeleteWord has it that Freeman has been getting advice from his buddy the all time leading racist Billy Smith and keeping his distance from the whites. Expect to see more political hires and promotions from Reggie, the writing is on the wall.
ReplyDeleteLook here my paled brethren, you were born the white devil, it’s not your fault. Remember also, anti-racist represents anti- white. It’s modern guilt. See it for what it is and shake that head. Wiki claims 15.8% are white of a non Hispanic background. Are 7 caucusoids a fair racial balance of graduates? Chances are no. Let’s just perpetuate injustice to settle the score. FFS!
ReplyDeleteKevin the fact that you are allowing these comments to be posted is a reflection of you
ReplyDeleteI don’t censor the comments, and I think there are comments from both sides, or are you offended by people saying what is on their minds?
ReplyDelete8:26 PM I hear the infamous Billy Smith/Vinny Graves transcript from 18 years ago is gonna resurface for those unaware of what us “crackers” had endured with our leadership and coworkers.. When it does ,please read it and realize that Reggie is just a modern/polished version of Billy Smith ,,just pick one of the many racists on the job to replace the exceptional conversationalist Vinny Graves, (maybe Chuck or the soon to be FMO Chief) for instance. And please don’t use that certain “card” during this back and forth. Two wrongs never make a right! Does anybody else remember just how hateful that tape was?
ReplyDelete3 generations of Kellihers on the fire department and Puppet Freeman or any of the other 2 puppets bothered to visit Lt.Killeher on his last day. Truly sad!! But the black Lt from the TAC was invited over to fire headquarters on his last day. It's on Twitter !!! Picture of Lt.Joiner and Freeman together!!
ReplyDeleteKevin, Freeman is starting to show his true colors. He wasn't there for Kelliher's last day just like he totally bailed out on your boys the Nolan brothers retirement party. He had to show his support with his black alliance to stay away from the Nolan's party because Billy Smith told him it would be considered supporting and approving white supremacists. Whatever your reasons are Reggie for your lack of presence for these individuals you're losing the confidence in us line firefighter's at a rapid pace. Stop aligning yourself with the political color and gender quotes and start hiring the people most capable of protecting the citizens of Hartford.
DeleteAccording to department directives there are no unauthorized stickers on helmets. I’ve got no problem with flags of brothers family orWhat’s up with the black power fist on helmets nothing said. Kevin got to engine 14 lower blue hills see it for yourself
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that some firefighters think so little of Chief Freeman. I personally know the Kelliher family of outstanding Hartford Firefighters. However, Chief Freeman cannot be everywhere. I am not sure how many present Firefighters live in Hartford. I do and Hartford residents come first for new hires. Everyone used to live in Hartford. Well if everyone had stayed Hartford would be thriving.
ReplyDeleteI’m amused by the hypocrisy of HFD’s desire to hire city residents at the entry level position but could care less where their Chief is from. If city residents aren’t good enough for the top then keep them off the bottom too.
ReplyDeleteIf everybody had that residency attitude, where would the rest of Hartford residents work?
ReplyDeleteIf surrounding towns suddenly said you have to live here to work here you would be screaming racist all over the news.
You want surrounding towns to reach in their pockets and bail Hartford out but also say you cant work here. Who's the racist?
You also run a large part of the department on federal money but want to exclude people from applying for employment. I lived it yet i still cant understand it.
I hold Chief Freeman in high regard. As Kevin and I have both observed, he would make a great mayor given his public persona and managerial experience, both municipal and corporate. If it were determined that the Chief was taking advice from Billy Smith, it would be a career-ender. A post of that transcript as observed by 2:47 PM, would be a quick history lesson about why and how much that firefighter cost the City of Hartford, as in $3.2 million.
ReplyDelete9:03 PM is right, residency comes first in this entry-level position. But those residents must also be able to score high on both agility and written and oral tests. If there is skewing going on with scoring, that would also be a career-ender for whomever was involved if it were made public. If ANYONE knows of such skewing, either in HFD or HPD, please contact Kevin so he can investigate further. Thanks.
Alyssa, I find it amusing when people are enamored with politicians and department heads who dress up in doorman uniforms that are capable of smiling and speaking lucidly.People like yourself will say “They’re doing a great job,,,,they’re are perfect fit,,,,” or as you state “ I hold Chief Freeman in high regard” BASED ON WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS ??? Reggie is in charge of DPW,Right? Just this morning in the Courant is ANOTHER story of a park in need of physical attention and cleanup of crack pipes,needles and other hazards . Did you watch the WVIT report regarding Hartford’s sprinkler splash pads? Parents have to inspect and cleanup hazards before kids could run around. Snow removal sucks,there’s garbage along almost all the street gutters,bulk waste piled high for MONTHS on sidewalks . Here’s a statement from me ,,,“THE HARTFORD FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS NEVER BEEN IN A MORE DANGEROUS AND WORSE STATE THAN NOW” Alyssa,grant writing does not equate into great managerial experience,,getting a handout from the federal government every year isn’t going to fix what Reggie helped break. Did lots of “free” money help fix Hartford’s education system? By the way ,those federal grants come from my tax contributions. Alyssa or anyone else impressed with his shiny bugles,,, PLEASE list some of Reggie’s accomplishments .
