By impressed citizen

July 24, 2009 12:17 PM | Link to this

Firefighters truly are heroes. THANK YOU for giving up you pay during times like this. Hopefully the city will value your valor and leave you guys alone now!

By Mari

July 24, 2009 12:19 PM | Link to this

I still think there is someplace else Dayton can reduce its budget. Hitting our firefighters and police force is just not the answer.

By think about it

July 24, 2009 12:36 PM | Link to this

the DFD should reduce thier number of investigators. They have to much time on thier hands to play on the DDN web..

By its me

July 24, 2009 12:51 PM | Link to this

Glad to see them making sacriface also. Lets hope they get it back and then some, when and IF this town gets back on thier feet.

By Gyro

July 24, 2009 1:08 PM | Link to this

To all, A hero is not being paid when the heroic action occurs. Firefighters are needed and PAID accordingly. To bad there is less and less money to go around. Thank the Hat Lady and her inept Management group.

By whatchathink

July 24, 2009 1:23 PM | Link to this

hmmmmm, what do you think is going through Randy’s head about now???

By don

July 24, 2009 1:31 PM | Link to this

it is a real shame that both the firefighters and the police dept are being asked to cut there pay and give up more. These fine men and women, put there lives on the line, each and every day to protect all citizens. I wonder if as much effort and importance is put on companies and people you do not pay there property taaxes on time and if they are taken to the full extent of the law. Im sure if just 255 to 355 of the past due tax money was collected from some of the worst past due companies and citizens was collected, there would be enough money to Pay these fine men and women….raises..instead of taking there income away. What a real shame that the city leaders have stooped to the extent of asking the fire dept. and police dept….to sacfrice…..MORE…than what they should…

By sw

July 24, 2009 1:36 PM | Link to this

Has anyone stopped to think that all of the non-compliant tax -payers out there could be to blame. You all know who you are! Start paying like the rest of us and this problem wouldn’t be so severe!

By whatchathink

July 24, 2009 1:44 PM | Link to this

First, that is an interesting choice of range, don (255-355). Also, while I don’t want to rush into a burning building or wrestle around (or worse) with a criminal, you have to remember that most public employees also have families to feed and support. Taking a cut is not fun, no matter who you are or what you do. Management tends to take their cuts while doing more work. Remember, for most mid and upper managers, there is no OT or comp time. They do it because it needs to be done…

By X-File

July 24, 2009 1:50 PM | Link to this

Way to go Fire Fighters! Now the City Managers office needs to do the right thing and not replace Jane Howington’s ACM position and combine her duties as other departments are made to do.

By SLMR

July 24, 2009 1:59 PM | Link to this

This is a reply to … It’s me time stamped at 12:51 … How dare you say “Glad to see them making sacrifice also”… They make a sacrifice every time there is a call.. How dare you say that! Shame on you! remember that next time you see a fire truck or ambulance .. they be going to a loved one homes that you know or dear friend … Yup -I have a brother who is a Fireman and a Paramedic … and so Proud of him and all those who serve us unselfishly….

By don

July 24, 2009 2:01 PM | Link to this

The 255 to 355 was a type-o error….It was suppose to be 25% to 35%…or companies and individuals who are past due on property taxes……regarding public employees and managers comment….most oponions are that the fire and police dept. employees do not get paid enough in the first place to sacfirce there lifes to help everyone out in time of need. It would be an interesting fact to see how many citizens and companies are protected and served by the fire and police dept. that do not pay the property taxes that are past due for years at a time. You can go down some of the largest companies in the Miami Valley….who simply do not put enough emphasis on paying there fair share of the taxes that are past due. This has not just been the case lately, but has occured over years of neglect. It runs in the millions of dollars. Now that is what needs to be done. I wonder if a mandate came out, that if you are deliguent on your property taxes, then you will be excempt from fire and police protection…..what would everyone think then.

By to SLMR

July 24, 2009 2:08 PM | Link to this

if u had half a brain you could comprehend my comment in the way it was meant!! In no way did I refer “sacrifice” to mean what you and prolly ONLY you think. I meant it to mean in the way other workers are asked or told to “sacrifice”, “bite the bullet”,”take one for the team”, etc. Brain up dude!

By null

July 24, 2009 2:49 PM | Link to this

Come next May the FD will regret this decision. They will not be exempt and their disregarding their agreed upon contract is not worth the paper it is printed on. Taking cuts in Holiday pay sets that precedent that won’t be given back to them again..

By Primidonna

July 24, 2009 2:56 PM | Link to this

Sacrifice my bum. They are well paid. Have good retirements and retire early. Why do they drive the fire truck to meyers to buy dinner? to look cool.

By RetFF

July 24, 2009 3:38 PM | Link to this

Here is how it works: During a fire, paid waaay too little; between fires, paid a little more than normal. Trust me, the average is still too low, but that’s how it goes. Maybe the city should stop trying to get the folks to move back from Springboro and start trying to better the city to keep the ones we’ve got. Like, run RTA every 20 minutes during rush hour instead of once an hour.