ReplyDeleteI don't usually see the need to respond to comments, but in this case I do. For anyone to ask what Chief Freeman has done as Chief is just ridiculous. Put aside the hatred and the desire to see Reggie fail and maybe your eyes will be opened a little bit. For the first time in many years, the Hartford Fire Department is not a laughing stock, for the first time in years Firefighters lives are not being jeopardized by dwindling numbers. And the only reason Firefighters are being hired and trained to replenish the depleted ranks is because of those grants and Federal "handouts" you criticized Reggie for obtaining. In case you don't follow the news, the City of Hartford is broke and the only way to hire and pay for firefighters is with those Federal "handouts". And the bottom line is that if Hartford didn;t apply for the grants, some other City would ,so thank you Reggie for having the vision and the leadership to make this possible for a cash strapped City to protect its residents.
ReplyDeleteI also think you are probably unaware, or maybe you are which causes your displeasure with the Chief, Reggie Freeman has done more to clean up the ranks of HFD than his predecessors. Dead beats who had been milking the system with workers Comp abuse for years have been shown the door and chronic drug and alcohol abusers who refused to get help have also been shown the door.
A less than adequate radio system that jeopardized firefighters ability to communicate through buildings at fire scenes is being addressed. Chief Freeman was able to secure more of those Federal "handouts" to the tune of over $1 million dollars to address enhancements and changes to the radio system.
I would like to get Chief Freeman to do more, but my efforts to get him trained to walk on water to actually see him cross the Connecticut River on foot have been slowed by everything else he has been involved with.
Oh and finally your mention of the LT who was not visited on his last day was actually because it wasn't his "last day", he is going out for surgery, but still has over a month left on the books
Reggie may not be everything you wanted in your mind for Chief, but in my mind he is the best person for the job to repair what his predecessors overlooked , in a very flawed Department.
And I fully agree with Alyssa, Reggie Freeman would be very capable of running this City as Mayor, he already has the trust and credibility of many residents in Hartford
I always promote your blog to interested outsiders with the warning that your “right on the money” about 90% of the time. Your comment about Reggie just validated that 10% your “ dead wrong” on.
ReplyDeleteOK, so educate me . why am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteOK, so educate me . why am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteKevin,Reggie does not need my “desire” to facilitate failure ,he’s doing fine on his own.Alyssa ,here is an example of “skewing” ,,,Reggie and Human Resources gave a written test for HFD with a established passing grade , Reggie/HR received a list of 150+ “qualifying” candidates from that test ( please keep in mind 150+ is more than enough to move on to oral exam and put on 3 classes), a letter was sent out to those “qualifying” individuals ,Reggie and HR for some “unknown” reason LOWERED THE ORIGINAL ESTABLISHED PASSING GRADE AND MORE THAN DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES TO MOVE FOWARD! (personally I assume this was done to increase the pool of minority candidates and friends/family) AGAIN the original “qualifying”150+ is plenty! Those 150+ were now sent a second letter stating others (another 150+) are joining the party! Alyssa, if that’s not skewing,what is? Get this , once Reggie and HR established a list they then place candidates in a banding format where Reggie can cherrypick from each band regardless of written/oral score! Is that fair anyone? Alyssa and Kev does this sound like hiring the right person for the job? Reggie is proud of the diversity of said cherry picking but where are the Asians or Bosnians that have been productive and civilized residents in Hartford?Kevin, how about the fact that Reggie is well aware and disregards the city charter stating that employees hired on an interim basis stay NO LONGER THAN 6 MONTHES IN THAT CAPACITY? Kevin, Why are Hudson and Costello still there past their “expiration date” ? This is not a great display of managing skills. Kevin , Drug and alcohol abusers who refuse to get help you say? Reggie is well aware that HFD has had only ONE MANDATORY DRUG TEST IN THE LAST 25 YEARS! Reggie is turning his back on a long documented/known sad fact that FIREFIGHTERS ABUSE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL TO NUMB SOME OF THE PAIN FROM THE SHIT THEY SEE AND DO !!! Way to hookup a “brother” Reggie , much appreciated! Kevin, ask Reggie about his handling of his latest drug and alcohol abuser ,he was shown “the door” as you put it,,, THE DOOR TO ENGINE 16 !!!! Kevin ,you and Alyssa are right , Reggie is qualified to be Mayor ,maybe overqualified!Kevin ,if you post this , I sincerely thank you and look forward to your reply and input.
ReplyDeleteHFD made another 6 bottom of the barrel lieutenants today, that makes over 50 new officers in two years. That is more dangerous then all the new recruits coming on. These guys are laughing that they didnt even study now theyre getting rank. The blind leading the blind. The department will be a scary place January 2018 after the remaining experienced guys are forced to take their money and run.
ReplyDeleteHFD made another 6 bottom of the barrel lieutenants today, that makes over 50 new officers in two years. That is more dangerous then all the new recruits coming on. These guys are laughing that they didnt even study now theyre getting rank. The blind leading the blind. The department will be a scary place January 2018 after the remaining experienced guys are forced to take their money and run.
ReplyDeleteSome of these bottom of the barrel people like you say got screwed on the oral examination process.some of these individuals should had scored higher on the oral test but got screwed due to a shitty oral test process, meanwhile some of the most worst firefighters with no experience got promoted last year. I will say that I will follow a couple of these bottom barrel guys in any fire in a building. On the other hand I would never follow the top scorers in any building. A higher score absolutely does not mean you are a better firefighter.
DeleteYou know what's more dangerous?? Guys that score 90s on a test and never go in burning buildings. We have all seen it. I would follow at least two of these guys in any fire. I have seen some of these guys work their butts off at many fires through out the years. Good test takers belong behind a desk not in a burning building!!!
DeleteYes , absolutely right my friend. Most high scorers are great at managerial labor and are not aggressive firefighters. Keep the nerds behind the desk and the real firefighters out on the field.
DeleteNo problem for these pros...Anything goes wrong, blame the new recruits for the disaster and if things go right, steal the credit from the new recruits ability to give a damn. Will the newbies be heard? I predict some serious resentments will bubble up and fester albeit it’s already there.
ReplyDeleteDo eligibility requirements differ for those with family on the job or who’s father eats lunch with the Chief? If being a bona fide resident was truly important, the powers that be would have discovered that a few who just graduated have NEVER lived in Hartford.
ReplyDeleteKevin. I have to check , but i believe the grant you say Reggie secured was already in place before Reggie got here. Or it could be that grant was lost due to Reggie not using it and has now secured a new larger grant. Point being there was grant money in place for new ff recruits yet the positions went unfilled driving up ot and now creating a severe shortage of experience in the ranks. You sing Reggies praises but what do you really know about him and wtf do you think you know about fire department operations. Why dont you post my comments on Reggies huge budget increases compared to the last 10-15 years of FD operations and he still went over budget last year. That is not good management.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is there are a few guys who are book smart only and not worth anything in a real situation, a good deal of guys who are some where in the middle and prefer to use their down time in the firehouse on a couch watching old movies or playing on the computer the majority of their shifts, not taking the time to commit to the whole job, like really learning the city streets so you don't need a map every time you go out, or studying and planning your major buildings, knowing your apparatus in and out and all the things you should know second nature to do the job autonomously so you can concentrate on the dynamic issues. These are the guys that wake up and open a book a month or 2 weeks before a promotional test and then bitch about how they were railroaded on a written or oral exam. Heard that story for years, these same guys will then tout how hard they work in a fire , and many do, but the job is so much more, let's face it, little of your career is actually spent in a burning building, compared to total time served. There are many other tasks that come under the heading of FF, or better still, Fire Officer.
ReplyDeleteIt's the 3 rd group that generally does well throughout their career, the total package guys that can walk the walk, as well as know why something is going to happen or how to handle it when it does. Sadly this group of FF's is shrinking, and why not with battlefield promotions, no test that is, and with list extensions, all you need is a minimal grade to get on a list, then just wait till your called. You really want a promotion , score in the top 15
Listen up Reggie, when you bring a guy in for a promotion, bring his officer in with him, find out if the ff is active or a couch jockey, if he is willing to step up and drive and knows his streets, if he will be in charge or cry and let someone from out of his house be in charge while he rides the hydrant. These are the real garbage that sadly, we promote.
I posted anonymous, but anyone who knows me has heard me say all of the above for years, I took many test over the years and always scored in the top 5 , not a scholar buy any means, just did 10-15 minutes in the books every day, or maps, my whole career. And I never was afraid of working either, guess I consider myself in the third group. Might be a book worm to some, a jerk to others but never lazy or a whiner, HFD, you need "Can Do, not Can't Do"