By disgusted

July 24, 2009 3:43 PM | Link to this

Yes, primidonna…that’s what firefighters are concerned with…that they look cool. When they are fighting fires in 90 degree weather, they are concerned with how they look. When their mustaches are frozen in 10 below weather, they want to make sure they look cool. They drive the fire truck to meijer’s because they might have just been out on a run and haven’t had time to eat all day, you moron.

By Frank

July 24, 2009 3:48 PM | Link to this

Christ, I understand Firefighters do heroic things when they run into a burning building. But the hero worship is getting a little ridiculous. Calling them True American Heroes for taking a pay cut. Give me a break. That would make the entire country Heroes. What about those laid off, are they Gods?? Can the praise, they’re just doing what everyone else is doing.

By disgusted

July 24, 2009 3:52 PM | Link to this

They don’t call themselves heroes. They are doing their jobs, just like everybody else. You are going to hold it against them because they chose a different profession that…so far…hasn’t led to lay offs? They work hard everyday. And they don’t retire early. Some are 60 and still plugging away because they have to. And let’s not talk about the idiots they have to deal with at fire scenes…the rubber neckers who drive right over the hoses, ignoring all the lights flashing. Thankless job.

By FF's WIFE

July 24, 2009 3:54 PM | Link to this

well my husband got his wage frozen and now hes not getting holiday pay either. i dont understand why dayton can’t find other ways he “help the communtiy”. my husband is a hero everytime his pager goes off for a call. all hours of the day and night. im very proud of him and i hope you all see how important they are to the community! he is a brother, son, husband, and a soon to be father!! please show support to your local FD!!!

By Surprised

July 24, 2009 4:49 PM | Link to this

I’m surprised at the lack of backbone on the part of DFD. Guess what? Next May, you’re not going to be reward for your sacrifice by the city, but be expected to be cut even more. What were you thinking?

By Firewalker

July 24, 2009 5:27 PM | Link to this

I am a Dayton Firefighter, I am not a hero, never claimed to be. I have awards, I have saved many lives, lost even more. We do a job, we do not feel we are any more important than anyone else. I will say that I have done and have witnessed heroic actions. Not for glory but it is what we are paid to do. We die sometimes, in those moments, burning buildings are a scary thing, we don’t live as long as the rest of you because of what we breathe in, so, do we make a living wage, yes. Are we breaking the bank…no. At the end of the day we realize that all of us are taking a hit right now, hopefully, the economy will improve and all of us can prosper.

By rrhoop5469

July 24, 2009 6:05 PM | Link to this

Yes there are other places they could reduce their budget from rather than people’s pay, etc but sadly, any cuts they make anywhere would require someone to lose their job not matther how much they waste their money on it. Until our economy is back on it’s feet, pay freezes, etc are the best option. Once everyone is back in business, THEN start cutting out the fat. That is when there will be plenty of jobs for those who lose one can find another one.

By Fred

July 24, 2009 6:21 PM | Link to this

It is about time they lay off firefighters. Instead of them just playing cards and cooking

By Whitecloud

July 24, 2009 7:08 PM | Link to this

We’re on duty 24 hours at a time, Fred. Reckon a fella needs to eat once or twice during that time period, so we cook. And cards or television helps a person recouperate after giving CPR to a dying child for 45 minutes. But of course, you’ve been there Fred, so tell us all about it.

By COD

July 24, 2009 7:13 PM | Link to this

The firefighters union negotiated a deal that will save money that is needed but will NOT see any of their members with a short check. They get paid 1/5 of their weekly rate of pay for a holiday whether they actually work the holiday or not. The net result of this deal is for 4 weeks that they would have gotten extra pay they will instead get their normal pay. They will not have short checks like the rest of us city employees. They also their District Chiefs from demotions and were able to create new full time EMT-B positions to help fill the gaps. They were willing to look at the whole picture and work with the City to come to up with a solution. 60% of them voted for it. Unlike the Police the Firefighters are willing to look at the big picture.

By GET REAL

July 24, 2009 7:26 PM | Link to this

FF’s wife get real. You whine like the baby you’re about to have. The firefighters get holiday pay as a bonus even when they don’t even have to work it. They get it if they worked even one day of the week of the holiday. Your husbands check isn’t going to be short a days worth of pay like everyone else in the city will. Quit glorifying your your husbands job. And since when do the DFD carry pagers to be on call 24/7. They are on 24 off 48 so quit making it sound like he’s a brain surgeon in top demand. If he doesn’t want to take a paycut I dare him to go find another fire department locally that will hire full time and pay him what he gets paid in Dayton. And remember when you pop out that kid and need all the paperwork done to get it on insurance that the poor suckers in City Hall that will do that paperwork for you and who make sure you get that paycheck deposited into your account every two weeks will not only see a pay freeze but a pay cut as well this year.

By nyc

July 24, 2009 7:44 PM | Link to this

a lot of firefighters…fight fires as volunteers…they just get a thank you..

By crazymary

July 24, 2009 8:13 PM | Link to this

Ok I wasn’t going to respond but I must, what about all the people who work for the city of dayton that have also passed this proposal and given up raises and holiday pay? The only ones that haven’t agreed are the police! So who are the greedy ones here? They will stand by and watch 11 of their fellow police officers be laid off on Aug 3 because they are retiring next year and with all the overtime they will get it will boost their monthly checks. I hope that the police department follows suit with the firefighters in this city and put this all past us. Stop being greedy and start thinking about other people!

By Tot

July 24, 2009 8:42 PM | Link to this

The City of Dayton should look at all the programs that they implemented in recent years. We have half the people we had 50 years ago and I would bet more employees than we had then. A case in point… OMB-how many employees? Used to be Bureau of Budgets with 2 employees.

By d.f

July 24, 2009 8:44 PM | Link to this

hey crazy mary! you are crazy to think Iam giving up my payraise that I have earned .I have been with DPD for 18 years and I dont care what or who gets layed off in my department.Thats beanes problem,not mine.I dont feel I should have to pay for their cobra either.I have paid my dues as far as years go.Its not fair to offset my retirement over a pathetic city manager and an even more pathetic hug a thug chief.I earned it, so scrwyu

By dpsu sucks

July 24, 2009 9:21 PM | Link to this

The city believes that the cops, ff’s and dpsu should all be treated equally. It boggles the mind how the trashmen, lawnmowers, and street workers are compared to the cops & firefighters is a joke. What risk do they take??? How can they say that the water dept and trashmen are “essential workers” and don’t have to take furlough days but the cops & ff’s do. The city commision is obviouslly rather confused.

By New

July 24, 2009 9:30 PM | Link to this

d.f is not a cop. He is pretending to be one and making inflamatory statements. Ignore him. Oh, and it sounds to me like Fred couldn’t hack it and is still bitter. Awww.

By New

July 24, 2009 9:36 PM | Link to this

Hey “dpsu sucks”, Jobs are jobs, people are people, and families are families. Cops and firefighters are no better then lawnmowers and trashmen. This isn’t about who has a more important job. It is about the horrid mistakes by the city leaders and the price all us city employees are having to pay as a result.

By I see his point

July 24, 2009 9:40 PM | Link to this

whether df is a cop or not doesnt matter. he does make an interesting point.if most of the fop44 didnt feel the same way as he does,then those 11 might still be here. so i think df might be a cop, just showing his outdated way of thinking

By Validus

July 24, 2009 9:50 PM | Link to this

df…if you are a cop what have u sacrificed really? You have seven years until you can retire and are probably a slug anyway. So get yours can’t wait until you retire then we can get back to business.

By dwayne j

July 24, 2009 10:04 PM | Link to this

DF isnt saying anything different than what the fop did to its own 11. AT least DF has the guts to explain whats really goin.Its hard to be loyal to anyone here lately

By recall mchat

July 24, 2009 11:04 PM | Link to this

to get real and some of the other comments that are uninformed…yes dfd gets paid for the holidays they don’t work…9 hours woohoo!! They also work 24 hours on the holidays they do work with only that big 9 hours extra for spending entire days away from their families.

By Time4Change

July 24, 2009 11:44 PM | Link to this

When is everyone goiong to ask the city commissioners to give up their cars and gas cards and insurance. Come on it is a part time job and they get all of these things for free. This is rediculous. They are the ones that need to take a cut. Also quit ordering from Dorothy Lane Market every Wednesday when you have your meetings. Pack your own lunch and quit eating on my dollar!

By taxpayer

July 25, 2009 12:08 AM | Link to this

Not only do I pay my taxes, but I also pay interest and penalties…where is that money going?

By gene streck

July 25, 2009 2:29 PM | Link to this

Sucks that FD is doing it But here is something interesting why hasent Rashad young taken a pay cut from 6 figures and why hasnt the mayor? Oh yeah thats right there politicians Heres a thought why dont they give up there salaries to cover the budget and out right get rid of the city manager all together its not a needed job never has been either he should go or the city counsel should go

By morons

July 25, 2009 10:27 PM | Link to this

To those that say the DFD spends too much time playing cards and going to Meijers: do the job for a week and then you can talk sh^t. My great grandfather, grandfather, and uncle were/are firemen in the DFD. Fireman aren’t paid nearly enough for what they do. The next time your house catches on fire or you have a medical emergency deal with it yourself. Retire early? The #1 on the job cause of death for firefighters is heart attack. try being woke up 6 times a night by an alarm 3 times a week for 30 years. the lack of respect for those who choose to serve the community makes me sick.

By Firewalker

July 27, 2009 10:13 AM | Link to this

To clear up some incorrect posts, we (DFD) will in fact lose money out of our pockets. We lose 4 paid holidays, keep in mind, AND we lose our contracted 3% raise. So, I will lose thousands of dollars. The Part time EMT hiring is not something we want, it is an effort for the city to increase minority hiring by bypassing civil service hiring rules. Lastly, we do not play cards in the firehouse, they are not allowed, never have been and in my 19 years, I have never seen anyone play checkers. We take apparatus to the store to buy our own groceries so we can eat meals. We are in service, while we shop. We are not playing, we are working. But many posters on here only respect firefighters and police when they die.

By papertrucker

August 3, 2009 11:22 AM | Link to this

I have a question. what do they firepeople top out at?